‘Nerve’ Movie Starring Emma Roberts and Dave Franco Asks, ‘Are You A Watcher Or A Player?’

Aussie fans of Jeanne Ryan’s 2012 young adult novel, Nerve, will be excited to hear the movie adaptation of Nerve will hit their shores on September 22, 2016. U.S. fans, however, can enjoy the movie from July 27.

The official synopsis for Nerve is as follows:

“Industrious high school senior, Vee Delmonico [Emma Roberts], has had it with living life on the sidelines. When pressured by friends to join the popular online game Nerve, Vee decides to sign up for just one dare in what seems like harmless fun. But as she finds herself caught up in the thrill of the adrenaline-fueled competition partnered with a mysterious stranger [Dave Franco], the game begins to take a sinister turn with increasingly dangerous acts, leading her into a high-stakes finale that will determine her entire future.

Nerve is directed by Catfish’s Henry Joost and Ariel Shulman and also stars Juliette Lewis, Samira Wiley, Kimiko Glenn and Emily Meade.”

Just released is a new trailer video for Nerve, starring Emma Roberts and Dave Franco. In it, Vee is coerced into playing the popular online game, Nerve. However, considering what a shy wallflower she is, her friends convince her to enter the game as a “player” rather than a “watcher.” As a result of this, she is, at first, enticed to kiss a stranger for five seconds. The reward is $100. Vee, along with the boy she kisses, end up doing all sorts of crazy activities that quickly escalate into potentially illegal things when their personal belongings — including their clothes — are stolen after they are dared to try on expensive items of clothing. They are then requested, via the game Nerve, to leave the store. Coming up with an ingenious plan, rather than steal the expensive clothes, they take them off and leave the store wearing only their underwear.

While they go on to do other things that are not so dangerous, things do take a darker turn when it is mentioned someone once died from playing Nerve. And, see, that’s the catch. While everything you are doing via Nerve is worth money, if you decide to stop playing, unless the game has officially ended, you lose the cash. All of it.

Vee then discovers her parents have had their money stolen. Remember when Vee had her personal belongings taken while she was trying on that expensive outfit? It turns out her identity has been stolen, and she is now the property of the Nerve game.

And therein lies the darker twist to the Nerve movie. Just exactly what would you be prepared to do for money? Just how far would you go in order to get paid? And just how much are you prepared to reveal of yourself online?

And the Nerve movie is a timely reminder of just how dark the internet can be after the recent reports of a French girl who committed suicide live on Periscope. While Periscope is no game show like in the movie, Nerve, comparisons can be made between the culture of a generation who are obsessed with the internet. Both media also make people question just how far can the line be pushed before the watchers become legally binding offenders in a game (or an online service such as Periscope) that goes horribly wrong on the internet?

You can watch the new trailer for the Nerve movie below.

Are you excited about this new movie? What do you think of the online culture prevalent in today’s society? Let us know by commenting below!

Nerve is due for release in theaters on July 27, 2016, in the U.S. However, the Australian audience will have to wait until September 22, 2016.

[Image via Lionsgate Movies]