MERCY -- It’s Time to Hang This Type of Filmmaking Up for Good

Review by Chadd Clubine

The irony of Mercy being distributed by the same company and produced by the same person who also brought you last year’s War of the Worlds. While this is not on the same level as poor quality, whatever this film is trying to accomplish fails immediately on impact. The IMAX 3D technology provides the film with the immersive experience it needs. Take the glasses off, and you’re left with the same redundant story and script with nothing new to offer. The gimmick is the equivalent to the Fast & Furious theme park ride at Universal Orlando - exciting in theory, but surprisingly dull in execution. 

The director, Timur Bekmambetov, and Chris Pratt last worked on 2008’s Wanted – a film that would arguably be the peak of Bekmambetov’s career. Who knew the duo would work together with Pratt as the lead character at the height of his career? Bekmambetov has been experimenting with this new concept of share-screen technology as a producer between Searching and last year’s War of the Worlds. While films like Searching and Missing effectively show what makes that concept work, here it feels empty, hollow, and meaningless.

To make this film work beyond its visual technology, it's about crafting a story that lets the characters shine and feel relatable. This film has none of that. Chris Pratt lacks the emotional pull his character needs. Just as he realizes what has happened to his wife, he’s able to immediately get over it. It’s also impossible to relate to his character, who is both an alcoholic and a big supporter of the Mercy program. There’s never a moment when you feel he needs to prove his innocence and get out of that chair. Rebecca Ferguson can still do no wrong, but she’s trying her best with what she has. There are a few other notable additions to the cast, all of whom are trying their best with the script they have. There’s only so much you can do with a script that tries to explain everything to the audience as though they’ve never encountered any sort of modern technology in their lives. 

​The film is more focused on entertainment than leaving you with anything thematically profound. Take any sort of themes or messages out of the film, then what is even the point of the film? The film takes place three years from now and fails to show what the repercussions are of such technology. There are far too many plot holes in this concept to even work, so none of it feels believable. Instead of showing the consequences of having said technology or even showing what responsible use could be like, the film leaves you with nothing to think about.

One of the better aspects of the film is that it doesn’t feel as long as it is. Sure, the events you see are ridiculous, but the film has a consistent pace that I am sure viewers won’t mind and may even appreciate as it is. The film still fails to capture your attention, thanks to its ridiculous storytelling and redundant characterization. Audiences may like it for what it is, but it won’t leave a lasting impression compared to the better films out there in theaters right now.

Mercy is in theaters January 23.

Rating: 1/5