After winning multiple accolades for his reality-based film Parasite, South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon Ho’s follow-up, Mickey 17, delivers social commentary on humanity through a madly hilarious, sometimes perturbing, sci-fi film. Based on the novel Mickey7 by author Edward Ashton, Bong Joon Ho’s adaptation takes this story, infuses it with his biting humor and satire, and takes it to some highly entertaining levels. Though I have never read the source material, the South Korean filmmaker has used this story to offer his perception of the problems that exist in our current time.
In the future, humanity has traveled more extensively in space where they desire to use our technology to explore and colonize strange new worlds and conquer them to advance our species. Back on Earth, Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) and his friend and business associate Timo (Steven Yeun) try to escape the failure of their failed venture and the wrath of their underworld creditors. In a desperate attempt to escape the planet, the two sign up for jobs that involve space travel and work on another planet, Nilfheim, where a team of scientists led by a corrupt and power-hungry politician, Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo), hope to take over the new world.
While Timo lands a job as a pilot, Mickey stupidly signs up as an expendable, which tasks him with handling highly hazardous tasks and undergoing dangerous experiments, guaranteed to kill him. The twist is that expendables are cloned. So, whenever Mickey, or any other expendable, gets killed on the job, the science team can reprint another clone with all of its memories intact. Things get rather problematic when the seventeenth version of Mickey manages to survive and returns home, only to discover that an eighteenth version has already been “reprinted.”
Let me get one thing out of the way. This movie isn’t Bong Joon Ho’s best film. It is hard to follow up on a masterpiece like Parasite or even some of his other films, which are also incredible. However, Mickey 17 is still a great new entry from the mad genius that is Bong Joon Ho. Now, I realize that Joon Ho is working with a story that is not his own, and perhaps that is what keeps this movie from being one of his top-tier films. That said; Bong Joon Ho’s voice, sense of humor, and satirical commentary of humanity are ever present. These elements are what make this movie work so well.
After screening this film, I see that this movie plays out like a feature-length adaptation of a satirical comic strip, just like the ones some of us have seen in our newspapers’ government and editorial pages. This cartoonish quality makes this movie so much fun, but also disturbing and thoughtful. Bong Joon Ho wants his audiences to think long and hard, and to look at ourselves critically. And the fact that he can do this in some hilarious and exciting ways makes this film all the more entertaining.
It comes as no surprise that Robert Pattinson is outstanding in this movie. He not only delivers exceptional work as Mickey 17 but also plays the eighteenth version of Mickey, who is stronger and angrier and does not put up with any ridiculousness. I also had a fantastic time watching Mark Ruffalo ham it up as the egomaniacal moron that is Kenneth Marshall. Also incredible is Toni Collette, who stars as Ylfa, Kenneth’s wife, who is obsessed with experimental cuisine forms.
As for the supporting cast members, I have nothing bad at all to say. Everyone else is outstanding. If I have any criticisms, some of the science in the movie doesn’t make complete sense. I understand this is a fantasy movie, but certain elements do not work well. However, what works best is the commentary and statements the film makes about politics, science, and colonization.
The film also looks wonderful with its visuals, sets, costumes, and creature design. Hell, this movie looks way better than some cinema tent poles that often rely too much on poor CGI. I loved this movie despite its weaknesses and highly recommend it. I laughed pretty frequently and found myself once again impressed with the filmmaking of Bong Joon Ho.