Nerve (2016)

"Having made one of the defining documents of the Internet age thus far with 2010’s Catfish, Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost couldn’t be a more fitting match for Nerve, a snappy, if progressively silly cautionary techno-thriller that makes the latter film’s odyssey into the perilous traps of online dating look quaint in comparison."

""Nerve," let's be clear, isn't a movie to take seriously, yet its fast lunge at topicality - the way it uses the contest at its centre as a lightning-rod metaphor for how young adults interact in the digital age - is part of what's fun about it."

"Other films - including David Fincher's The Game (1997) - have done this better, but with its engaging story, energetic soundtrack and slick production values, Nerve is an easy watch for restless young minds."

"[The] screenplay... amounts to little more than a string of flashy stunts before fizzling to a contrived close. For all its hints at imminent catastrophe, "Nerve" feels surprisingly tame."

"The pros slightly edge out the cons to make this perils-of-the-dark-web story appealing, and potentially a breakout success for the junior high set."

"Just as they did with 2010 "documentary" Catfish, directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman have delivered one of this year's most timely and terrifying films."

"As entertainment goes, Nerve is fun due to the chemistry of its leads, but it's what it has to say that is where it makes its mark."

"The sharpest, wildest and most unpredictable thriller I've seen this year..."

""Mr. Robot" meets "Battle Royale"... a neon-saturated teenage dream, high on first kisses and digital hearts."

"With its attractive young cast and a multiplatform media campaign, Nerve won't need to rely on going viral to find its audience, but it's unlikely to be trending for long once viewers digest its simplistically cautionary message."