It’ll be no surprise to some that this new sci-fi offering is absolutely bombing with critics. The premise itself left a lot to be desired, but when Jessica Ferguson and Chriss Pratt became attached to the project, audiences were able to hold on to some hope that it might be well done. Well, that wasn’t to be, with the movie having dashed Ferguson’s nearly perfect sci-fi run these last few years with projects like the Dune films, as well as Apple Tv’s Silo. Though it is worth mentioning that Dune: Part 3, which releases later this year, will likely bring her back into fans’ good graces, getting her ratings back where they belong.
Mercy, starring Annabelle Wallis and Chris Sullivan alongside Ferguson and Pratt, now sits at an abysmal 20% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer. The movie is set in the nebulously near future, and a detective (Pratt) is put on trial, accused of murdering his wife. Now, he only has 90 minutes to prove his innocence, or the AI court system, called Judge Maddox, (Ferguson) that he helped create will be playing judge, jury, and executioner.
There Was Little Hope for Mercy
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Critics tore the movie apart, finding very little to praise about it. Adam Olinger of Adam Does Movies said, “Mercy is the next entry in the War of the Worlds 2025 Cinematic Universe, in the sense that you are wasting 90 minutes of your life watching a dude in a chair react to things. I can witness that for free on YouTube.” Dionar Hildago of Algo Más Que Cine was even harsher, giving the film 2 out of 10 stars, saying, “A dystopian thriller that looks like a warning but plays like propaganda. Mercy borrows the aesthetics of classic sci-fi while quietly endorsing surveillance, police states, and algorithmic justice. Stylish noise, hollow ideas.”
Casual viewers, however, seemed to enjoy Mercy, not viewing it at all in the same vein as critics. “Critics gonna critic – this movie is fantastic, really well done, and a great thinking piece in the age of AI. Pace was good, if maybe slightly slow at the start. Rebecca Ferguson is stellar in her role as the AI I ended up trying to count how many times she blinked during the movie – think I got four? Would see it again for sure,” said one viewer. Another added, “Good action, good tension, good acting. A little disappointed at the CGI car crashes and the story git a bit convoluted in the last 5 minutes or so with a lot of “explaining”. Still, in all, worth seeing.”
What were your thoughts on Mercy? Let us know in the comments, and then head over to the ComicBook forum to see what other fans are saying.