'Mercy' Review: A High-Concept Sci-Fi Thriller Undone by Thin Ideas and Familiar Tricks
- Jack Ransom
- 7 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Jack Ransom - January 26, 2026
A film that no-one knew existed at all until its first trailer dropped back in October. Mercy is set in the near future, and sees a detective (Chris Pratt) standing on trial after being accused of murdering his wife. He has 90 minutes to prove his innocence to the advanced A.I. Judge (Rebecca Ferguson) he once championed, before it determines his fate.
This right here is why I love January at the movies. This past Friday, we have had: three dramas (H is for Hawk, The History of Sound and Saipan), a Korean black comedy thriller from an auteur director (No Other Choice), a video game adaptation horror flick (Return to Silent Hill) and the subject of this review: a screen-life, sci-fi, murder mystery thriller that I’m stunned didn’t arrive straight on Prime Video. There really is something for everyone.
I can’t deny, Mercy quickly fell into mockery and ‘fake film’ accusations between my friend’s and I (an ever growing list that’s for sure), with its blatant ripping off of Minority Report, and with a central presentation gimmick echoing the recent disasterpiece that was War of the Worlds (2025). That being said… I had fun with this, as it is pure ‘one-and-done’ early year trash of the highest degree and really only exists to get the ball rolling for IMAX to start slapping their logo on when the Fire and Ash screenings eventually deplete.
Plot-wise the film hits the ground running and barrages the viewer with a sped up catch up of how and why the Mercy system is now in place, before Chris (Chris Pratt - yep, his character is also called Chris) jolts awake and finds himself locked into his 90 minutes. What follows is a jumpy, ridiculous yet still engaging race against the clock which flirts with intriguing questions and moments (e.g. A.I. developing a “gut feeling”) but ultimately flip-flops between for-and-against A.I. (I’ve seen some say it’s fully pro, I don’t see that) without much substance. Also, it frequently breaks its own rules on a whim for pure plot convenience effect, and going into this it’s already insanity that the "Mercy" programme is even a thing that was green-lit by society in general.
I genuinely think watching this in 4DX would be enough to kill someone. With the chair lurching around, intense scrolling of emails, texts and social media pages, body-cam footage, phones dropping… this is the most ambitious and larger scale of the screen-life sub-genre so far and the futuristic tech of the "Mercy" trial is uniquely presented and immersive, especially in the crime scene walkthrough sequences. The framing and directorial flair is limited due to the nature of the setting (the amount they cut to Ferguson’s same looming expression must be in double figures), but the kinetic, destructive, carnage inducing finale blowout is a welcome tension release. Visual effects-wise the blend of grounded and futuristic tech slot nicely together and everything is pretty much potentially tangible for the 2029 setting.
Chris Pratt’s been fumbling somewhat outside of franchise flicks when it comes to the feature films. His character here is incredibly generic, and outside of the scenes where he has to bellow and shout, Pratt isn’t really giving too much. Rebecca Ferguson is one of the coolest actors working today and you’ve gotta give her props for the paycheque grab, yet even when in a film like this she still manages to bring a fittingly cold, edgy and calculated aura to Judge Maddox.
Mercy is a swiftly generic and forgettable thriller that boasts plenty of potential ideas and things it could be saying, yet opts to go for the trashy playbook… which I’m admittedly a sucker for, as it did make me laugh quite a lot. The presentation of Mercy is a distinct one and the mystery is paced efficiently with a ticking clock always spinning, before the chaotic third act erupts. The screenplay opts for absurdity over nuance and exploration, the performances are consistently hit and miss and the characters are cliché tick off’s with no real investment.
'Mercy' is out now in cinemas.
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