Mercy (2026) 3D Movie Review
Mercy (2026) 3D Movie Review
By: Jacob Scarberry
3D
Who asked for Mercy to be in 3D? I’m not mad at you, whomever requested it be released in 3D—I’m just very disappointed in your request. Yeah, this movie didn’t need to be in 3D, since most of the film is Chris Pratt sitting in a chair scrubbing through camera footage to prove his innocence. It’s not the most exciting use of 3D (or plot), but there still was a little bit of potential with various scenes of video “bubbles” being moved all around the frame and sweeping across Chris Pratt’s character that could’ve been impressive. Unfortunately, the 3D is depth-only 100% of the time. There were a few moments where a conversation bubble or a time clock sits dead center and pushes a bit toward the audience, but nothing truly breaks the barrier.
That being said, the depth is fantastic, and even scenes on RING™️ cameras, body cam footage, and the like all show impressive depth throughout the film. There are a couple of quick shots that don’t have a proper 3D effect, but that’s chalked up to scenes being pitch black, which completely flatten the image. The picture is also darker than expected, which further affects the 3D, and the colors look extremely dull for the most part. Other than that, it’s a decent 3D experience, but not memorable enough to wholly recommend—and yet the film is less enjoyable without the 3D. It really is a Catch-22.
Final 3D Score: 6/10
Movie
“It was the best of chairs; it was the worst of chairs…”
For the past several years, there’s been a running joke on the internet about Steven Seagal being a massive (both figuratively and literally) action star who’s so lazy that the vast majority of his screen time is literally just him sitting in a chair. It’s funny watching this movie, because I genuinely believed the script could’ve been a Seagal direct-to-video film from 15 years ago that got lost in a pile of scripts on an executive’s desk—only to be resurrected from the trash bin by Jeff Bezos and given the triple-A treatment for the sake of Amazon Prime content. Being flush with cash, Bezos hired an underrated director (Timur Bekmambetov, of Wanted fame) and backed a dump truck of Benjamins up to Chris Pratt’s driveway so he could sit down for our entertainment. This is cinema- Wow.
The film’s plot is rather simplistic, with Chris Raven (Chris Pratt), an LAPD cop who’s been arrested and sentenced for his wife’s death, being sent to “Mercy Court”—an AI court presided over by Judge Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson), who is essentially the Judge Dredd of AI. Each defendant is given 90 minutes to present their case or else. Each defendant is also given carte blanche access to information and evidence. Chris is up against the literal clock to solve his wife’s murder and set himself free.
If there’s one thing I can say, it’s that the film isn’t as bad as it could have been, and it’s certainly better than the trailers showcased. That said, it doesn’t escape being fairly generic—a pastiche of cop-movie clichés and stock characters. Chris Pratt holds his own on the (green) screen, delivering a believable performance as a clever, level-headed cop and father who stays calm as the pressure mounts. Rebecca Ferguson also does solid work as the AI judge, channeling a restrained Dredd-like authority. Neither performance is innovative or career-defining, but both are good enough to sell the premise.
Timur Bekmambetov delivers a well-paced film that hits the ground running and, surprisingly, never becomes boring. Is this his best film? Not by a long shot. But he brings enough energy to keep it entertaining—and honestly, it’s better than most January movie releases tend to be. The real weak spot here is the screenplay. Rooted in predictable plotting and clichéd dialogue, the film desperately needed a rewrite to punch things up and maybe land a better twist. When I was able to predict the villain almost immediately, that’s a clear sign a second pass was needed. Also distracting is some underbaked CGI that pops up now and then, feeling unfinished and hovering around PlayStation 3 cutscene levels of “meh.”
Overall, for a movie about a guy sitting in a chair, you’d expect it to be one of the worst films of 2026—and the year literally just started—but thanks to solid performances and competent direction, Mercy (2026) ends up being a pretty decent time if you’re bored. Just don’t go in expecting a balls-to-the-wall action flick.
Final Movie Score: 6/10
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