Netflix recently released their latest in original movies, Mercy, as well as a new trailer for the Barack Obama movie Barry. Most critics and audiences agree that Netflix movies are more miss than hit; while Barry looks like it will be a hit, Mercy wasn’t even aiming at a target.

The Plot

IMDB provides this synopsis for Netflix’s Mercy.

“When four estranged brothers return home to say their last goodbye to their dying mother, Grace, hidden motivations reveal themselves. The family’s already tenuous bonds are tested when secrets from Grace’s past resurface, causing a restless night to go terribly awry as the brothers are thrust into a fight for their own survival.”

This reporter’s synopsis is a bit different.

A woman is on her death bed, and the family has very mundane and ambiguous conversations about her. Masked invaders enter the scene and very mild suspense ensues.

The Delivery

With hits like The Fundamentals of Caring and Beasts of No Nation, Netflix has provided some good original movies. But it doesn’t even feel like Mercy tried to be good, or tried to be anything at all for that matter. If you have ever wondered if 90 minutes could feel like three hours, then Mercy has the answer for you.

The first half hour includes a handful of conversations providing the audience with exposition; which they will most likely miss because of tuning out the humdrum dialogue. The exposition would have been better served as a flashback. But be grateful for the dialogue because when there isn’t any, there is a whole lot of nothing. It felt like the creators of the film had two or three specific scenes in mind, and that they just filled in the rest with drawn out moments of characters doing things as slowly as possible.

The film eventually shifts from a drama to a home-invasion thriller. If you watched the trailer, don’t expect too much more as far as suspense goes. To its credit, there was one jump scare scene that worked.

Ultimately, Mercy felt like it didn’t know what it wanted it to be or what they wanted the audience to feel. There is no real protagonist, nor do they even fool us into thinking there is one. With no one to root for it lacks any emotional connection. They do attempt a twist at the end, which you might buy into if you ignore the gaping holes in the plot.

Is It Worth Watching

How Netflix can create such masterpieces when it comes to their series, yet seem to phone it in when it comes to their movies, is baffling. The only reason to see this film is if you have a goal of watching all home invasion movies. But if you have seen You’re Next, Vacancy, or The Strangers, you are better served revisiting one of those.

New Trailer For Netflix’s Barry

On brighter news, it looks like Netflix’s original movies will be getting a boost from Barry. The film has an 86 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, from 14 critics, and the site provides the synopsis for Netflix’s Barry.

“Vikram Gandhi directs this dramatic biopic about Barack Obama’s college years in New York City while studying at Columbia University. Devon Terrell plays Obama, who looks to adjust to the East Coast after growing up beginning his collegiate experience on the Pacific coast.”

Netflix released a new trailer for the film which is scheduled to be released on December 19.

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Netflix’s ‘Barry,’ Plus Best Movies And Series For November

While Netflix movies like Mercy continue to disappoint, an improvement may be on the horizon with the Barack Obama biopic Barry.

[Featured Image by Netflix]