Welcome to the Study Break, a new column where we help you procrastinate on homework and tell you whether or not to check out new media releases.
The film for this week’s Study Break is “Mercy,” a sci-fi thriller that turned out to be less than thrilling.
Directed by Timur Bekmambetov, “Mercy” is set in a technologically advanced Los Angeles in the year 2029. Crime has run rampant, and AI has become judge and jury. Detective Chris Raven is accused of killing his own wife and is given ninety minutes to defend himself. If proven guilty, he will be executed.
Although an interesting concept, the execution was lackluster. This was due in large part to mediocre acting and a generic, unoriginal script.
Chris Pratt’s performance as Detective Chris Raven is stiff and predictable, while Rebecca Ferguson struggles in her role as the A.I. Judge Maddox to convey the robotic feeling the role requires.
This non-linear, spoon-fed narrative gave me almost no room for imagination. Most of the plot takes place through a series of calls, with very little face-to-face interaction between the characters. The result is a distracting amount of screen time in a film where time is essential.
“Mercy” also fails to clarify its stance on A.I., making for a confusing and contradictory story. In the movie, the A.I. is stated to not have emotions. However, Judge Maddox is constantly acting on behalf of emotion, leading to unrealistic outcomes and leaving plenty of room for plot holes.
To its credit, “Mercy” did well in its fast-paced storytelling, creating a strong sense of anxiety and stress for the audience. This made the film entertaining, but not enough to be anything memorable.
Unfortunately, “Mercy” is not worth spending the money to see in theaters. There are better sci-fi thrillers to be discovered.
Mercy released to theaters January 23, 2026. Picture by TV Insider.