Film Review: Mickey 17

Filmmaker Bong Joon-ho is a highly respectable filmmaker, his last film was the highly praised and award-winning black comedy Parasite, which put Joon-ho in a good position in terms of what his next project would be. He is someone who has a very unique style and tone with his work so whatever he was going to do next would be exciting, different and its own thing. He decided to adapt a science-fiction novel but with a name change, the book Mickey7 became the film Mickey17. Joon-ho promised a film that felt modern, relevant and also more importantly entertaining, a film which would reach audiences all over the world.

Mickey 17 is definitely a film only Joon-ho could have made. The concept is quirky, cool and creative. Robert Pattinson plays Mickey Barnes who boards a space expedition as an expendable — someone who must be cloned every time he dies due to research and survival purposes on a different planet with a different atmosphere to Earth. The spaceship is run by Kenneth Marshall, a failed politician who is played with relevance by the amazing Mark Ruffalo. Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette and others also star and support the film by playing an assortment of characters. Mickey gets cloned again and again after each death until one his clones, the seventeenth one, doesn’t die and meets his eighteenth version of himself which causes a domino effect of consequences.

The film has a lot of themes at play with a lot of political messages hidden underneath the escapist formula of science-fiction. Themes of identity, morality, immigration and colonialism are all displayed in the subtext of the film. They’re not key points for the film to explore but instead they offer more satirical moments of light-hearted comedy that just so happens to reflect the modern state of politics in the world. The visual effects, style and production design all feel grounded and gritty. The film has a very cold tone which is similar to Joon-ho’s previous film Snowpiercer. His trademark humour is also littered in the film with a lot of tonal shifts that he is known for. The problem is this is that it may catch some audiences off guard to those not familiar with the filmmaker’s style. Personally though I feel like it makes this film stand out amongst others in the crowded genre.

The story, effects, writing, direction and acting are all on top form thanks to a great group of talented individuals. Joon-ho’s eye for storytelling shines from start to finish with an engaging narrative. Robert Pattinson further proves he is a chameleonic actor with plenty of subtle details making each version of Mickey feel like a different person as well as the same person, something not a lot of actors could have done in his position. The end result is a film that may not storm the box office across the world but it will definitely leave a mark and an impact on the film industry with an original story that proves that Hollywood is not out of ideas yet. 

★★★★☆

4/5

Final Verdict:

Mickey 17 is a political, science-fiction satire with style and a unique identity. The film tackles hefty themes such as identity, morality, immigration but all within a fun, entertaining story. Robert Pattinson excels in the many roles of each individual Mickey by giving each one a different personality. The supporting cast from the likes of Naomi Ackie and Mark Ruffallo equally bring their charisma and charm with characters that feel relevant and satirical to certain real life events and people. The end result is a film that feels completely its own. It might not be for everyone but everyone will gain something out of it.

Thanks for reading today’s blog!

Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions