2016 Nerve Movie For All Ages

I rarely go to the cinema and when I do, I'm very choosey because I want to see something especially action-packed or moving when I go to the big screen. There are movies that make great outtings to the cinema and others that are only worth watching at home after they've been released to DVD. Nerve was an excellent choice to revisit the theater after having not been in over a year! Here are my thoughts on the movie in further detail.

Many people love movies based on books and true stories. Nerve was based on a book I hadn't seen already, but assume contributed to its success. I personally loved the subject matter and cast most. Main character, Vee played by Emma Roberts lives in her social butterfly and adrenaline junkie best friend's shadow. Grieving her brother's death last summer and turning down her choice college to stay with her otherwise empty nesting mother makes for an unfulfilling existence, until Nerve. Nerve is a secret online video game made up of anonymous watchers who've paid for their membership and 'players' who earn money by completing the dares initiated by their following. The relevance of this movie theme rings too true with the recent Pokemon Go app obsession. The movie creatively sheds light on a few growing problems with 21st century youth, the heavy influence technology has on its users and the lengths that bullying can reach. I know what you're thinking, pre-circa 1990 viewers. Producers made sure their vision wasn't clouded by an overly sexual, uncomfortable or disgusting approach. Tastefully done through out, with a moral message you'd approve, I won't spoil its ending.

I felt that the characters had great chemistry and that there was time spent with casting, attention to detail, and joint collaboration, a real and current piece of art, unlike the common tripe that comes out of Hollywood these days. Like me, you might've been unaware of the brilliant artists behind the piece of work. Ariel Schulman, a co-director of Nerve, is Nev Schulman's older brother and was largely responsible for creating another of my favorites, Catfish The Documentary. Another favorite brother and familiar looking face joined the cast as well; Dave Franco, James Franco's younger brother. I didn't recognize that Machine Gun Kelly played the character of Ty, another pleasant surprise. You could almost create an entire Nerve themed Trivial Pursuit with the abundance of fun facts in this thriller.

As a 26 year old adult, I found it checked off all my boxes; romance, action, a clean ending and a good message. After telling Facebook I learned my niece loved the movie too, no surprise. And for those concerned it's too 21st century teeny boppy for them, it actually might make you reminiscent of older computer/technology sci-fi movies such as Not Quite Human and War Games. For parents and teachers it's a good refresher on the current slang and mentality of teens (individually and in groups) and a good conversation starter between them and their kids.