Mickey 17 Review – An Imperfect Dystopia

Mickey 17 suffers under the weight of its expectations. Between the big-name director, the stellar source material, and the excellent cast, Bong Joon Ho’s latest has huge shoes to fill. It falls short of its promise, but it’s still an extremely compelling watch. Like a lot of Bong’s work, it’s not perfect, but it’s too odd to ignore. You get a stellar setting, several great jokes, and two hilarious lead performances from Robert Pattinson.

Bong Joon Ho needs no introduction, especially since his name is this movie’s main selling point. This is his third Hollywood co-production, but his most recent project, the 2019 Oscar darling Parasite, still dominates his cultural cache. Of Bong’s previous films, Mickey 17 reminded me most of Snowpiercer. Imagine if that entry eschewed some of its incisive social commentary for existential humor, and you’d have a pretty good primer on the new movie.

It’s a Living

Robert Pattinson’s Mickey Barnes is a man who has given up. His life on Earth is untenable after some dodgy business decisions, so he takes to space. Unfortunately, Mickey’s only way off-world is to volunteer to be an “expendable.” Mickey finds himself a guinea pig for every harmful pathogen and deadly alien on a faraway planet. Each time he dies in action, the scientists simply print him out again. In the meantime, Mickey forges a fast romance with no-nonsense security officer Nasha. Mickey’s career is a nightmare, but his situation becomes even worse after he suffers a non-lethal fall. His 17th iteration prepares for the worst, but the local aliens simply leave him to trudge home. Once Mickey returns, he discovers the new model has already taken his place. Together, Mickey 17 and 18 must find a way to avoid permanent demise at the hands of their mission’s comical dictator.

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The most compelling part of Mickey 17 is its worldbuilding. Mickey exists in a bleak, bitter, and miserable future that pushes the grim details into the realm of humor. Most of the first act follows the journey from Earth to the frozen planet Nilfheim. Rules on the ship flow from a failed politician who draws an army of sycophants. The process of reprinting the dead with their memories intact is illegal on Earth, but Mickey’s gig lives on in space. It’s a compelling picture of what capitalist space colonialism might eventually look like. The social commentary isn’t as effective as it should be. Elements of the script want to tackle post-revolutionary politics, but it doesn’t have a deft hand. Part of the problem comes from the comedy, which sometimes undercuts the incisive talking points. It’s an uneven journey, but you’ll want to explore this setting.

The Expendables

Of course, the other big draw of Mickey 17 is the two lead performances. Robert Pattinson has completed his arc from new Hollywood it-boy to bona fide weird little guy. Everyone who moved on from Twilight had to pick a new direction afterwards. Pattinson seemingly picked several and gleefully bounced between them. He’s a joy to watch here. His character is a pathetic rodent-like man who seems to engender genuine distaste in everyone who sees him. There are two or three characters who see Mickey as a person, but even they use and abuse him at almost every turn. Pattinson brings him to life with perfect clarity, but he’s just as compelling in his second character. Most of the Mickeys are similar, but 18 is the bad boy of the group. Pattinson nails both versions of Mickey, carrying a lot of the movie’s most important moments.

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Pattinson is an inarguable style, but the rest of the cast fits perfectly into their roles. Naomi Ackie had more to do in last year’s Blink Twice, but she’s compelling here. Steven Yeun is a lot of fun as Mickey’s devious friend, popping up throughout the movie as if at random. Mark Ruffalo dons fake teeth to play his hilarious evil politician. Ruffalo will get most of the attention, largely due to several obvious comparison points to current world leaders, but Toni Collette as his scheming wife deserves her flowers. They both suffer a bit with repeated gags, but their performances carry their characters. Even the bit players have a good time. I lost it nearly every time Mindhunter star Cameron Britton put roughly 15 seconds of awkward silence before his line.

Mickey 17 isn’t perfect, but it is endlessly compelling. Bong Joon Ho’s violent approach to styles and genres turns a sci-fi comedy into an existential nightmare circus. It’s hilarious, charming, uneven, and mystifying in scenes. I don’t know who to recommend Mickey 17 to, but I think most people should see it. The social commentary is a little broad, and it doesn’t quite stick the landing, but I had so much fun throughout that I still feel strongly positive about the film. Set Parasite out of your mind and take Mickey 17 on its own terms. Given the current state of life on Earth, you might find yourself looking for the next off-world trip.