The trend of creating three-hour films is gaining traction in Hollywood. And in the short-form social media world, if someone doesn’t die in the first ten minutes, most people turn to their phones for entertainment.
Mercy does an excellent job of blending several things to create a winning formula for a movie made today. The plot is set in the near future, where a detective (Chris Pratt) stands on trial accused of murdering his wife. He has 90 minutes to prove his innocence to the advanced A.I. Judge (Rebecca Ferguson), whom he once championed, before it determines his fate.
The movie starts with a fast pace and maintains it throughout the movie. Pratt must figure out who killed his wife before he himself is killed. AI is the judge, but the entire internet is at its disposal to help solve the crime.
This is a really good concept because everything we do is recorded. We all use AI not to help navigate life. Whether it’s to write a better email, create a website, or simply just have fun with, AI is a part of all of us.
This makes the move fun because it takes a hint of reality and plays with it to create a film that keeps your interest. This goes beyond the use of AI. It creates the question on if we have become so black and white as a society, do we run the risk of assuming too much based on prompts.
Real-life prompts include judging each other based on our own biases. Throwing people away for mistakes they might have made in life, instead of giving them a second chance. It also includes, depending on technology, to the point that the human element (grey area) is no longer considered.
The grey area is where most of us live. We all live in black and white; most people live in the grey area. But with AI it’s all black and white. There is no gut feeling. There is no “Let’s read between the lines.”
Mercy does an excellent job and shows us what life can be like if we only depend on computers and AI. It shows that because humans control AI, it, too, is flawed. It too can make mistakes and overlook the human element of what makes life amazing, real, and vulnerable, all at the same time.
Mercy is the kind of film that allows you to escape and root for the hero, save the girl, and desire to see more AI all at the same time.
In a world where everything is black and white, it was good to see some grey area. Excellent movie. It gets a four out of five stars.
