Mercy

This weekend, Mercy, a new Chris Pratt detective thriller, releases in theaters. Mercy follows detective Chris Raven (yes, Chris is playing Chris), as he is accused of murdering his wife and must face the new AI court system, and is given 90 minutes to prove his innocence. The movie had an interesting premise and was marketed as a must-see in IMAX 3D, but it is a January movie, so I did not have high expectations.

This movie is about as mediocre as you would expect. There are a few interesting elements to it. The whole gimmick of the events being viewed through these immersive screens that Chris is using is pretty interesting. The way it is shown puts you right in the middle of the action. Watching it in IMAX 3D adds a bit to the experience, but not enough to justify the $20 IMAX ticket. There is also a sense of intrigue throughout the movie as Chris investigates the murder, bringing a whodunnit feel to the story. I appreciate how the movie focuses on each lead individually and concludes it rather than jumping around. Mercy also moves at a pretty brisk pace, bringing a sense of urgency to the story.

However, this is one of those movies that falls apart pretty quickly when you think about it. There are quite a few lapses in logic and cheating in the plot that are required to make the end result happen. I don't know much about criminal law, but I do know what reasonable doubt is, and there were several discoveries early in the movie that would have given some level of reasonable doubt to Chris murdering his wife, except the AI judge and the movie just kind of brush it off to keep the story going. There are also a lot of conveniences and "cheating" that Chris gets to do because he is a cop that no one else in the chair would have been allowed to do.

Overall, this was a somewhat thrilling film that will at least keep you engaged for 90 minutes, but don't expect the most sound logic or any sort of standout elements or performances from it. For whatever reason, it is trying to be this big IMAX movie, and it's just not.

Score: 6/10 Grade: C+ Recommendation: Wait to stream it.