Plot: What’s it about?
You know what, I liked it the first time when it was called Minority Report.
Boom. Starting this one off hot! Yeah, baby! Seriously, though it seems as if Amazon Studios are trying to become a “big thing” by competing with the other well-established studios. They’ve got the money for it, we know that. But none of that matters if the films they produce aren’t, you know…good. And that seems to be the case here as we’ve got some big name talent and an established director in Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted), but the premise is just a bit “been there, done that.” Don’t get me wrong, I know that every film out there can’t be totally unique, but this one just didn’t seem to try very hard. If you’re interested in “near future” films that feature AI and are about a judicial process of some sort then maybe you’ll enjoy this. I’m not interested in any of those, so I’m a bit biased. Nevertheless, let’s get going.
Chris Raven (Chris Pratt) is a detective for the LAPD. He’s found himself on trial for the murder of his wife, one he has no recollection of committing. But given that this takes place in the future, the court is now an AI-system that literally plays judge, jury and executioner. In the irony department, this system is one that Raven himself helped establish. Sound familiar? Raven now has 90 minutes to prove to Judge Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson) that he’s innocent. Much of this is him strapped to a chair yelling at the screen. He’s given access to the internet cloud where every bit of information from the population is stored. We see him sift through this information to the point where it’s repetitive and redundant, something that the film’s third act tries to rectify by turning this into an “action” film. To me it was too little, too late.
There is some merit in the film, which is to say it’s not a total waste. Pratt and Ferguson are established actors, though it seems that the two aren’t really working as a team on this. Granted, I realize that the characters are on opposing sides of things, but when I say it’s just Pratt’s character yelling at a screen, that’s what it feels like. There’s a definite lack of chemistry and it’s evident. And the film might have worked if it were solely an action film or a “courtroom drama” for lack of a better term. But it isn’t and I think that the film never seems to find itself. And that’s a shame, because there’s a good movie in there, somewhere. I never found it, though.
Video: How’s it look?
Presented in a rather “unique” aspect ratio of 2.20:1, Mercy does make ample use of your 4K screen and it looks pretty amazing in the process. I’m always a fan of these “set in the near future” films that don’t really look too futuristic, but yet seem to look amazing. We’ll just say it started with Blade Runner, OK? There’s really nothing I can find fault with as the detail is flat out amazing, even the background detail is so intricate I felt as if I could reach out and touch it. Flesh tones are a bit on the washed out side, but give way for extreme clarity. The color palette, too, is a bit washed out but this is not a fault of the transfer. For a new-to-the-format movie, we know what to expect and this delivered.
Audio: How’s it sound?
Not to be outdone, the included Dolby Atmos mix more than earns its keep, namely as Chris Pratt’s character spends a better part of the movie yelling at a screen. I mean, we’ve all been there, right? Kidding aside, we’re treated to the usual chase scenes, these hoverbike/motorcycle-looking things make ample use of the surrounds, there’s some gunfire throw in for good mix (pardon the pun) and everything in between doesn’t sound too bad either. It’s a great-sounding track.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Here’s hoping you like the movie, because the jury is out as to where the extras are.
The Bottom Line
I wanted to like this, but I just never could get into it. I like Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson, but the premise just seemed a bit far-fetched to me (or maybe too eerily real)? The disc looks and sounds amazing, but the lack of features might be enough to deter anyone from a purchase.
