Book Review: NERVE

I was already midway into reading "Nerve" when I saw the movie adaptation starring Emma Roberts and Dave Franco (movie review here) and I could already tell that the movie was actually better than the book. For one thing, the dares were a lot more exciting, for another the movie has a better ending than the book. Which is saying a lot considering that it was the movie' sending that I had the most issues with. 

Before I get carried away, let's start at the beginning shall we? 

Jeanne Ryan's "Nerve" opens with a prologue which is narrated by a character we never really meet in the story,  it's one other former Nerve players on the run, looking for some peace and quiet in a park only to be harassed by what seems to be a deranged fan of sorts. The prologue then ends abruptly and we don't really know what happens to the girl-is this a foreshadowing of what is to happen to our heroine? 

Chapter One - we meet said heroine, Vee "the girl behind the curtain" (no, it's nothing like a Stieg Larsson book) who plays second fiddle to her best friend Sydney. While Vee sticks to the backstage as a make-up artist, Sydney is the star of the show. She's beautiful, confident and popular, things which Vee can only dream of. 

After feeling that Sydney betrayed her, Vee decides to join NERVE, an online game which has players perform dares for prizes and money. Which is different in the movie, since playing Nerve requires you to choose from being a player or a watcher, in the book, you're just a player. 

What follows next us basically the same plot for both the book and the movie, where Vee performs a number of dares and is paired off with the handsome and myseterious Ian, played by Dave Franco in the movie. Ian is given more depth in the movie, as his story ties in the main plot of the film. 

The downfall of the book, for me is during the finals of the Nerve games, which feels a lot like "The Hunger Games" as they introduce new characters that Vee and Ian have to "beat" in order to win their prizes. What follows is a boring stand off and yet another take on a scene from "The Hunger Games". 

I'm really glad that the screen writers stayed away from The Hunger Games similarities.

The ending of the book? Is even worse than the movie, if you can imagine. So should you read the book to appreciate the movie? No. Just go on and watch the movie. This is just a 1.5 out of 5 for me. 

Movie Review: NERVE

In a time when our lives revolve around social media and posting everything about ourselves online (bank account information, government data, personal information) coupled with this insatiable need to be insta-famous with countless likes and followers, "NERVE" takes a big mirror and shows us our own ugly reflection. 

Vee (Emma Roberts) is a shy senior, who plays second fiddle to her best friend, the popular, confident cheerleader, Sydney. A talented photographer, Vee is having trouble telling her mom she wants to enroll in a far off art school. Vee's mom would rather have her enroll in the nearby college, where she can keep tabs on her. This is at the wake of her older brother's tragic death. 

With an over protective mom, boy problems and being humiliated by Sydney, Vee steps out of her shy persona and joins NERVE, an online game where you sign up to be a Watcher or a Player. As a Player you perform dares for prize money. Watchers gather information about players and ask them to do dares, they are also tasked to take videos of watchers as they perform their dares. 

The players who can't complete the dares are out of the game. 

What starts out as a simple and harmless dare leads Vee to a crazy night, also meeting fellow Player the handsome, Ian (Dave Franco) but with the dares becoming more dangerous can Vee really trust Ian? 

The film explores both concepts of a Cyber Voyeur and a Cyber Exhibitionist, it might sound silly  but with Facebook Live and Viral videos on YouTube, is a game like NERVE really too far-fetched? 

There were also some interesting themes and talking points in the film, such as hiding behind anonymity and what it means to take responsibility over your actions online. There was also a scene in the film which reminded me of the Romans in the Colliseum with their brutal pit fights which serve as their entertainment. 

The audience loved the movie, I could hear them reacting to the exciting and emotional parts in the film. They were really rooting for the two lead characters and I always take that as a good indication that the film was enjoyable. I myself enjoyed it but found the ending flat and predictable, a tad bit corny actually but forgivable for the interesting use and incorporation of what's on your phone's screen to the film. Plus they have some good choices in songs, my favorite is "Electric Love" by BØRNS. 

7.5 out of 10, NERVE is now showing in cinemas! 

I was already midway in the book (yes, it's based on a young adult book) when I saw the movie and I can tell that the movie was definitely better. 

Book review to follow! 

Movie News: SINISTER SIDE OF SOCIAL MEDIA EXPOSED IN “NERVE”

Emma Roberts and Dave Franco star in “Nerve,” a timely edge-of-your-seat thriller and a razor-sharp examination of the seductive power of social media. 

 Directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, best known for their work on “Catfish” and the “Paranormal Activity” series, who have created an action-packed urban adventure that also offers keen insights into online behavior.

 Based on the popular young-adult novel by Jeanne Ryan, the game of “Nerve” introduces a pool of young thrill-seeking players who accept increasingly risky dares from anonymous watchers to win valuable rewards. As small-time pranks ramp up into dangerous, sometimes acts, fans watch the action captured live on smartphones.

