Six years after his Oscar-winning masterpiece Parasite, Bong Joon-ho returns with Mickey 17, a sci-fi that combines dark humour, social commentary and existential contemplation. Starring Robert Pattinson in a dual performance, the movie is a turbulent yet engrossing ride through the life of an “expendable” clone on a perilous space mission.
A Unique Sci-Fi Concept
The movie is set in the 2050s and revolves around Mickey Barnes, a disposable labourer on a deep-space mission to the planet Niflheim. As an “expendable,” he is assigned to carry out life-threatening tasks, aware that every time he dies, a new copy of himself will be printed to resume the mission. But then things take a turn when Mickey 18 is created by mistake ahead of Mickey 17’s demise. Now, the two clones must learn to live together—a scenario just begging for comedic and philosophical conflict.
Pattinson is good in both parts, imbuing Mickey 17 with nervous, jittery energy while playing Mickey 18 with a brooding intensity. His work is the film’s best anchor, and he provides a balance of absurdity and real emotional substance.
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Bong Joon-ho’s Signature Style
True to form, Bong Joon-ho layers Mickey 17 with satire, challenging capitalism, identity and the meaning of life. Visually stunning, the film has a sleek, high-tech production design set against the creepy alien terrain of Niflheim. Critics have likened its themes to Snowpiercer, another Bong film that decries economic inequality through a high-concept sci-fi premise.
Mark Ruffalo is a boisterous, over-the-top Trump-like villain, and his presence contributes to the darkly comedic tone of the film. Some critics, though, think that the social commentary of the film tips too far into the preachy and the chaotic side, so it becomes scattered at times.
A Mixed but Memorable Experience
At more than two hours, Mickey 17 sometimes falters when it comes to pacing, with some scenes feeling needlessly slow. Still, the film is compelling thanks to its sassy humour, breathtaking beauty and cerebral themes. Before Mickey becomes in charge of a rebellion of gigantic alien beasts, the movie has committed wholeheartedly to its offbeat sensibility—an element that will attract viewers or confound them.
Goofy, illogical, yet irrepressibly original, Mickey 17 is a movie that resists being pigeonholed. Adore it or detest it, it’s a welcome respite from formula sci-fi—an idiosyncratic, offbeat space odyssey that lingers long after the final credit has rolled.
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