Chris Pratt’s sci-fi movie, Mercy, has been a subject of comparison to a film called Minority Report from critics and fans alike. In fact, similarities to the Tom Cruise-led 2002 hit were addressed not long after the new sci-fi thriller was merely announced, and it did not take much effort to see why.
Many were quick to notice the ways that Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov’s Amazon/MGM release borrows from one of director Steven Spielberg’s best movies from the 21st Century. However, they probably could not have predicted just how far this instance of creative thievery goes. There are plenty of caveats to the argument, but there is still enough evidence to prove that Mercy is guilty of being a Minority Report clone.
Mercy And Minority Report’s Futuristic Protagonists Face Similar Predicaments
Imagine a future in which the justice system is on the brink of a revolution following the introduction of a cutting-edge but controversial new program that promises to make the world safer with its seemingly perfect conception. However, a disillusioned cop who played a key role in making this program a reality has now fallen prey to it, standing accused of a murder he swears he is not responsible for.
One might read the plot description above and be forced to ask whether it refers to Minority Report or Mercy. Honestly, choosing either title would be accurate. Yet, to be fair, each movie’s hook is not a complete clone of the other.
In Minority Report, Tom Cruise’s John Anderton, the chief of a prototype police division specializing in preventing crime, is forced to go on the run when he is accused of a murder that has not happened yet. In Mercy, Chris Pratt’s Det. Chris Raven stands trial (or, more accurately, sits in a chair he is strapped to for much of the film) for the death of his wife (Annabelle Wallis) and must single-handedly prove his innocence to an artificial intelligence (played by Rebecca Ferguson) that serves as judge, jury, and executioner.
However, being a victim of a futuristic legal system they initially championed is not even Anderton and Raven’s only unifying characteristic, as both cops are also substance abusers in failing marriages. Anderton turns to drugs to cope with his relationship issues, which stem from his son’s heartbreaking disappearance. Raven’s alcoholism, a way of dealing with the death of his former partner, is the key contributor to his and his wife’s complications. If only the similarities between Mercy and Minority Report ended there.
Mercy Borrows From Minority Report’s High-Tech World
Minority Report is actually based on a short story by seminal sci-fi author Philip K. Dick that was published in 1956. The adaptation is noted as being more relevant today than ever, especially for the depiction of its futuristic setting’s high-tech world.
For instance, Anderton analyzes evidence of future murders, originating from the prescient nightmares of clairvoyant beings called “precogs,” with a system that intriguingly combines touch screen interaction with holographic imagery. His PreCrime division also utilizes invasive surveillance programs, such as retinal scan technology at literally every turn, to improve its investigative endeavors.
At the time Minority Report came out, these concepts were seen as wildly creative, while also frighteningly plausible in many respects. Today, they are seen as prophetic, considering how many of these technologies, or some variation of them, have become a reality. Thus, the creators behind Mercy probably could have benefited from applying a little more imagination to the design of the film’s own futuristic setting.
Watching Raven interact with an AI (a detail missing from Minority Report but largely relevant in today’s society) and surrounded by tangible holographic images of surveillance data to research his case would have made for a wondrous sight had Mercy also been released 24 years ago. Unfortunately, these technological concepts are now commonplace, costing the film any chance of the same unique visual flair that helped Minority Report stand out in its prime.
Mercy And Minority Report’s Plot Twists Are Alarmingly Similar
It would have been easy to see past all the comparisons between Minority Report and Mercy listed above had the latter at least managed to offer a conclusion that helps it stand on its own. Unfortunately, the 2026 film’s ending boasts the most glaring similarities to the early 2000s favorite.
In Minority Report, Anderton discovers that, just as he suspected, he was framed for his crime, but by one of the few people he thought he could trust: the director of PreCrime, Lamar Burgess (Max von Sydow). Anderton had discovered evidence of a murder that Lamar managed to commit without falling under the precogs’ detection, proving that the system is not as perfect as purported to be and leading him to orchestrate a situation that takes the chief off the menu.
In Mercy, Raven discovers that, just as he suspected, he was framed for his crime, but by one of the few people he thought he could trust: his AA sponsor, Rob Nelson (fellow Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 star and Taserface actor Chris Sullivan). The setup is Rob’s way of avenging his biological brother, David Webb (Ross Gosla), the first person to be tried and executed by the Mercy Program, who could have been proven innocent had his conversation with Rob on an unregistered cellphone been on record and accepted as an alibi.
The reason the cellphone was not turned in as evidence, however, is that Raven’s current partner, Jacqueline ‘JAQ’ Diallo (Kali Reis), destroyed it, wanting to ensure that Mercy’s inaugural trial was a “slam dunk.” Yet, her actions would inadvertently prove that the system is not as perfect as purported to be.
In another reality, there is a chance that Mercy could have been seen as the Minority Report for its generation, but in a positive light. Critics and moviegoers alike love dystopian sci-fi thrillers that challenge them with thought-provoking moral complexities and engrossing visions of the future.
Unfortunately, the film largely lacks those elements and suffers from a tiresome reliance on an unremarkable visual design and deeply convoluted plot contrivances that suggest the script was greenlit on its first draft. Throw in the evidence presented above that exposes Mercy as a nearly beat-for-beat Minority Report rip-off, and this case is closed.
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Mercy
- Release Date
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January 19, 2026
- Runtime
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100 minutes
- Director
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Timur Bekmambetov
- Writers
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Marco van Belle
