Nerve

I decided to make the bold choice and watch the movie before reading the book. I almost always read the book first, but there is a 50/50 chance the movie is nothing like the book which in this case is sort of true. Now I won't be doing a book to movie comparison because they both differ in ways that suit their medium. What works in books may not work in films.

Nerve is based off the book Nerve by Jeanne Ryan. Unfortunately, movies don't give author credits in movie posters, but they do somewhere in the rolling credits. In this adaptation, we follow the character Venus, a.k.a Vee, through her choice of playing the game NERVE. It's a daring game for those that are either Watchers or Players. Watches must pay to watch the game, and Players are paid to complete dares. The rules of the game are simple, yet deadly. Complete dares for money. Fail a dare and you lose the game. Bail a dare and you lose all your money. One rule is absolute. DO NOT CALL THE POLICE. The dares are borderline legal, but some are way more dangerous than others. Snitching to the police is a no go. Players or Watchers caught snitching will be punished by being the game's prisoner. Sounds intense right? Well, it was until the ending...

I was hooked to this film within the first ten minutes. It was part of the reason as to why I watched the movie before reading the book. This movie had the same game intensity story as Sword Art Online, a Japanese Anime, where the players were forced to play once they logged in. The irony in the comparison is that in Sword Art Online, the equipment used to play the game is called Nerve Gear. So, something about the word nerve really gets people hooked.

As much as I didn't think the ending was believable, I did enjoy this film. Dave Franco really brought out the charm of the character Ian. He was a rugged stranger Vee was partnered with to complete dares. The character Sydney, played by Emily Meade, was one worth remembering. She was a diva looking for some fun. Even though her cat fight with Vee turned out as a typical teen girl fight, she had redeemable qualities. At times, I found her more interesting than Vee.

I have checked the box office ratings for this film, and it didn't make as much as expected. There wasn't much marketing for this film, and the script writing for this film could have been improved. When books from early technology are adapted later when technology has advanced, the producers and directors have to decide which time period to support. They decided to show the latest greatest technology to make the movie more appealing to younger audiences. However, I've noticed with films that choose this strategy, don't make as much profits or reel in must interest. This is simply because the book fans expect the movie to reflect the original story. My philosophy is this; If the book turned out successful despite the time period, then adapt it into a film using the original technology and story line. This happened with the recent film Before I Fall which was adapted from the book. The movie Nerve, uses the latest technology to connect the game to characters in a way that's more believable to the audience of the current time. Calling someone before texting is unheard of in the next generation. But, for me, this strategy is the movie's downfall.

Another downfall is the character development. Vee lives with her mother, a single parent, and there's a dark shadow over them both due to her deceased older brother. This information is later explored when Vee explains this secret to Ian. However, it doesn't mark it self as significant to the story or character development because nothing changes afterwards. It seems like the writers wanted to make Vee have a deceased brother to weigh her down to her home and mother in New York rather than going out of state for college. But, it was really not necessary. The mother's stress and anxiety over being a single parent is convincing enough.

I won't reveal anything about the ending, except that I'm not sure I was pleased with how the movie ended. With teen films, I've noticed the ending is shortened due to time. It seemed like there should have been consequences for playing NERVE. Maybe the police should have gotten more involved to make the game even more intense.

I did enjoy this film even if it's under rated. I will most likely watch it again after finishing the book.

#Nerve #EmmaRoberts #DaveFranco #Neon #Daring #Thrilling