REVIEW: ‘Mickey 17’ Is Perfect For The Moment

Written and directed by Bong Joon-ho, Mickey 17 is based on the novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton. The reason for the change? Well, Director Bong wanted to kill Mickey 10 more times. But all of those extra deaths aren’t a voyeuristic violent streak. Instead, each death adds depth to the character and ultimately allows the absurdity of the story to take shape in a surprisingly empathetic way.

A science fiction film at its core, Mickey 17 takes place in a future where a washed-up politician named Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) has taken to the stars on an expedition with his wife Ylfa (Toni Collette) at his side. To join the expedition, you have to have a job lined up. While they range from soldiers to pilots and scientists, the worst of them is the Expendable.

After two friends, Timo (Steven Yeun) and Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson), get caught up with loan sharks, the Marshall’s expedition is the only way out. Where Timo is able to squirrel away with a good job, Mickey finds the one sure job he can do. He becomes an Expendable. He lives, he becomes a lab rat, he dies, and he’s printed out again with the same memories and experiences, only to do it all again the next day. Mickey dies for a living.

Now on Mickey 17, he finds himself at an impasse, with each of the other Mickeys meeting their fate due to toxic nerve gas, radiation, or other things. But then, he doesn’t die. Instead, he lives and incidentally finds his next self, Mickey 18.

Mickey Barnes begins to understand that each version of himself is more than just a body made of recycled trash, they’re completely different versions of himself with distinct personalities. Soon, death feels more permanent than before. But Mickey isn’t living an empty life. He has a girlfriend named Nasha (Naomi Ackie) and a purpose: He’s consistently saving humanity.

Bong Joon-ho’s filmmaking remains comedic even when death keeps making appearances.

Bong Joon-ho’s signature sense of humor runs throughout Mickey 17. The darkest scenes have a thread of comedy that is only possible because of how messed up all of it is. Situational or deadpan, Director Bong’s dedication to the bit without ever losing the plot is exemplary.

Two key performers accentuate this: Robert Pattinson as the titular character (and his Multiple) and Mark Ruffalo as Kenneth Marshall. Both characters move around each other. One is an ignorant, attention-seeking, failed politician with a bad tan whose followers wear red hats. The other is the consequence of the politician’s actions.

The obvious parody of the U.S. president is, without a doubt, done to extremes, often causing slight breaks in tone. But still, the idiocy that Ruffalo shows on screen almost reaches what he pulled off in Poor Things. It’s held back only slightly by too many comparisons to the absolutely horrible and unintelligent man he’s parodying.

One thing is clear: all the terrible things he bestows upon the people he’s brought on this expedition are thanks to his stupidity and selfishness. While moments can feel hamfisted, they always turn out in a way that captures any self-aggrandizing leader, making the oppressive and hypocritical system he runs feel more universal than out of touch. And all of this is done with enough humor that never lets Marshall feel powerful. He is a leader, he is an authoritarian, but he is always someone to laugh at.

For his part, though, Pattinson carries the film. As Mickey 17 and Mickey 18, the actor shows two sides of himself. One is kind and gentle, and the other is ready to stop being killed and walked over. As Pattinson acts against himself, the sharp distinction between the two looks effortless and yet carries depth.

Mickey 17 is a movie that says, “Subtext is for cowards.”

Like other Bong Joon-ho films, Mickey 17 isn’t about subtext. Instead, it’s about meeting the moment, with no room to misconstrue not just the anti-capitalist nature of the film but also the anti-populist view of the world. An Expendable, Mickey’s job is just to die. He is a tool to be used, discarded, and be made again so that a crazed man can fulfill his dream of settling a planet and creating the perfect race.

Mickey 17 shows a man content with dying even if he’s terrified to. He says, “Thank you for the dinner,” as he convulses on the floor in pain, vomiting, and screaming. But Mickey 18 is filled with anger and pride, not allowing that to happen anymore. Mickey 18’s anger is necessary to make his predecessor stop allowing himself to be killed. Get angry, change something, stop dying, and start fighting.

Bong Joon-ho captures a moment in time, and he does so with a large sci-fi swing at the fences that uses absurdity, humor, and violence to drive its point home. Many American audiences came to Director Bong’s work through Parasite, and if they’re coming to Mickey 17 with that in mind, they will find a complimentary theme. However, this film focuses on science fiction, something that the director’s filmography is filled with, from Okja to Snowpiercer. Class is always at the center, and class solidarity is on the menu here.

Mickey 17 may be over the top in parts, but the action is great, the sci-fi tech is interesting, and the acting is superb. Sure to top many end-of-year lists, this bizarre and relevant story will leave some people angry and others ecstatic. This film ultimately continues Bong Joon-ho’s filmography as an inventive and incisive look at how bad everything is right now and how we can improve it. Colonization is captured by its exploitation in this sci-fi take.

Mickey 17 releases in theaters now.