'Mickey 17' Review: Quirky, Refreshing Sci-FI
After directing the best picture winning parasite, director Bong Joon Ho returns with Mickey 17, a wholly original sci-fi film that further showcases his talent behind the camera and knack for compelling storytelling.
Mickey 17 centers on Mickey (Robert Pattinson), a nobody who flees Earth to evade punishment from a loan shark by volunteering to be an “expendable” on a space expedition, signing over his body to science and having to die repeatedly for the sake of discovery before being printed out again. However, things get complicated when Mickey discovers another version of himself has been printed, a version of himself that is vastly different from him in seemingly every way.
It’s not every day audiences are exposed to original films, let alone original sci-fi films, but Ho has crafted a one of the most entertaining entries into the genre in quite some time. His direction behind the camera remains as confident and assured as always, delivering some fantastic set pieces in addition to gripping character moments with a deft hand. Ho knows to put character first, especially for a story like this, where the central character has to come to grips with dying over and over again, the task never getting any easier or taking less of a toll on his body and mind. Fortunately, the talented director picked the perfect actor to not only take on the task of playing Mickey, but his drastically different clone as well.
Pattinson has shown an impressive versatility and dexterity as an actor over the past several years, delivering terrific performances in a wide variety of projects that include The Batman, The Lighthouse, The Boy And The Heron, Tenet, and The King to name just a few. The dual performances he delivers here are truly phenomenal. He imbues Mickey 17 with a lovable sheepishness that makes him easy to root for and very entertaining to watch while he takes a far different approach to Mickey 18, a dark, dour, violent, and far more confident version of the character. Not only are the scenes with both of them interacting visually seamless, but both of Pattinson’s performances are equally great, never making the audience doubt the trick for a second. It seems as if Pattinson is just getting warmed up as an actor and it will be exciting to see what avenues he explores in his career next.
The supporting performances in the film are also fantastic, especially from Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette, who play a political power couple who are in charge of the expedition to colonize a new planet for mankind. Ruffalo has truly embraced his new era of playing weird, deranged, and wonderfully despicable characters and it couldn’t be more fun to watch. His performance is lively and electric here, only made better by Collette’s equally dynamic performance. The two make this political pair endlessly fascinating to watch and their scenes together are some of the best in the film. Steven Yeun also delivers an under-appreciated performance as Mickey’s so called best friend who fled Earth with him, showcasing a charm and sliminess that is hard to look away from.
However, the storytelling and world building is what makes the film such an immersive, breezy watch. The production design, cinematography, and visual effects are all very strong, deeply enveloping the viewer in this futuristic adventure, leaning into the sci-fi zaniness in all the best ways. The writing is also strong, not only exploring the mental and emotional toll dying over and over again has on Mickey, but mixing in potent political commentary that is eerily relevant to the current political landscape. Fortunately, the commentary isn’t heavy-handed or overdone, letting the story and characters shine far more, a wise approach.
Unfortunately, the film isn’t without its flaws. For one, while the story is refreshingly unconventional and unpredictable for the most part, the last act feels far too standard when compared to everything that preceded it. As a result, the last act feels far too generic and predictable for its own good, resulting in the least exciting and interesting part of the film. There’s also a bizarre and very unnecessary love triangle subplot involving MIckey and two other women, one of which being his long-time girlfriend played by Naomi Ackie. Whenever the film decides to shift focus to this subplot, the pacing comes screeching to a halt. If those scenes were simply excised from the film, the overall pacing and narrative momentum wouldn’t feel nearly as inconsistent.
Mickey 17 may not be a perfect sci-fi film, but it’s incredibly entertaining and well-crafted, fully utilizing its talents in front of and behind the camera to bring this quirky, original story to life. If the film proves anything, it’s that Ho and Pattinson are two of the most exciting talents working today and that if they were to collaborate again, the sky is the limit for this perfect, delightfully offbeat pair.