‘Mickey 17’ is the newest addition to the unique and thought-provoking filmography of South Korean auteur, Bong Joon-ho. This film is the first project to come from the directors archives since the 2020 Best Picture winner, ‘Parasite’, which shocked the world by becoming the first non-English speaking film to win the prestigious award.
So it goes without saying that the expectations for this film were always going to be high.
‘Mickey 17’ is a science-fiction black comedy film that revolves around the story of our protagonist, Mickey, as he embarks on a journey to contribute towards the colonization of the ice planet Niflheim, whilst taking part in an exclusive programme that would see him deemed as an ‘expendable’.
Throughout this programme, Mickey would see himself embark on a series of life-threatening tasks that would simply see his physical body along with all of his pre-existing thoughts and memories quite literally ‘reprinted’ as a result of his inevitable death.
But when the seventeenth rendition of Mickey comes face to face with his successor, problems arise as the two must navigate the ways of cohabitation in order to prevent their chances of both being destroyed - this time permanently.
It goes without saying that Bong Joon-ho takes the opportunity of creating this film to voice his political opinions, particularly on the state of current affairs in the United States. Mark Ruffalo plays a comedic caricature of current USA president, Donald Trump, just minus the bleach blonde hair and blinding orange tan.
The character in discussion here, Kenneth Marshall, has carefully hand-picked a corner of society and transported them to the planet of Niflheim in the search for a new habitat. But when Marshall and his comrades realise that there is already life living amongst the planet of Niflheim, he declares war between themselves and a clearly innocent species.
Sound familiar?
Although developing a political commentary can be powerful and bold within the cinematic landscape, it becomes too blatantly obvious what Bong Joon-ho is trying to say with this film, certainly to the point where it loses all senses of subtlety.
With his performance(s) in this film, Robert Pattinson proves to us once again why he is one of the best actors working in the industry today. In what is arguably the British actor's most demanding role yet, he excels on all fronts and takes on the task of delivering multiple emotional levels of the same character in one film - something that most actors would generally shy away from.
You will struggle to find a frame in this film that doesn’t include one of Pattinson’s various alternate characters, highlighting the amount of pressure that was weighing on the shoulders of the performer to tackle the role of Mickey with perfection.
The supporting cast in this film are all excellent in their respective roles and definitely contribute and raise the levels of Pattinson’s performance. Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo and Steven Yeun all provide good comedic value when called upon and are a treat to watch on screen throughout.
Although ‘Mickey 17’ is a unique and thought-provoking concept with a good standard of execution, it does seem to be overpowered by the political commentary that Bong Joon-ho has forced upon it. If it wasn’t made so obvious what the filmmaker is trying to state within this story, it would certainly come across enjoyable.
Regardless of this, the film is very much a welcomed addition to the filmography of the South Korean director, one that will certainly live long in people’s minds for time to come.
PrimeTime Films Score: B-
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