NERVE: Movie Review!

Rating: PG-13

Release: July 27, 2016

Hello, everybody! Today, I was finally able to head to the theater after long last to not only see a new movie but of course, to see a new book-to-movie adaptation that I've been anticipating for a little while now! I was super excited about this movie after I found out it was based on a book, which you can check out the book review for by clicking the link. So, anyhoo, I just love books and storylines that have to do with games such as Sword Art Online (1st season), The Eye Of Minds by James Dashner, and a few others. I get that players being stuck in a game of a sort isn't the most original idea ever but I still very much enjoy them from time to time.

So, obviously, I had to pick up NERVE and read it because I just loved the synopsis for the book and, well, the movie was coming out soon. I somehow managed to get my brother to read the book after showing him the trailer for the movie and he ended up loving it and we both went to see the movie earlier today and, surprise, I can't decide if I like the book or the movie better. For the first time ever I can't decide if I prefer the book to the movie or not. Like, what is this madness?

There were a lot of changes the movie adaptation made but overall, there was an equal amount of things we both liked about the movie and the book themselves. For starters, even though there were a lot of changes, the movie still kept the main plot points, pace, characters of course, and the themes and dares, even though there were different settings and the dares were different than in the book. Other changes included what our main character Vee is interested in such as in the book, she's set on going to fashion school. In the movie, her passion is photography and she rocks at it. The whole deal with her wanting to go to an expensive art school is still the same, though Vee's family life is changed a bit with her living with only her mom, no dad, and having a deceased older brother.

Some of the changes didn't really seem all that necessary but then again, it added some emotion, drama, and made Vee's character more willing to play NERVE since there was only one source of income and her mother was scared to let Vee go off to an expensive school for fear of not being able to pay the bills as well as still dealing with a death in the family. The dares were different than in the book but I didn't mind it that much since they were more realistic than in the book. The game is played in New York instead than in the original story, Ian's background is a little bit different and his reason for playing NERVE is also a little bit darker but the changes worked with the adaptation from page to screen.

I really liked the casting for all the characters. The pace, romance, excitement, and the overall story was well translated without getting boring or cheesy and the dares were exciting, even having me cringe just watching the characters do some of the dares and almost dying a few times in the process of playing the game. I would honestly go see this movie again since I really loved it despite the ending being totally different than the book and the way NERVE is operated being tweaked a little bit. I loved the book as well and I would say that the movie is good just as it's own thing, maybe not the best adaptation, but well worth watching for sure. I would give the movie about four stars based on just how much I personally enjoyed it. Even my brother, who's very picky just like me about book-to-movie adaptations, really liked it and enjoyed a lot of the changes.

So, do you think you would play NERVE if it was real? Let me if you're a player or a watcher in the comments. Read on, bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

Review: Nerve by Jeanne Ryan

Nerve by Jeanne Ryan

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Rating: PG-13

Genre: Thriller, Science Fiction

Score: ❤❤❤❤

Page Count: 304

Stand Alone

Publisher: Dial Books

Published: September 13, 2012

A high-stakes online game of dares turns deadly

When Vee is picked to be a player in NERVE, an anonymous game of dares broadcast live online, she discovers that the game knows her. They tempt her with prizes taken from her ThisIsMe page and team her up with the perfect boy, sizzling-hot Ian. At first it's exhilarating--Vee and Ian's fans cheer them on to riskier dares with higher stakes. But the game takes a twisted turn when they're directed to a secret location with five other players for the Grand Prize round. Suddenly they're playing all or nothing, with their lives on the line. Just how far will Vee go before she loses NERVE?

Review:

PROS:

1. I had no idea this was a book even after seeing the trailers for the movie so when I found out about it being a book, I pretty much bought a copy within five of minutes of finding out on Amazon. I'm not kidding, after discovering that Nerve was a book I ordered a copy in five minutes. I was pretty excited to read this book since I've barely seen anyone talk about it. I had never heard of the book let alone seen any reviews on it so I thought I'd try it out for myself. Here's the review:

2. I really liked the characters, at least most of them anyway. Vee was a character that liked staying behind-the-scenes and didn't like the spotlight. She was shy, didn't like disappointing her parents, and was focused on her passion for wanting to go to fashion school. She wasn't reckless but on the random chance of doing a simple dare, she realizes that she can be more than just the goody-two-shoes everyone knows her to be. Ian was an interesting character as well. He was more comfortable with taking risks but was also aware of the dangers and wasn't reckless with his choices. He thought it through and was an all around nice guy. 

The side characters such as Vee's friends were mixes of frustrating, loveable, and just plain awful. It was a little bit frustrating to see just how quickly Vee's closest friends turned on her every now and then and it made it a bit difficult for me to decide whether to trust them or not, which was a nice little flair added into the story where it seems no one can be trusted. 

3, This book was so easy and so fast to read that you could easily sit down to read for a few hours and be done with the book which is just awesome. The storyline is fast-paced without feeling too rushed or too slow when things calm down and just has a pretty steady pace for the most part. I liked that NERVE was a nice twist on the whole trapped-in-a-video-game storyline with it being a real-life thing and having some dares actually be deadly to the players themselves. 

4. It was exciting and fun and also a gripping read for me personally. The storyline holds a few mysteries and secrets that are both interesting and a little bit strange but nothing too mindblowing which I actually didn't mind. NERVE is a game that is just a little more than that in the long run. It really explores the things that people will do in order to 'win' and just how far they're willing to go in order to win it all. Some dares are simple enough, while others are mostly just embarrassing and some are quite dangerous, even deadly.

I think if you like playing games or like video games like me, you should totally pick this book up! I really liked it and I plan on seeing the movie when it hits theaters on July 27th in the U.S. I think the only reason I didn't give this book a five-star rating was because some of the secrets that are revealed in this book about characters or NERVE weren't really surprising or just fell flat when it came to how much build-up went into making you wonder what was going on. Overall, though, I seriously enjoyed it and kind of wish there was a sequel. 

I hope you all enjoyed this review! Do you plan on seeing the movie? What's your favorite board game or video game? Just curious. Read on, bookworms! See you in the next chapter!