Film Review: Mercy

Here is a film review of Mercy, a new Amazon Prime movie starring Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson that explores our future with AI.

What do you think of AI? Is it a friend or a foe? How will it impact our future world?

These are some questions explored in the newly released movie, Mercy. I recently watched Chris Pratt's latest film as part of family movie night, and it's safe to say that we enjoyed this dystopian action movie.

I haven't watched many movies this year, but Mercy is definitely one of the more interesting ones I have seen. So, I thought I'd share a film review of the movie with you all.

Review of Mercy

Genre: Dystopian Sci-Fi Thriller

Stars: Chris Pratt, Rebecca Ferguson, Annabelle Wallis, Kali Reis, Chris Sullivan and more

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime

Rating: 8/10

Synopsis:

The synopsis of Mercy is:

"Set in the near future, a detective accused of murdering his wife has 90 minutes to prove his innocence to an advanced AI judge."

That is the basic premise of the movie, but there is a lot more to it, in my eyes. So, let's get into my review of the film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSS4yqd0x6o

My Thoughts

Firstly, I want to start this review by stating that Chris Pratt is one of my favourite movie stars. I have thoroughly enjoyed his performances in previous films, such as Jurassic World, Guardians of the Galaxy and Passengers.

When I saw that he was the main star in Mercy, I knew I had to watch it. Especially since it also stars Rebecca Ferguson, whom I loved in the Mission: Impossible films.

These two actors are top-of-the-game Hollywood stars, and I knew that I would enjoy Mercy purely based on their acting.

Pratt plays Detective Raven, who, for 90 minutes, has to persuade the AI judge, played by Ferguson, that he is innocent and did not, in fact, murder his wife. Throughout the film, Pratt is mostly tied to a chair and elicits his performance through dialogue and his behaviour.

There isn't room for him to move about, interact face-to-face with other characters, unless on a screen, or get in on the action. Whilst his movements are limited, I felt Pratt did a great job of conveying the character's emotions through the tone of his voice and the limited movements that the chair enabled.

Through the snippets of conversation with other characters, especially his daughter, one begins to sympathise with Pratt's character, hoping he proves his innocence. This tension is heightened through the countdown that is always present.

In the film, the Mercy Court gives the guilty party 90 minutes to prove their innocence, and the movie is 99 minutes long. It plays out in real time.

Ferguson has a limited role in this movie, which doesn't necessarily play to her strengths, showcased in other films she's starred in. However, playing an AI entity that takes on the role of judge, jury, and executioner, while avoiding showing any emotion, is a skill in itself.

I thought she did an excellent job at playing a robotic piece of technology, devoid of human emotion.

But what I enjoyed most about this film is the conversation it sparks.

AI is forever evolving, and our world is becoming more and more reliant on technology. Mercy is set in the future, but it isn't necessarily the distant future.

Watching Mercy raises questions about how AI is used and what it can do, but also the ethical and moral implications of using it. What if in the future, we are all guilty until proven innocent? What if our lives, and whether we live or die, are decided by AI?

It's quite scary to think about, especially with how much power Artificial Intelligence actually has.

So, as I finish this review, I leave you with a question to ponder:

What will our future look like with Artificial Intelligence?

Until next time...