‘Nerve’ BluRay Reviews: Grow Some Spine And Watch It

Scream Queen‘s Emma Roberts stars in perhaps the best teen-technology thriller in a while, Nerve.

The movie opens up with the main character, Vee, on her computer. She goes on her Gmail and almost refuses a CalArts acceptance due to her spinelessness. She has no nerve. I think you see the theme already. After talking about boys with her friend Sidney, Vee checks out Nerve, a truth-or-dare game (with a tutorial video made entirely of gifs) without the truth option. Sydney tells Vee to watch her on it.

Sidney is revealed to be a cheerleader in high school, who exposes her ass during a rally in order to complete a dare. A montage of people doing dumb-yet-adventurous things for dares race across the screen. Imagine if Pokemon Go was like this. Thousands would die.

Vee is peer pressured to do something daring, and when she refuses, Sid asks Vee’s crush to go out with her. He says no and Vee flees. Oh, high school. Upon accepting a challenge to play Nerve,  Vee has 24 hours to complete every dare without losing for a big cash prize, with mini-cash prizes along the way that she loses if she bails.

At a diner, Vee ends up kissing a random guy who is holding one of her favorite books as a Nerve challenge. The guy it turns out is Ian (Dave Franco). His watchers on Nerve say they want him to team up with Vee, They go into the city on Ian’s motorcycle as he drives with her hands over his eyes.

Vee takes the dare to try on a dress for a $500 prize at Bergdorf’s. Vee finds the dress and tries it on. Out of the male changing room comes Ian. Another Nerve player steals their clothes, forcing them to shoplift. They don’t want to steal, so naturally they exit in the nude with only their phones and their underwear. They find, on the motorcycle, the dresses they left behind with a paid receipt. Guess nobody has need for wallets.

At a party, Vee absolutely roasts Sid in front of her friends when they tune into her private conversation. Sid doesn’t pay it any mind after appearing hurt. She takes a dare where a ladder is placed between buildings and she has to walk to the other side, but fails at the challenge.

Vee and Ian make it to the party. Vee meets Sid again, who is making out with her previous crush. Sid tears into her, saying things that no friend should say – that the only thing interesting about her is her (dead) brother Matt. Vee replies that Sid has peaked in high school, and proceeds to complete the Nerve dare Sid’s failed at.

Ian finds Vee and reveals that Ty, the crazy guy who stole their stuff at Bergdorf’s, is actually Ian’s nemesis from a past Nerve competition. Things take an even darker turn from here.

The movie is a great thriller with excellent writing and electronic pop soundtrack. The beginning of the movie is at its strongest, setting the stage for an insecure girl so that you feel the tension she would feel in her situation. It’s honestly quite masterful.

Now for what needs work. Hollywood needs to stop trying to relate to kids by having everything be so heavy on electronics and social media. The themes of phones being everywhere is fine and the message that there is more to life than electronics is good and all, but it’s just a bit much. Right off the bat: MAC, SKYPE, iMESSAGING, GMAIL, GIFS, and then later, YAAAS, WUTANG, etc. It’s not relatable, it’s obnoxious.

With special features including outtakes, The Governor’s Ball Takeover, Ttrailers and the makings of, there is at least 30 minutes worth of special content. I would recommend watching the movie, if for no other reason than the blind motorcycle scene. This teen, technology-obsessed thriller is all about maturity, youth and becoming brave. Grow some spine and buy a copy, I dare you.