‘Mickey 17’: Live, die, but don’t repeat

If you remember one thing about “Mickey 17,” it’s  that the film is one part sci-fi love story, one part black comedy and all parts biting political commentary on how higher ups in the work chain see the bottom rungs.

This is, of course, to be expected by the director, as politics and inequality also feature heavily within his Academy Award-winning movie “Parasite.”

Warner Bros. released “Mickey 17,” the newest feature from South Korean director Bong Joon Ho, who also won Best Director at the 2020 Oscars. Based on the novel “Mickey7” by Edward Ashton, “Mickey 17” follows Mickey Barnes, whose job as an Expendable sees him cloned after every death, often risking his life for scientific research.

The film is Joon Ho’s first since the 2019 smash hit “Parasite.”

Despite the high anticipation, the movie is now struggling under the weight of expectations placed upon it following its first trailer.

The film’s meat comes when Mickey returns to the outpost on the ice planet of Niflheim, where most of the story takes place. He discovers that, while he was out on the planet, he was mistakenly reprinted, and is now face-to-face with Mickey 18, who immediately begins to hatch a plan to kill 17 and take his place.

A lot of the film centers on Mickey’s attempts to thwart 18’s murderous plans and keep him away from his girlfriend, Nasha. This is upended when, following a badly botched dinner, security agent Kai discovers the multiples.

The action then veers off in a different direction to explore the alien creatures seen at the start of the film (dubbed as “Creepers”), culminating in a confrontation between both Mickeys, Nasha and Kenneth Marshall, the politician leader of the expedition (a comedically baffling turn by Mark Ruffalo), who tries to wipe them all out.

From “Star Trek” to “Starship Troopers,” using a sci-fi backdrop as a storytelling device for political commentary is nothing new. However, despite Joon Ho’s history of politics in his films, this feels more on-the-nose than his previous works.

Some of the metaphors aren’t subtle, and at times, the commentary feels a little paint-by-numbers — including a moment where Marshall is almost assassinated. The shot misses and hits the rock behind him, in a scene a little too close to real life political events.

Politics today are scary. And while I watched this movie, my thought was, “Am I missing a deeper meaning? What is Joon Ho trying to tell me? What’s the real story he’s selling and is this movie just too mired in itself?”

But, that’s not to say the film is all bad. The film looks great, from the atmosphere of the planet to the world building within the ship.

The supporting cast includes a sauce and culinary obsessed Toni Collette as Ylfa, the wife of Kenneth Marshall and accessory to his plans, Steven Yeun as Timo, Mickey’s friend from Earth and a drug dealer on the side and Naomi Ackie as Nasha, Mickey’s girlfriend and ally in his quest to save the Creepers.

I liked the romance between Nasha and Mickey. It felt palpable, and Naomie Ackie and Robert Pattinson have good chemistry together. Pattinson shines in his dual role, as he seamlessly pulls off balancing the cowardly but loyal Mickey with the hostile and foul 18.

Ruffalo is not to be messed with, either. His performance is both goofy and on-the-nose while emulating a certain political figure in the White House. He feels menacing enough during the final act of the film, when he is preparing to kill both Mickeys and wipe out the Creepers from the planet, but it’s so over-the-top, it’s really hard to believe.

The ending of the film is told with Mickey’s narration, explaining the people involved with Marshall’s attempt at genocide are imprisoned. Everyone we’ve met gets their happy ending or just desserts, making it just a little too neat. Life is rarely this black and white. I wish the movie had been a little more ambiguous in its final wrap-up.

The movie currently sits at a 77% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer, with a 73% on their audience meter. Letterboxd has the film at a median of 3.7 out of 5 stars.

While the film has received generally positive reviews, a lot of which rest on Pattinson’s performance, audiences on social media still seem to be mixed on their thoughts. Some generally dislike the way the film feels ham-fisted in its metaphors, with others praise its social commentary.

Maybe I just didn’t get it.

At the time of writing, the film opened to $7.7 million on its opening weekend, and has since grossed around $35 million domestically, against its budget of $118 million. That means the film is projected to lose Warner Bros. $100 million.

The film also seems to be on its way to being a big bomb, with audiences online stating they think the budget was simply too high for the film they saw.

So what happened? A possible factor is the way the film was marketed, its trailers showcasing the movie as a sci-fi comedy blend where Mickey would be killed in many gruesome ways on screen, with 17 struggling to survive against another death.

Joon Ho has admitted the reason Mickey 17 is 10 more than its novel is due to “wanting to see Robert Pattinson die 10 more times.” Which seems weird, as the only deaths you see on screen include a lab rat phase while developing a vaccine, a presumable space asphyxiation with Mickey’s hand being smashed off, and very little else.

Another is that the film may simply not have been attention grabbing enough for theatergoers. Whatever the reason, though, here’s hoping “Mickey 17” finds its audience once it hits digital on March 25 and physical releases on May 13.

FINAL VERDICT: 3.5 stars out of 5

“Mickey 17” is currently playing in theaters.

Adrien Coakley is a writer who not only enjoys horror movies, but every aspect of movie making. He is getting ready to launch a new podcast, where Gen Z and Gen X go the movies and offer their takes on new and classic films.