Mickey 17
I regret that I have but 17 lives to give for my country…
Robert Pattinson is in double trouble in Bong Joon Ho's Mickey 17.
Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) isn’t a selfless guy. He doesn’t think about altruism. In fact, he doesn’t think much at all. He sort of bounces around from one thing to the next, content with an aimless life.
Eventually, this runs him afoul of a loan shark, and Mickey has to get out of dodge (and Earth) quickly. Because he’s thoughtless, he signs up for a crew that’s headed to terraform the distant ice-covered planet of Niflheim without asking what exactly an “expendable” does.
Turns out Mickey’s new job is to die — over and over again. He’s put in strange places, exposed to new viruses, and sometimes just murdered out of curiosity. Every time he dies, he’s cloned and his memories restored. It’s a weird life, but what other choice does he have?
When the expedition arrives at Niflheim, Mickey encounters the species that has been plaguing the terraformers. It turns out they might not be evil monsters after all. Can Mickey convince his superiors of that? Or are they doomed to be labeled as expendable as Mickey?
Director Bong Joon Ho was in a bit of a tough spot. His last film (Parasite) is one of the best modern dramas ever crafted, filled with layers of humor, metaphor, and commentary. It was always unlikely that he’d be able to surpass himself with his next film. He didn’t. Mickey 17 isn’t a perfect film, but it’s a good one. It likely suffers from critics expecting another round of perfection when that was unlikely to occur.
Still, Bong Joon Ho delivers an engaging, thought-provoking film that examines how fundamentalists build political power, how poorly we treat those in the working class, and how colonialism kills opportunity. There are a lot of great ideas in this movie. That may be a problem. Because Mickey 17 is so overstuffed with themes that the director wants to explore. The film stretches to well over two hours, though it remains engaging for the whole of its runtime. It’s a case of too much of a good thing.
But even though Bong Joon Ho doesn’t get a chance to really sink his teeth into any theme in particular, what we have in Mickey 17 is pretty entertaining. The effects are cool, the design of the world is fun to experience, and the story is hilariously dark. The ending feels a bit oversimplified, think the ending of Total Recall, but perhaps we can read it as a dark metaphor.
In spite of its overstuffed nature, there’s plenty to recommend it. In particular, Pattinson does wonders as the hapless Mickey. Each time Mickey is cloned, he’s slightly different. And watching Pattinson argue with another version of himself is the sort of galaxy-brained delight you have to see to believe. It’s a light performance with some very thoughtful nuance. Pattinson continues to impress as he makes the most interesting choices for his career.
So, we all knew that Mickey 17 would never live up to the hype and accolades of Parasite. It doesn’t. But that doesn’t mean this isn’t a movie worth a look and a robust discussion. Bong Joon Ho is one of the only major filmmakers still willing to chip away at social constructs and show us our own follies. We should endeavor to pay attention.
Verdict: Bong Joon Ho and Robert Pattinson team up for a satirical look at the expendability of human life.
Mickey 17 is rated R and available in theaters March 7
