"Are You A Watcher Or A Player?"
Remember Black Mirror? Yeah, that's right, that simply brilliant jet-black satirical drama ran by the creative mastermind that is Charlie Brooker and featured weekly tales of horror and torment which ran incredibly close to the perils of modern day society in a fashion not too dissimilar from classic shows such as The Twilight Zone? Well, think back to "White Bear" from the second season in which our beloved heroine is chased through forests and streets by unknown assailants dressed in masks who appear to be following her through video capture on their mobile device as she attempts to figure out what on earth is going on, add into the mix a Hollywood style budget as well as the likes of Dave Franco and American Horror Story's Emma Roberts, and Nerve is pretty much a Black Mirror episode dragged out to 90 minutes, a notion that has both attractions and problems, yet still results in becoming a solid style-infested summer slick flick.
After swiftly becoming involved in the underground internet-based craze Nerve, a dare-based contest in which "players" compete for "watchers" and cash by accepting and then attempting to complete a wide range of dangerous tasks, Emma Roberts' Vee, soon becomes entangled with the motorcycle riding adrenaline junkie that is Dave Franco's Ian, who soon become a formidable pairing in the world of Nerve, racking up both popularity and wealth as they bond through night-time Staten Island. Does all bode well for our recently beloved pairing? Not particularly, and although the final act of Nerve can only be reduced to becoming a complete and utter cop-out, the middle act, in which we witness our power couple of Roberts and Franco compete in doing reckless and simply ludicrous acts of stupidity, is surprisingly addictive and ironically, nervy to watch. The sights out of long-distance heights from that of mobile devices is enough to make anyone squeal, yet Nerve manages to contain such drama effectively and keep itself reasonably low-key in order to adhere to its' underground nature, at least until the last act in which we are left with a finale so OTT and predictable, it nearly spoils the fun we were having before it. Nearly, but not quite. Stupid, dumb fun with some flashy cinematography is at the heart of Nerve, and for 60 minutes at least, it was some adrenaline pushing drama. Shame about the other 30.
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