"Mercy" is a Pro-AI Sci-Fi Thriller that Barely Makes Sense
Even without the messaging, Mercy does not hold up as a movie. It's sloppily done and the mystery doesn’t tie together at the end.

Creatures on a stone perform an ancient ritual. Beings in wood explore a withering world. A water droplet plays in its pond. An archive of the elements, 'Witness' renews our child-like ability to see hidden life in small universes.
Even without the messaging, Mercy does not hold up as a movie. It's sloppily done and the mystery doesn’t tie together at the end.
The differences in these films could not be more blatant, and yet Gus Van Sant has found a way to portray the same messages and use the same techniques in each.
I suppose you could argue that the story wasn’t what Director James Cameron was aiming for, it was the visuals. The spectacle of it all was the point, and it certainly shows.
'Easy A' is emblematic of a world that liked to sarcastically pretend it was progressive but wasn’t actually ready for that change, making it pretty anti-sex.