Rating: 3/5
Synopsis:
After the success of 2019’s “Parasite”, Bong Joon-ho returns with “Mickey 17”. The film is an adaption of Mickey7, where a man down on his luck volunteers for the expendables program, tasked with handling dangerous missions. If he is killed, his body is reprinted with his old memories to continue these missions, expanding his colony’s goals. But after he unexpectedly survives one of his missions, another version of himself is printed. As multiples are prohibited within the program, Mickey and his clone must find a solution to the problem while combating the corruption within their political system.
Positives:
For better or worse, “Mickey 17” is authentically Bong Joon-ho. This is a great example of a filmmaker getting full creative control over a project after a successful Oscars run. The film feels wildly unique, creating a story that covers timely topics with fascinating science-fiction elements. The story attempts to combine different genres and tones, much like Bong Joon-ho’s previous films. While it isn’t my preference having numerous tones going on at once, it still feels unique enough to keep my attention. There are comedic beats woven throughout the story that try to cover very heavy topics. The science-fiction elements work well as we are assimilated into this world quickly. The premise of having expendables is established nicely, where Robert Pattinson’s narration of events helps us understand the society he lives in.
Pattinson was a great choice for Mickey. He displays a great versatility in his acting abilities, creating two distinct personalities for the Mickey duplicates. Mickey 17 is the meek, absent minded man who has lost hope and ambition, while Mickey 18 counters his personality with brashness and a dark edge. Seeing these two banter with one another was the best part of the film, trying to evade government eyes while attempting to coexist without killing each other. Hopefully Pattinson gets the recognition he deserves after his versatile performance here. I also enjoyed the premise with the creepers (creatures inhabiting the new planet). This intertwined nicely with the larger ideas presented in the story, creating the unexpected consequence with the duplicate Mickeys. The visual effects and cinematography elevate the unique world that is presented, so credit to the special effects team for their impressive work.
Negatives:
“Mickey 17” ultimately feels like a missed opportunity with some impressive creative ideas. This could have been a thematically rich film, but Bong Joon-ho tries to stuff way too many ideas into one story. He tries to tackle the woes of capitalism, colonialism, prejudice, authoritarianism, and religion…all within a single film. If he chose to focus on the lack of humanity within their corporate driven society and the complications of modern colonialism, the plot would have felt more focused. But what we get is an overstuff montage of not so subtle messaging that are shoehorned into the story where it didn’t feel organic.
The second act is where this gets out of hand, as Ruffalo’s character is undeniably a caricature of Donald Trump. Ruffalo’s performance is way too silly, going off the rails and appearing more on-the-nose than it needed to be. I believe the messaging in the film will be far too obvious for most audiences. If the filmmakers were able to present poignant messaging with more subtlety then it would have been stronger. Organic storytelling is far more effective than loud shouting at the audience to feel a certain way. I saw the potential to explore these themes in a better way, but unfortunately the film lacks restraint. The tone is also all over the place too. Bong Joon-ho’s films have always played with genre blending, which isn’t my preferred version of filmmaking. Then again, I always appreciate a creative swing. The film could have also benefited from trimming the runtime. It felt like it was going to end two or three times, ending on a strange note that isn’t the most satisfactory. “Mickey 17” is one of those bold swings that is effective in certain ways while feeling pretentious and overstuffed in others.
Conclusion:
“Mickey 17” is a film that I could see myself revisiting a few years down the road. Unfortunately the film’s bloated runtime and overstuffed thematic content takes the film off the tracks by the end. I enjoyed the creative swings, unique story, and performance from Pattinson. If the filmmakers chose to focus on a few ideas, the story would have been more effective. But the preachy presentation and inconsistent tones left me feeling conflicted. I’m ultimately happy I saw the film because it felt fresh in many ways. This is a perfect example of a missed opportunity. See the film if the trailers looked interesting, but I would caution most mainstream viewers with spending their time on this one.
