Chris Pratt's AI-centered movie Mercy is causing a major divide between critics and general audiences. The futuristic sci-fi thriller, which hit theaters on Friday, January 23, follows captive detective Chris (Pratt) as he is told by an AI judge (Rebecca Ferguson) that he is being held on trial for the murder of his wife (Annabelle Wallis) and has 90 minutes to prove his innocence or else he'll be executed on the spot. Pratt is strapped to a chair for the majority of the movie, a departure from the actor's typical stunts and action sequences. Pratt shared during an October 2025 Comic Con panel for the film that he asked to be confined in order to spark a real sense of anxiety. "I was cuffed to this chair both at the feet and at the hands," he explained to the crowd, per People. "And for part of it with my head at the end when I'm about to be - well, I don't wanna ruin the movie - but I'm strapped to this thing." 5 Best Chris Pratt Movies, Ranked: 'Moneyball,' 'Jurassic World' and More He added, "There's a certain level of claustrophobia that you just naturally feel when you're strapped down to something, and that was helpful, in fact." Pratt also worked with the LAPD ahead of filming, including the homicide division, which he called a "really incredible" experience. "Man, these guys are heroes, and the trouble that they encounter and the trauma they see on a day-to-day basis is really, really staggering," he told People at the time. Keep scrolling to see what audiences and critics are saying about Mercy: What Is 'Mercy' Rated on Rotten Tomatoes? The sci-fi thriller is currently sitting at a rating of 22 percent from critics and 82 percent from audiences. (For a film to be "Certified Fresh," it needs to receive a score of 55 percent or higher from critics.) Kenneth Choi, Chris Pratt Justin Lubin/(C) 2025 Amazon Content Services LLC What Are Critics Saying About 'Mercy'? The critics have not been kind to Mercy, with Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter including a warning in his summary that says it should be "avoided by anyone suffering from screen addiction. Which these days is pretty much everybody." Manohla Dargis of the New York Times also took issue with the film, calling it a story about a "guy, much like the hapless audience member, is unhappily stuck in a chair watching a lot of onscreen nonsense." Peter Howell of the Toronto Star, meanwhile, says Mercy is "lazily written, chaotically directed and played out with all the zest of a convenience-store security video." Dare Daniel's Daniel Barnes quipped that it might not be "a great idea to put an omnipresent countdown clock in the corner of the screen when the film is this tiresome," saying it provides a "stark reminder of all the time you're wasting." There were a few critics who found a silver lining in Mercy. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian called it "ingenious and watchable stuff" with "cheeky twists," while Sonia Rao of the Washington Post claims it's both "ludicrous" and "a hoot and a half." 5 Best Thrillers to Watch on Streaming, Ranked by Rotten Tomatoes Score (October 2025) What Are Fans Saying About 'Mercy'? Mercy has been much more favorable with the general audience. One RT viewer called it a "different kind" of thriller but still "really good," while another praised the pacing and its ability to "keep you engaged." A third RT user gushed over Chris Pratt's performance, saying the movie proves he's not just a "one trick pony." "I have heard some people are not going to see this because they consider it a Minority Report part 2," the user continued. "This is so much better than Minority Report and while I guess it has similar subject matter, that is akin to never seeing another science fiction movie because you once saw star wars." Not everyone, however, was a fan. A one-star rating on Rotten Tomatoes called the plot "convoluted" and "sloppy," while a second labeled it simply a "god awful movie." Mercy is in theaters now.