What works for Mercy
The clock ticking in the background for Chris to save himself coincides with the time running in the real world as viewers watch the film. With every second that passes, it becomes better to immerse ourselves in the story, while also being aware of the anxiety that comes with a ticking clock. The AI-heavy moments are rare in the film, but there’s one where Maddox, the judge at the Mercy court, goes on to speak at length about the characteristics of a substance during an ongoing inspection, not giving much thought to the gravity of the matter at hand and instead setting off into a descriptive rant. It shows artificial intelligence in its prime form for a brief, hilarious moment.
What doesn’t work for Mercy
Without giving away any spoilers, it’s safe to say that the twist and the culprit revealed eventually are underwhelming. After dozens of minutes of digging through his own daughter’s secret social media accounts and hijacking every CCTV camera in existence, there’s a power outage and Wi-fi connectivity issues that stall the case hunt. It’s almost counterintuitive as a viewer to see the limitations of the very advancement and yet be expected to believe in it.
After 100 minutes of watching a film talking about AI versus human jurisdiction, you never want to be left with the words, “Human or AI, we all make mistakes.” An obvious attempt to deter the AI-leaning world, it sounds very snobbish and cringey to be coming from the very man who has helmed the project in the film. It’s like a bucket of water being thrown over your head, making all the immersion in the visuals come right off you.
Acting performances in Mercy
Chris Pratt manages to keep a believable act for the most part, with his expressions being limited to annoyance and sorrow. Meanwhile, Rebecca Ferguson is the biggest letdown of the film, with her neither human nor AI portrayal being acceptable as she appears to be stuck in a limbo, showing more emotions than needed and intercepting when not needed.
Mercy and Chris Pratt, especially, try hard to make it worthwhile, but there’s only so much face-acting one can pull off.
Final Verdict for Mercy
There’s not much to defend the case of Mercy, with its own thoughts falling into a pile by the end of the film. A rushed chase and unattained-for casualties, there’s no big message by the end of it. A one-time watch, we recommend you watch it with an open mind to avoid disappointment.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of Pinkvilla. No statement in this article is intended to defame, harm, or malign any individual or entity.