I’ve heard “Mickey 17” director Bong Joon Ho’s name thrown around a few times but never watched any of his films until this came out. I mean come on, Robert Pattinson as lead in a sci-fi adventure involving cloning shenanigans? I’m seated.
But this movie isn’t as good as I’d hoped it would be (I’m never beating the “Have you ever liked a movie” allegations).
“Mickey 17” follows Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) who is an expendable meaning he partakes in various life-threatening jobs that usually end in his demise before being reprinted to repeat the process.
This is also why the film is titled “Mickey 17” as the story follows the 17th version of Mickey.
Mickey 17 eventually finds himself wrapped up in a situation involving a native race called Creepers on a foreign planet that leads to his presumed death, causing Mickey 18 to be printed.
Mickey 17 and 18 are considered multiples which prompts politician Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) to order the death of the multiples and their lover Nasha (Naomi Ackie).
While the plot is entertaining to watch, the movie really drops the ball in the last 30-45 minutes.
Scenes drag on and multiple smaller plot points that are mentioned throughout the movie, like Mickey’s best friend Timo (Steven Yeun) trying to impress crime boss Darius Blank (Ian Hanmore), but never get fully elaborated or followed up on.
Which is a shame because Yeun is an amazing actor who gets severely underutilized.
However, the same cannot be said for Pattinson. His range between the secluded Mickey 17 and the aggressive Batman-sounding Mickey 18 is impressive to see both on their own and in scenes together.
I’m willing to advocate for Pattinson to be nominated for Best Actor at the next awards season, his talent is seriously underrated.
Scenes in the movie pace themselves relatively well with the only complaints being related to the overuse of VFX and CGI in scenes making things look stale.
This is especially apparent with the final scenes on the snowy surface of the planet where Mickey 17 stands in an open white background while being trampled by Creepers.
The cinematography doesn’t manage to redeem things either outside of a small amount of scenes uniquely utilizing pan and zoom shots.
What really stuck out to me throughout the entire film was the dark satire of everything. Imagine capitalism at the extreme with a certain red hat propaganda-loving politician serving as the driving antagonistic force and that’s what the movie mocks for nearly the entire runtime.
It’s nice to laugh at these dark themes in a realistically dark time, but its almost uncomfortable to feel how realistic aspects of this film are despite their satirical focus.
It’s a shame there isn’t much more to say beyond that. From a filmmaking standpoint, things aren’t that impressive as the movie-going experience is what mainly makes things interesting.
If you’re looking for something to watch when you’re bored, “Mickey 17” can satisfy your needs, but you won’t be missing anything spectacular by skipping this one.
Mickey 17 — ★ ★ ★ ½
Release Date: March 7, 2025
Director: Bong Joon Ho
Runtime: 2hr 17m
Rating: R