In 2019, the world was treated to Parasite, a remarkable cinematic effort that stole the hearts of cinephiles on its way to becoming the first non-English film to ever win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. What did its award-winning director Bong Joon-Ho do as a follow up? Well, nothing for a little bit. His latest effort, based on the novel Mickey 7 has been a long time coming thanks to production and distribution delays, but over five years after Parasite, the latest Bong hit is in theatres now.
Mickey 17 is set in the distant year of 2054 and follows Robert Pattinson as Mickey, the victim of a bad investment who applies as an 'expendable' in order to leave Earth and avoid murderous loan sharks. The only catch, his new job requires him to die and be re-printed at a fairly regular rate.
This is such a weird movie. It falls much more in line with Bong's environmentalist satire Okja than Parasite, focusing itself on that quirky tone while telling a very different story. That quirky sense of humour really works for me, allowing the film to tackle some pretty interesting philosophical and moral ideas with a sense of fun that I loved. The production here is also pretty magnificent. The worldbuilding is heightened by fantastic production design, giving us a mostly spaceship setting that feels lived in throughout. I was also very impressed by the VFX, something that has at times taken me out of Bong's films in the past. The score is sneaky strong as well, making some moments feel much more emotional than I expected.
Pattinson is frankly terrific here. I don't know why he thought to put on the goofy voice he does but it works so well. Mickey is a down on his luck loser-type and Pattinson nails that cartoonish deep sadness. He also does double duty here when another version of him is printed out, this one far more aggressive and macho, basically the antithesis of the Mickey we know. Pretty importantly he makes these characters feel like two sides of a coin rather than two completely different characters, a crucial piece to how the story works. The supporting cast alongside Pattinson is also great. Mark Ruffalo channels some Poor Things as he gives us a new over the top villainous character, and Toni Collette is equally as conniving as his wife. Naomi Ackie is consistently good but has some real standout moments, while Steven Yeun plays a sleazy type that you can't help but love to hate.
On the whole this isn't as sharp of a movie as Parasite. It runs a bit long and it takes some time to find its footing from a tonal and pace standpoint, causing some early moments to drag. The ending also didn't entirely work for me, tying things up in a way I didn't find as satisfying as I'd like. That being said, this is a very fun entry to the sci-fi genre with a terrific RPats performance(s?). 4/5
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