 In “Nerve,” when Staten Island high-school senior Vee Delmonico (played by Emma Roberts) is challenged by her best friend to take part in the game, it launches a series of life-changing events.  Each game of Nerve lasts only 24 hours; then a winner is declared and it moves on to the next challengers. “The movie asks the audience the same question Vee asks herself,” says Schulman. “Are you a watcher or a player? Not just in the game of Nerve, but in life itself. Vee has played it safe her whole life, but Nerve pushes her to take chances, which can be very dangerous. If you play, you may get hurt, or you may win and become a celebrity and make a lot of money. You can take the safe road, or you can take the risk. It’s all up to you.”

 

Vee's adventure starts out as a high-octane Cinderella story, says producer Allison Shearmur. “She meets an unbelievably handsome and sexy stranger. She goes to the Bergdorf Goodman department store and walks out in a dress that costs thousands of dollars. She rides into New York City on a tricked-out motorcycle, and becomes a part of the city in a way that she probably only imagined from her apartment on Staten Island. It only gets dark when she has to start asking the questions that all of us are asking, like, ‘Who is this guy, really?’”

 Perhaps the most alarming aspect of the game, Shearmur suggests, is that there is no one villain; the threat comes from the anonymous online onlookers. “The game goes from lighthearted wish-fulfillment to menacing and dangerous. Like a mob screaming for dueling gladiators, the bloodlust of the crowd becomes very disturbing.”

 The more sinister side of the internet seemed like a topic that was ripe for exploration to actress Emma Roberts, who plays Vee. “People are putting their whole lives on the internet today,” she notes. “This movie captures that phenomenon and takes it one step further.”  Roberts says she thinks twice now when she uses Instagram, Twitter—or even email. “Nothing’s ever truly private. I think this movie taps into that feeling. Whatever you post can potentially be seen by anyone, whether you want it to be or not.”

 After the success of Catfish, Joost says he and Schulman were often asked if they believed the internet was inherently dangerous. “We said no, the internet is actually very neutral. It is what you make of it. It can be an inspiring place that introduces you to people you would never meet otherwise. It can push you to become a better person. Or it can bring out something darker in you. At the end of the day, it’s about owning up to your actions.”

“Nerve” is coming soon this July 27 in cinemas from Pioneer Films. 

Movies: DARE TO SURVIVE IN THE SEDUCTIVE WORLD OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN “NERVE”

It’s an all-or-nothing online game in the exhilarating thriller “Nerve” set on the streets of New York City, where amateur daredevils competes for the highest payoff that mines their online information, exploiting their wildest dreams—and their deepest fears.  “Nerve” stars Dave Franco, Emma Roberts, Emily Meade, Kimiko Glenn, Marc John Jefferies, Brian Marc, Samira Wiley and Juliette Lewis. 

A cautionary tale for the highly-active social network generation, “Nerve” starts with an industrious, shy high school senior Vee Delmonico (Roberts) who is challenged by her best friend to take part in the game.  Vee breaks out of her comfort zone when she impulsively signs up for Nerve, an adrenaline-fueled competition that streams live over the internet. Young thrill-seekers challenge each other to a series of dares that rapidly escalate from mildly embarrassing to downright deadly, as an anonymous community of “watchers” instigates the action.

 Suddenly, Vee becomes an overnight superstar once partnered with a mysterious stranger named Ian (Dave Franco), their instant chemistry makes them online stars and fan favorites.  As the night wears on, though, Vee alienates her longtime friends and puts her life on the line in pursuit of money and celebrity. Making a discovery about Ian’s past, Vee finds her family’s future at risk. As the tension mounts, the stakes rise—and the possible outcome shifts from win or lose to life or death.

The directing team of Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, best known for their work on “Catfish” and the “Paranormal Activity” series, have created an action-packed urban adventure that also offers keen insights into online behavior. “Our first film, Catfish, started a national conversation about the internet and identity,” says Joost. “This is a similar opportunity to talk about the way all of us, teenagers in particular, communicate these days. We can do all kinds of things on the internet that we might not do in real life.”

“We take a shy girl, sit her in front of the internet, and she’s suddenly inspired to be someone she didn’t have the courage to be yesterday,” says Schulman. “Someone in cyberspace is daring her to be something she may not want to be. Vee goes down the rabbit hole to the dark side of that. The online audience can be powerfully alluring. All of a sudden you’re posting pictures you never would’ve shown anybody, and that’ll catch up with you.”

The game operates through a smartphone app, allowing prospective players to sign up and start taking chances instantly. Getting out is another story. “The watchers have access to your personal information from Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat—everything else you’re using,” says Joost. “They custom-craft dares based on your fears and aspirations. It starts out pretty easy and fun. But the game tries to find your limits.”

The more sinister side of the internet seemed like a topic that was ripe for exploration to actress Emma Roberts, who plays Vee. “People are putting their whole lives on the internet today,” she notes. “This movie captures that phenomenon and takes it one step further.”

Roberts says she thinks twice now when she uses Instagram, Twitter—or even email. “Nothing’s ever truly private. I think this movie taps into that feeling. Whatever you post can potentially be seen by anyone, whether you want it to be or not.”

Are you a player or a watcher? Find out when “Nerve” opens in cinemas nationwide this July 27 from Pioneer Films. 

Trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_Ii8NRB_AU&feature=youtu.be