Chris Pratt’s AI Thriller ‘Mercy’ Stumbles With Harsh Early Reviews

Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson’s latest project, the futuristic thriller ‘Mercy,’ is off to a rocky start with critics just days before its theatrical debut. The film, set in a near-future society, centers on Pratt’s character—a detective accused of murdering his wife—who faces a high-stakes trial overseen by an artificial intelligence judge, portrayed by Ferguson. With only 90 minutes to clear his name, the story unfolds against the backdrop of a world grappling with the dangers and ethical dilemmas of advanced AI.

Despite the timely subject matter, early reviews suggest ‘Mercy’ struggles to break new ground. Many critics argue that the film rehashes familiar themes from classic sci-fi movies like ‘Minority Report’ and ‘Blade Runner’ without offering a fresh perspective.

“Ultimately, Mercy isn’t aggressively bad, it ’s just really dumb. It borrows the aesthetic of superior sci-fi films, without grasping the soul of the genre,”

writes Linda Marric of HeyUGuys. Alonso Duralde from The Film Verdict adds,

“[The film] purports to be a cautionary tale about putting legal justice into the hands of AI, but the movie ’s real agenda is promoting the surveillance state as a way of fighting crime. ”

Critics Call Out Story and Direction

Several reviewers have taken issue with the film’s writing and direction. Peter Howell of the Toronto Star describes it as,

“lazily written, chaotically directed and played out with all the zest of a convenience-store security video. ”

IndieWire’s Wilson Chapman echoes this sentiment, noting,

“The work of everyone involved—from the sleepy performances to the crew doing an okay but never exemplary job—suggests a first draft, a sense of wanting to get the thing out and move on.”

While the majority of feedback has been negative, a few voices have found redeeming qualities. Peter Bradshaw from the Guardian calls the film,

“ingenious and watchable stuff, with cheeky twists, although the final escalation to full-on action mayhem is maybe a step too far towards pure absurdity.”

Variety’s Owen Gleiberman offers a slightly more positive take, saying,

“the movie turns out to be a notch or two better than you expect.”

Record Low Scores for Pratt and Ferguson

At the time of writing, ‘Mercy’ holds an 18% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 44 reviews. This marks one of the lowest scores for Pratt in over a decade, rivaled only by his performance in ‘Movie 43’ nearly 13 years ago and the recent Netflix film ‘The Electric State.’ For Ferguson, it’s her lowest-rated film since the 2017 horror release ‘The Snowman.’

‘Mercy’ is set to hit theaters on January 23. For those interested in more science fiction, there are plenty of other top picks and upcoming TV shows to keep an eye on this year.