Courtesy of Warner Bros.
“Mickey 17” catapults viewers into a world where death is just a minor inconvenience — until it isn’t. South Korean director Bong Joon Ho’s latest entry into his esteemed filmography is a darkly hilarious, unsettling sci-fi odyssey that is both heart-wrenching and gut-churning in all the right places.
Based on Edward Ashton’s science-fiction novel “Mickey7,” the film follows average, run-of-the-mill man Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson), a member of a colonization mission to inhabit an icy, foreign planet called Niflheim. His role is an “Expendable,” and an Expendable has one job: to die, die and die again. Every time Barnes gives his life for the sake of the mission, his body is recycled and reprinted, with his memories uploaded to his new body every time. The ill-fated Barnes takes on this heavy weight of death to ensure Niflheim becomes inhabitable for his fellow colonizers from Earth. For someone whose entire existence revolves around being a human guinea pig, the film begs the question: What does it really mean to die if reincarnation is as routine as waking up in the morning?
The film takes a turn when the 17th iteration of Barnes (Mickey 17) comes home from a mission to find someone sleeping in his own bed: Mickey 18. The presence of a duplicate Expendable, or “multiples,” is strictly forbidden and considered taboo, and Barnes is faced with the consequence of death (but this time, permanent).
“Mickey 17” has plenty to say about classism, colonization and the human condition — recurring themes in Bong Joon Ho’s work, including his historic 2019 Best Picture winner, “Parasite.” But this time, Bong takes a hard left turn. While “Parasite” was a masterclass in sharp wit and precision, “Mickey 17” throws subtlety out the window, yet somehow still stays relevant to the ideologies it satirizes, albeit without the same nicety as the former.
Bong’s maximalism is on full display in “Mickey 17,” which thrives on excess in its energy and portrayal of characters as almost caricatures — sometimes to its benefit, and sometimes to its detriment. While Pattinson brings a surprising amount of nuance in his dual performance, the rest of the film is Bong pushing the limits with the narrative possibilities that this premise opens up. The film is as tense as it is hilarious, but the range of emotion and the fluctuation of tone throughout the movie makes it feel disjointed at times, and may struggle at keeping audiences engaged to certain narrative themes and sublot that Bong is going for.
It’s always a treat to watch Pattinson take on a new role, not just because his characters are so distinct from one another, but because his versatility and innate talent make him the perfect fit for each one. Pattinson’s dual performance in “Mickey 17” is certainly unique and delightfully outlandish, and played up perfectly to the film’s own peculiarity. Mickey 17 and Mickey 18 have their own differences in personality, and Pattinson plays both in a way that makes each feel like a fully realized individual rather than just copies of the same man. He brings subtle yet effective nuances to their mannerisms and speech, ensuring that their interactions feel dynamic rather than repetitive. “Oldboy” director Park Chan-wook went as far as to say Pattinson’s performance (some might say performances) should qualify for both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards.
Bong is a director with an innate ability to project his visions — however wild or wacky — with total conviction, often bringing out unexpected facets of his actors in the process. This talent is evident throughout his entire filmography, stemming all the way back to his first feature film, “Barking Dogs Never Bite.” In “Mickey 17,” the combination of Bong’s fearless direction and Pattinson’s chameleonic acting makes for an unpredictably compelling protagonist.
While some fans of Bong’s past work might find his latest to be too much of a departure from his usual controlled chaos, others will appreciate his willingness to dive headfirst into unfiltered absurdity. Bong fully embraces the chaos of Barnes’ repeated deaths, raising questions about identity, autonomy and the value of human life with each one. Much of Bong’s signature style is present, evident in Barnes’ death montage and many instances of body humor, played out to perfection by the film’s star-studded cast which, apart from Pattinson, includes Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette just to name a few.
Ruffalo and Collette play two extremely cartoonish, over-the-top villains, and it is obvious that their satirical portrayals of real-life political figures were purposeful. And while much of their performances, Ruffalo especially, are hilarious and their characters land quite well, it does get tiring at certain points. In a film already brimming with chaos and clashing tones, their exaggerated antics sometimes feel like just another layer of noise rather than a meaningful addition to the film’s satire.
That said, Bong’s ability to navigate chaos remains impressive. Even when certain elements feel overstuffed, his vision is unmistakable and his talent for injecting heart into the absurd ensures that “Mickey 17” never loses its emotional core. The film may stumble in its balance of tone and consistency, but it remains a bold and wildly enjoyable experience — one that only a filmmaker like Bong could pull off.
Rating: 7.5/10
