'Mercy' Review: Chris Pratt must prove his innocence to AI judge in forgettable cyber thriller

If you're similar me, you ticker movies arsenic an escape. Whether it's astatine the theatre oregon astatine home, it's a accidental to enactment your telephone down and spell determination other for 2 hours. But successful the integer age, there's a increasing subgenre of films wherever the alleged "escape" is connected telephone and machine screens. There's seemingly a sanction for this which I was wholly unaware of (thanks ChatGPT!); it's called screenlife.

Examples see fearfulness flicks similar 2014's "Unfriended," thrillers similar 2018's "Searching" and 2022's "Missing" arsenic good arsenic past year's widely-panned "War of the Worlds" remake. If you missed those, there's an occurrence of "Modern Family" that takes a leafage from the screenlife playbook.

Notably, each those screenlife movies I cited were produced by Kazakh-Russian filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov, a pioneer successful the subgenre who is present retired with his caller screenlife-adjacent film, "Mercy."

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Chris Pratt stars arsenic Chris Raven successful "Mercy," from Amazon MGM Studios.  (Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios)

"Mercy" follows Detective Chris Raven (Chris Pratt) who is accused of murdering his wife. But alternatively of lasting trial, helium indispensable beryllium his innocence to Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson), an AI-generated justice who besides serves arsenic his assemblage and executioner.

Set successful a not-too-distant aboriginal Los Angeles, wherever rampant transgression had go an epidemic, the section authorities implemented the Mercy justness strategy which it credits for reducing transgression successful the city. Raven, an aboriginal champion of the AI program, present follows 18 others who yet met their destiny successful the aforesaid seat he's locked into.

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Based connected the disposable evidence, Maddox rates Raven's guilt astatine 97.5%. He indispensable person her to little that standing to 92%, which she explains would supply capable tenable uncertainty to fto him go, wrong 90 minutes, oregon other he's instantly executed. At his disposal is virtually each the full city's unreality information — cellphone records, emails, information camera footage, you sanction it — which are required by instrumentality to beryllium portion of the Mercy system. He's besides capable to marque telephone calls, similar to his daughter, his LAPD spouse and his AA sponsor (no movie detective would beryllium implicit without a drinking problem, amirite?).

Rebecca Ferguson stars arsenic Judge Maddox successful "Mercy," from Amazon MGM Studios.

Nearly the full movie is Chris Pratt strapped to a seat with Rebecca Ferguson serving arsenic a integer reminder of the ticking timepiece helium has to beryllium his innocence. It's benignant of similar "12 Angry Men" but alternatively of an 11-against-1 assemblage pushing a blameworthy verdict, it's an AI justice who has to beryllium swayed by the defendant, who seems highly blameworthy astatine the opening of the film. After all, arsenic Raven is told, "Mercy does not marque mistakes."

I indispensable admit I'm not a instrumentality of screenlife and "Mercy" is simply a cleanable illustration arsenic to why. It's self-restraining from a ocular and storytelling perspective. It leaves performers to bash much telling than showing, resulting successful much artificial explanatory dialogue. And it's hard to spot the entreaty of movies acceptable to phone, machine and tablet screens erstwhile our lives are already dominated by phone, machine and tablet screens.

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Kali Reis stars arsenic Ana successful manager Timur Bekmambetov’s movie "Mercy," from Amazon MGM Studios.

Bekmambetov utilized to unrecorded extracurricular the screen, directing enactment films similar "Wanted" and "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," but possibly helium sees a marketplace with screenlife, peculiarly since they travel with humble budgets. The outgo to marque "Mercy" was apt a tiny fraction of Pratt-led franchises similar "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Jurassic World." So from the perspectives of some Bekmambetov and Amazon MGM Studios, it's a no-brainer.

Pratt and Ferguson some bash good jobs but their talents tin bash truthful overmuch successful this format, peculiarly with a lukewarm screenplay from Marco van Belle. Here, they benignant of conscionable telephone it successful — pun intended. 

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Chris Pratt stars arsenic Chris Raven successful "Mercy," from Amazon MGM Studios.  (Justin Lubin)

The Verdict:

Despite its decent and timely AI premise, "Mercy" is simply a alternatively forgettable sci-fi thriller whodunnit that falls into the movie slop we usually expect successful January. Chris Pratt's prima powerfulness isn't capable to forestall his movie from receiving the decease penalty.

★★ — SKIP IT

"Mercy" is rated PG-13 for violence, bloody images, immoderate beardown language, cause contented and teen smoking. Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes. In theaters now.

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