Nerve

This review may contain spoilers!

Yeah, yeah we get it...ooga booga social media is scary. I would give Nerve a 6/10.

This film is fantastic at creating a strong atmosphere that is a big part of why this film has such good pacing, for instance a lot of the 'dares' characters receive throughout the film result in scenes brimming with tension. This is a movie that will deliver you a sharp kick of adrenaline at periodic points. I definitely enjoyed the cinematography used, a film like this demanded quirky shots and the director certainly delivered that much. One of the film's strengths was the score and in particular the main theme, however the soundtrack that focussed upon electronic based music went hand in hand with what this film essentially was.

Dave Franco, who played Ian, made for a great leading protagonist; he was very charismatic and one thing I always like about Franco is that he's easy to like. Emily Meade, who played Sydney, was a really fun and wild role at first; as the film went along however I thought Meade did a great job of playing up the vulnerabilities of her role. Josh Ostrovsky, who played Dirt Beard, had one of the funniest scenes in the film; his brilliant delivery of comedic lines made his performance stand out. Samira Wiley, who played Hacker Kween, delivers presence in bucketloads; Wiley creates a really wild and fun minor role who enjoyed while she was onscreen.

However the best performance came from Emma Roberts, who played Vee. Roberts is an up and coming actress who I've really enjoyed watching ever since We're The Millers and it's clear how far she's come in this film. This is a role that starts out as awkward and diminutive at first but as the feature carries along she becomes bolder and far more self-aware; it's great character development and Roberts does a fine job of portraying this. I think what makes this character so likeable is that Roberts makes her relatable, you can really put yourself in this character's shoes and understand how she thinks throughout the film.

The problem with this film is it's a very atmospheric and pretty film that disguises a rather simple script. The romantic subplots that are in play throughout the film are tough to swallow, the chemistry with Roberts and Franco escalates alarmingly quickly. The start of this film also takes a bit long to establish the characters and get to the aspect of the film we as an audience actually want to see. The ending also suffers by taking things a bit too far, suddenly there is a 'prisoner' element that feels a bit forced and culminates in an ending that is absolutely melodramatic. The way this film talks about technology makes it clear this writer has no idea how the internet works and furthermore the anti-internet stance feels a bit preachy. The editing is nothing stand out, I thought the constant use of graphics got a bit too in your face after a while.

Miles Heizer, who played Tommy, was one of the most cringeworthy roles of the film; his obsession with Roberts' role got a bit creepy and it was a struggle to relate to him. Kimiko Glenn, who played Liv, was an extremely bubbly role that got annoying pretty fast; she often fell under Meade's shadow. Marc John Jefferies, who played Wes, lacked screen presence in this film; Jefferies felt like a bit of an unnecessary role. Machine Gun Kelly, who played Ty, was an extremely weak antagonist; Kelly struggled to perform and deliver his lines well. Brian 'Sene' Marc, who played J.P., was a thoroughly forgettable performer; he served his purpose of being eye candy but didn't do much else. Juliette Lewis, who played Nancy, looked like she had no idea what she was doing in this film; you felt like she was going through the motions but didn't understand the script at all.