Nerve
Director: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman
Stars: Emma Roberts, Dave Franco, Emily Meade
Duration: 96 mins
Class: 15
KRS Releasing Ltd

Pokémon Go has taken a large segment of the game-playing world by storm, with reportedly over 100 million people having downloaded the app as they head outdoors to hunt the elusive Pokémon.

In the meantime, millions of others look on askance or are completely indifferent (like yours truly), while many in authority express concern about the dangers posed by the game (walking into lampposts or onto oncoming traffic, for example). The Iranian government banned it completely… for security reasons… go figure.

Such unbridled enthusiasm over a location-based, augmented-reality game cements the plausibility of Nerve, a teen-thriller set over the course of one night on the streets of New York City, the setting for the eponymous online game. Nerve the game is a dare-based competition that streams live over the internet as adventure-seeking players, with the promise of large cash rewards, accept dares from each other.

These dares run the gamut from harmless, embarrassing pranks to life-threatening stunts, all while the players are being incited by the thousands of watchers relishing the action that unfolds on the screens of their myriad devices.

Emma Roberts stars as Vee Delmonico, a quiet, unassuming high school student harbouring dreams of attending arts school in California. Her best friend is the vivacious Sydney (Emily Meade), a keen player of the game.

Following a spat between the two, Vee satisfies her curiosity about the game and signs up for just the one dare. But, before long, she is manipulated into playing further rounds as she partners up with a charming guy Ian (Dave Franco) and finds herself in the middle of this elaborate cat-and-mouse game that has deadly consequences.

Two hours of entertainment even for those of a technophobic bent

While at the outset it would appear that Nerve is a film that should appeal only to those inside the game-playing world, its admittedly solid action and engaging leads provide two hours of entertainment even to those of a technophobic bent.

Moreover, it does serve as a sort of cautionary tale of sorts, highlighting the inherent risks – both physically and morally – that these online games can pose.

For the film efficiently captures the ease with which the anonymity of the internet allows us to adopt personas differ-ent from our own, as well as the allure of instant fame.

It also expertly illustrates the downside of a complete loss of privacy and the dangers of a mob mentality, as watchers become blindly influenced by the game setters to behave in a rather ugly, sometimes violent, ways towards the players.

Directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman efficiently keep the action flowing at an incessant pace as Vee and Ian go through the game. Dares dares include darting through a department store in their underwear as they purloin some expensive clothes, and a death-defying motorcycle ride down the city streets.

The neon-lit streets of New York are colourfully, vibrantly and brightly captured as the pair race frantically from location to location, carrying out the various challenges put to them by the anonymous game-setters who, unnervingly, post rather disturbing comments as they watch.

It must be said that a little suspension of disbelief is required as Vee and Ian (and, one assumes, various other players across the city) carry out their, at times, precarious exploits, with the authorities either oblivious to what is going on under their nose or, in some cases at least, a part of it. The plot and accompanying narrative at times veers of course.

That said, the finale does lead to some heart-in-mouth mom-ents, despite the outcome being a tad predictable.

Roberts and Franco make for a pair of engaging leads, Roberts especially. She easily convinces as the shy, unassuming Vee, who discovers an inner strength of character as her evening unfolds. A young woman dealing with an over-protective single mother (Juliette Lewis), Vee wants to achieve independence.

The fact that her dream of moving across the country may be shattered triggers off her uncharacteristic behaviour, as she steps into the game and ill-advisedly takes it beyond that first step into something more sinister.

Although Ian is rather thinly-sketched, Franco adds a couple of layers to the charming and mysterious stranger trope, while Meade does her best to make Sydney a little more than the vapid best friend.