Zane's take at the Cinema's

Remember how I said it’s nice to know that January has slowly becoming a better time for good movies to get released? I’m not necessarily suggesting that Mercy is the worst movie of all time nor is it even in the same conversation of the worst movies to ever coexist with the month of January, but it definitely hits that threshold. With films like 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, The Testament of Ann Lee getting a wide release and Netflix’s The Rip, its becoming more evident that January is no longer the dumping ground like it used to be. It’s a hard sell for people to go back to the movies anyways with the holidays being over, people going back to work and kids back at school but the shift of quality is finally turning over. Unfortunately, we stumble upon a film like Mercy, which by all accounts is not a complete train wreck, kinda reminisces on the very notion that January has never been a strong month for wide releases. However, the fact that I had ZERO expectations on Mercy and walked out feeling more overjoyed that it wasn’t terrible is a huge testament to how surprised I was.

Even with all the negativity that is to be said about the movie, Mercy does present itself well with interesting concepts and ideas. Set in the not too distant future of Los Angeles, California, Chris Raven (Chris Pratt), police detective, is being set on trail for the murder of his wife. He has a total time of 90 minutes to prove his innocence to an A.I. judge (Rebecca Ferguson) before it determines his fate. To help prove his innocence, Raven uses all the help he can by archiving footage from all across the city, eye witness accounts, text messages, phone calls or anything while strapped to a chair.

In all fairness, this is an intriguing idea that does present an engaging and thoughtful piece of science fiction. The problem, however, is that Mercy is that it really feels like a poor mans Minority Report. It makes a valiant effort to hook you with its premise in the beginning of the movie, but during the third act of the movie is when it starts to really fall on its face because of how many story beats it jumbles. It ultimately becomes a joggled mess. The more I think about it, the more it speaks as a reflection of the work from director Timur Bekmambetov. From the director of Wanted, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and the remake of Ben-Hur, he’s never been the guy that screams excellence (even if Wanted and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter have their level of fun). He’s never known for exceeding on groundedness, but he has been known for being accomplished on a stylistic level. I can’t speak to the 3D aspect of Mercy, but on a visual level it is unique in that regard. Seeing everything from the cops body cam and the drone shots of the streets in the city of L.A. presented an interesting visual scope to the movie.

The biggest problem with Mercy is something a lot of people have pointed out already and it’s the fact that it never screams for a big theatrical experience. In today’s era where a lot of the movie going public has diminished in the post Covid era, Mercy at its core feels like it was tailor made for an at home viewing. Giving it the IMAX 3D push almost feels like a desperate need for attention because 3D doesn’t sell tickets like it used to, unless you have James Cameron’s Avatar as the title. Nevertheless, Mercy has the structure and the confinements of being watched in the comfort of your own home.

The other bummer with this movie is the performance/character from Chris Pratt. Chris Pratt gives a solid performance, as he usually does, but ititss his character I take issue with. It’s really a generically written character that’s so paper thin that there’s ultimately nothing fresh about his arc or any other emotional complexities they want to throw at you. Once the story unfolds in the bloated third act, it all just comes across as formulaic. The other disappointing element is the lack of showing Rebecca Ferguson’s talent. Rebecca Ferguson is one of the best actresses in the business, even if you exclude her work in the Dune movies. She is absolutely wasted in this and even having her as the A.I. judge feels like a smack in the face of her talents.

Mercy is not desperately needed to be seen on the big screen. If you’re looking for something new to see this weekend then maybe Mercy might be just for you. But it needs to be stressed that is the best example of an home watch to stream on Amazon.