As artificial intelligence continues to become more pervasive in our society, films on the subject have, naturally, become more common. But as is the case with any contentious topic, a fine line must be tread for these movies to offer a worthwhile perspective. Co-written and directed by Timur Bekmambetov, Mercy is too safe to be interesting and too plain to be entertaining. While it may not be the worst film of the year, it may end up being the most forgettable.

In the near future, a detective must prove his innocence to an AI judge as he is put on trial for the murder of his wife. The movie stars Chris Pratt, Rebecca Ferguson, Kali Reis and Annabelle Wallis.

When it comes to modern releases, Mercy is as bland as they come. It fails to interrogate our relationship with artificial intelligence and struggles to convey a narrative with depth. At its centre, Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson are perfectly servicable in their roles, but never go beyond what would be expected from a “straight to video” style film such as this.

If we are to give Mercy its props in any regard, the central setting in which the movie takes place is interesting. Keeping your character largely in one room, with the story playing out over security footage, is an idea that could have been executed well. Unfortunately, every aspect of the script plays out just as you would expect. One wishes that the film had the guts to challenge its viewers, at least a little bit.

Unoffensive yet uninteresting, Mercy offers little redeeming value. Once we reach our year-in-review of 2026, it’s unlikely that we will remember it at all. With a premise that could have been developed into an entertaining watch, it is a shame that we have the result that we do.