Mercy 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		0.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Mercy 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 16, 2026

Mercy purpose for existing seems to be to comment on the evolution of artificial intelligence while also speaking to its limitations and potential hazards. It aims to champion human instinct and emotion over technology's reliance on cold hard facts and raw percentages, and then it applies that to the world of the criminal justice system. The foundation laid here is rock solid. It's an all too believable premise that is sort of like the more grounded and believable near-future dystopian scenario compared to something a little more fantastical and Science Fiction-ish like Minority Report. Except that it's nowhere near as compelling as Speilberg's wonderful film. What is admittedly a solid premise for a movie in Mercy fails to engage beyond the premise, creating limited tempo within a muddled plot and largely stationary setting. There's a good cautionary tale here, but it can't really break out due to the poor peripherals supporting it.

In the near future, Los Angeles has fallen victim to an enormous crimewave, and hundreds of law enforcement officers have died. Enter the “Mercy Court” where violent offenders are quickly tried by artificial intelligence, which stands as judge, jury, and executioner, with the guilty being sentenced and executed on the spot. The result is a 68% drop in crime. And the system does not make mistakes. Or so the advertisements claim. But the system is about to receive its biggest test when one of its greatest proponents, Detective Chris Raven (Chris Pratt) from the robbery-homicide division, finds himself in strapped into a chair in front of a Mercy AI judge dubbed "Maddox" (Rebecca Ferguson). The crime for which he is on trial: the murder of his wife. He is presented with overwhelming evidence that points to his guilt, including video proof, fresh blood on his sleeve, and a high blood alcohol content in his body. Of course, he denies the allegation. With only 90 minutes to prove his innocence, Raven uses his knowledge of police work and makes use of the seemingly limitless digital access at his fingertips to convince the judge of his innocence, identify the true killer, and save more lives before his time on trial ends and his life is mercilessly snuffed out.

Sometimes it boggles the mind how a bonafide superstar can, at the peak of his fame, drop from the heights of cinema hit after cinema hit to star in something far, far less: far less profitable, far less prolific, far less part of what made him or her so dominant in the first place. Such is the case of Chris Pratt, who is right now one of the biggest hits in Hollywood, coming off being the face of the Jurassic World films, taking the world by storm in the Guardians of the Galaxy flicks, and living it up as the voice of one of the most iconic and beloved characters in entertainment history and winding up in Mercy, a film in which the Hollywood hero…sits in a chair for about 90 minutes. Perhaps Pratt saw the film as an opportunity to stretch his acting muscles, leaning less on body and more on mind while at the same time lending his talents to a film with potential for necessary commentary on a very possible near future scenario for the justice system. Pratt is certainly good enough in the role. He is believably fearful and confused, but increasingly focused on solving the case as the clock ticks down on his opportunity to exonerate himself and nail the true perpetrator. Yet despite the good surface-level work, the performance is far from compelling, largely because the material around him is too dense, jumbled, erratic, and nowhere near so thought-provoking as it should be.

The film essentially plays out in real time, helping (hoping?) to build up a greater sense of tension as the minutes click down on a timer that is often seen on the screen. But even as new reveals are made, even as Raven pieces together clues, even as the suspect list narrows, even as Maddox slowly becomes less of a detached AI judge and more of an investigative partner to Raven, the film’s tight confines really limit its ability to draw the audience in, especially with so many moving parts — which are moving so fast — that it’s difficult to keep up. It lacks the compelling flow and endless intensity of a movie like Enemy of the State, the film that is really the genesis of these sorts of movies techno-surveillance thrillers (at least those supposedly grounded in some level of realism), where the kinetic energy on the ground was only helped by the more static observation scenes. Here, the movie sludges through computer screens and cell phone calls and only gets to the "action bit" depicted on the poster in the final minutes.

Mercy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Mercy brings justice to the film via a 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD presentation that offers a nice, though certainly not radical, upgrade for the film next to the excellent 1080p Blu-ray. The picture is a bit crisper, delivering modest gains to things like Raven's facial scruff and mildly improved clarity to all of the digital odds and ends that float around the "courtroom." It's a sharp, good looking image that handles everything well to the boosted resolution, even the cell phone FaceTime calls, the Ring camera footage, and the like, but fans should not expect a leap of an improvement over the Blu-ray. The same can be said of the Dolby Vision color grading. The movie is a little less bright, delivering deeper, more tonally solidified colors instead, better shadow detail and black level excellence, and superior whites (look at Raven's shirt throughout the film). The on-screen graphics, which are plentiful, enjoy more accurate color renderings as well. Like the Blu-ray, there are no immediately obvious source or encode issues to report.

Mercy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Mercy does sound great on UHD. The Dolby Atmos soundtrack actually has plenty of opportunity to shine, even within the film's limited confines and settings. Often what happens is that sounds from video clips Raven and Maddox are watching thunder through th stage with impressive subwoofer engagement and frequent surround enhancement. But even more "mundane" elements like holographic images zooming into and away from Raven make an aural impact around the stage. While the Atmos channels don't carry an endless barrage of discrete activity, they do tie in nicely with the rest of the stage to create a very full and pleasing listening bubble. Clarity never falters, either, no matter the element in question. Dialogue is always clear and rich, no matter how it's conveyed or who is speaking, especially relevant in phone conversations or when Maddox speaks through speakers.

Mercy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This UHD release of Mercy contains no supplemental features, not even a trailer. It seems like a missed opportunity for some interesting extras -- maybe a documentary on the rise of AI or a commentary from someone on the cutting edge of the field -- but alas, there's nothing here. No Blu-ray or digital copies are included with purchase, but Alliance Entertainment has included a non-embossed slipcover.

Mercy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Mercy mostly works with he right ingredients, but they are not prepared and arranged in much of a palatable way. The film toys with good ideas, introduces some interesting concepts, and works through some necessary conversations about the criminal justice system and artificial intelligence, but it's an effort that struggles to find its rhythm and really satisfy audiences. The ending has a modest twist, which is fine, but it's not enough to make up for what is otherwise a flat film. Alliance's UHD does feature rock-solid video and audio, but there are no extras anywhere to be found. Skip it.