It is 2054 and Earth is in trouble, so droves of people are taking up the opportunity for interplanetary relocation. A man who has gotten himself into trouble and is financially destitute is Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson). Without digging too deeply, he seizes the chance to start afresh, as a new human colony is about to start populating a planet called Nilfheim.
Those behind the initiative are a former congressman, supercilious Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) and his scheming wife Ylfa (Toni Collette). Mickey signs up to become what is known as an “expendable”. That means he will be given all the dangerous tasks in a hostile, freezing environment. When he dies, which happens frequently, he will be “reprinted” (cloned) … again and again.
The one person who is sympathetic to him is elite agent Nasha (Naomi Ackie) – soldier, policewoman and firefighter – who he regards as his soul mate. We are up to the 17th iteration of Mickey when he is incorrectly assumed dead and prematurely replaced. So, suddenly, we have both Mickey 17 and Mickey 18, and they don’t see eye to eye. Then, to add fuel to the fire, a woman other than Nasha shows more than a passing interest in Mickey. But the real enemies are the oppressive leaders governing the colony.
Like most movies, I went into Mickey 17 blind, not knowing anything about it. I emerged after 2 hours 17 minutes feeling let down … disappointed. Why? Because what I saw was an overextended political satire that lacks substance and appeal. Notwithstanding the brilliance of writer and director Bong Joon Ho’s last film, Parasite, this pic suffers from average writing and direction. The longer it went, the more I wanted it to end. There is only so much of a bad thing I could take.
The movie is based on the novel Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton. Robert Pattinson does most of the heavy lifting and makes a decent fist of it. Mark Ruffalo is but a pompous buffoon with bad teeth, while Toni Collette is full of expression as his manipulative better half. Naomi Ackie, too, has her moments, although I can’t say she seemed all that stretched. Instead of the sandworms, which we got in Dune, in Mickey 17 we have what are termed creepers (large caterpillars). Enough said. Frankly, I found the whole thing too silly.
Score: 5 out of 10.
Alex First
Here are Greg King’s thoughts about the film:
Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-Ho’s first feature since his 2020 Oscar winning Parasite is this blackly comic sci-fi film adapted from the 2022 novel by Edward Ashton. He has taken some liberties with the source material. Set in the not-too-distant future, Mickey 17 is full of interesting ideas as it explores themes of cloning, science, colonisation, religious fanaticism, capitalism and greed.
This is a visually impressive production and the film’s reputed $200 million budget can be seen on the screen with its state-of-the-art special effects and CGI, that allow Pattinson to seamlessly interact with his cloned self. Joon-Ho directs with plenty of energy. The visual effects are strong. Fiona Crombie’s production design is very good as it creates the interiors of the mission’s base HQ and the laboratories. Cinematographer Darius Khondji gives the movie a crisp surface look as he captures the snow-covered wilderness of the planet.
Pattinson has been choosing some interesting and challenging roles, and here he plays two. He brings subtle nuances to each iteration of Mickey with a physical transformation that gives each a distinct personality. Ruffalo has fun with his exaggerated performance as Marshall. His broadly comic performance becomes more of a caricature. The Trump-like allegory is obvious and a little heavy handed, although some of the pointed political satire is relevant to contemporary events. Naomi Ackie (I Wanna Dance With Somebody) has a strong presence as a security guard who is sympathetic towards Mickey.
The film is a little long and some scenes could have done with trimming. Nonetheless, Mickey 17 is a fine addition to Joon-Ho’s oeuvre that includes the dystopian Snowpiercer, the monster horror The Host and the social/political satire Parasite.
Score: 6 out of 10.
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody – movie review
- Blink Twice – movie review
- Good Time – movie review
Alex First is the editor of The Blurb. Alex is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He also contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.
