Mickey 17 Movie Review

​It has been too long since Oscar-winning “Parasite,” writer/director Bong Joon Ho hurled a visual treat in our direction. The remarkable filmmaker needed to create a good story we could lose ourselves in, and here it is. “Mickey 17” is about life/death, winning/losing, good/bad, major/minor, and love. Which of these is worth dying for? Is any of this worth living for? That may be the real question.

Cleverly, Bong Joon Ho has designed a storyline that is as repellent as it is compelling, showing you how much you can care about someone and no one at the same time. Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) and his friend Timo (Steven Yeun) decide they’re done with Earth and the troubles they’ve created for themselves there, for life on a new planet. Timo gets a job more like one on Earth, and Mickey signs up (because he doesn’t read the fine print) for hell on… planet Nilfheim. He willingly signs up to be an Expendable. This means his life is expendable as he, over and over, dies testing products, air… anything! Hence the name of the film. He dies; another is reprinted. Yes. Think 3D printing, but better.

We’re deep into the life of Mickey 17 in this storyline. And it’s a good one.  Once on the ship, he doesn’t see much of Timo. Voiceover tells us his every thought, so we see and hear of his meeting the love of his life, Nasha. Nasha is played by Naomi Ackie from “Blink Twice” and “Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker.” It isn’t hard to believe she’s in love with Mickey. It’s written all over her face. Though this loving relationship brings about some of the biggest laughs of the movie, just watching them meet has you convinced of blossoming love.

Speaking of good acting, I wouldn’t replace one actor with another in any role in this film. Everyone is essential to its being precisely what it is, and that is an excellent sci-fi with oddball characters and a hint of political satire. The affairs of the state come from Mark Ruffalo, who plays a big-toothed, big-haired politician named Kenneth Marshall. He performs an almost spot-on impersonation of what we see going on in the White House today. He and his wife Ylfa (Toni Collette), who seems to be the real brains behind state goings on, come off as individuals who want to help “the people” but aren’t good enough at hiding the fact that they’re in it for themselves.

For a reason I won’t share, there is a Mickey 17 and 18. Multiples… which are illegal. They meet and are nothing alike. The previous Mickey is supposed to be dead before another is reprinted. This causes a shitstorm, and chaos erupts. They have different ideas of how to do the job they’re assigned and aren’t much alike in several other areas. 17 is kind, 18 is destructive. When you think it’s time to just get the destruction of one of them on already, they both seem to be needed.

There are a few moments when the film lags, but it returns soon enough. The movie will not disappoint. I recommend seeing it this weekend. Pattinson is remarkable; you can’t get enough of him. It’s weird but in the way it needed to be. You’ll see a lot of crazy stuff in this narrative. It’s gripping and thoughtful, and Bong Joon Ho will have you attempting to keep one foot in the sci-fi genre and the other desperately clinging to romance. It isn’t easy. Mickey wants you to always remember to read the paperwork! Watch the movie to find out why.