Chris Pratt had an odd request whereas making “Mercy,” his upcoming sci-fi film directed by Timur Bekmambetov, the producer of the horrible “Warfare of the Worlds” remake starring Ice Dice. Mainly, the actor requested to be legitimately tied to a chair whereas filming the scenes the place his character is all strapped up (which seems to be for a lot of the film). Kudos to Pratt for going the additional mile and all, however after seeing the most recent “Mercy” trailer, I think about some viewers can even must be tied to chairs simply to complete the film. We’d have discovered our frontrunner for the worst movie of 2026 — and 2025 is not even over but.
“Mercy” takes place in a futuristic Los Angeles the place AI powers the judicial system. Pratt’s character is called Detective Christopher Raven (significantly), and he is a cop who has 90 minutes to show his innocence after being accused of murdering his spouse. Suppose “Minority Report” meets “Darkish Metropolis,” however with out the entire great things.
On paper, “Mercy” appears like a movie that goals to warn viewers in regards to the risks of AI’s fast development whereas lambasting the surveillance state — however that is not what the trailer guarantees. The teaser truly exhibits Pratt’s character harmoniously cooperating with Rebecca Ferguson’s AI choose whereas attempting to uncover the actual villains. Ethical quandaries about AI apart, although, “Mercy” merely appears to be like like a horrible sci-fi thriller.
Mercy appears to be like like an enormous missed alternative
There’s a lot to unpack from the “Mercy” trailer, beginning with the very fact a lot of the characters’ interactions happen by way of screens. Are we actually doing this once more? Drone photographs, physique cams, computer systems — you identify it. That is too paying homage to the aforementioned “Warfare of the Worlds” remake, which is principally 90 minutes of Ice Dice’s character watching occasions unfold by way of a pc. Timur Bekmambetov ought to have realized from this error already, but he is compounding it with “Mercy.”
The motion sequences aren’t a lot to put in writing dwelling about, both. The shaky-cam and screenlife strategies are extra dizzying than thrilling, which is a disgrace because the carnage ought to be entertaining. Folks fall from roofs, get crushed by automobiles, and riots escape — thrilling concepts in concept, however nothing to put in writing dwelling about after seeing this trailer. What’s extra, the apparent green-screen vibes throughout the interactions between Rebecca Ferguson (who deserves higher) and Chris Pratt’s characters are as synthetic as the kind of intelligence that governs the story’s justice system.
No viewer goes into “Mercy” anticipating to see one of many finest sci-fi films ever made. Nonetheless, it is a missed alternative to create one thing topical or, on the very least, entertaining. 2026 will see Uwe Boll, the world’s worst director, launch a vigilante film with Armie Hammer that may most definitely be horrible. Be that as it could, “Mercy” is at the moment the frontrunner to be the worst movie of subsequent yr if this trailer is a mirrored image of the general expertise.
“Mercy” hits theaters on January 23, 2026.
