Mickey 17 review

MICKEY 17: 

BONG JOON-HO’S BONKERS SCI-FI ADVENTURE WITH ROBERT PATTINSON CLONES! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Robert Pattinson in Mickey 17

 

            Bong Joon-ho (The Host, Snowpiercer, Parasite) follows up his Oscar-winning, Parasite with a sci-fi movie involving a bunch of clones of Edward Cullen from Twilight in Mickey 17. This was one of my most anticipated films of the year though it was originally slated for a 2024 release but was pushed back to 2025 (At least it didn’t suffer a cancelation for a tax write-off like other WB projects such as Batgirl and Coyote VS ACME!). 

            But that doesn’t matter as the movie is now out, it’s been watched, and I had a fucking blast with this film. I do not think it’s up to the standards of Parasite or even Snowpiercer, but I was very entertained throughout and even found it thought-provoking despite its chaotic premise and comical tone. 

            The film is set in the year 2054 and follows Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson-The Twilight Saga, The Lighthouse, The Batman), a man who is an expendable on a space expedition and whenever he dies, another version of himself is created with the same memories. But when his seventeenth iteration is presumed dead and an eighteenth version of Mickey is created, Mickey 17 is actually alive and returns to the ship thus causing a massive conflict between Mickeys 17 and 18 and the entire operation led by egomaniacal husband and wife duo, Kenneth (Mark Ruffalo-Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spotlight, Poor Things) and Yifa Marshall (Toni Collette-The Sixth Sense, About a Boy, Hereditary).

            The film also stars Naomi Ackie (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, I Wanna Dance with Somebody, Blink Twice) as Nasha Barridge, Steven Yeun (Okja, Nope, Love Me) as Timo, Patsy Ferran (Tom & Jerry (2021), Living, White Bird) as Dorothy, Cameron Britton (The Girl in the Spider’s Web, The Umbrella Academy, A Man Called Otto) as Arkady, Daniel Henshall (Snowtown, The Babadook, Ghost in the Shell (2017)) as Preston, Steve Park (Falling Down, Fargo, State of Play) as Agent Zeke, Anamaria Vartolomei (The Count of Monte Cristo (2024)) as Kai Katz, Holliday Grainger (Jane Eyre (2011), Cinderella (2015), The Finest Hours) as Gemma, and Angus Emrie (Emma (2020), Star Trek: Prodigy) as Shrimp Eyes. 

            Overall, Mickey 17 likely won’t have the same cultural impact as Parasite, but it’s still a solidly crafted, intriguing, and downright hilarious sci-fi adventure from Bong Joon-ho that keeps your interest amidst the absurdity. What makes the movie work and the thing people are most excited for is Robert Pattinson’s dual performance as the two Mickey clones and yes, he is excellent as both Mickeys while also showcasing his comedic talents as he essentially needs to bounce off of himself since “They’re 2 characters in a movie being played by the same actor”. 

            Sure, the idea of a sci-fi movie set in space where someone encounters a clone of him/herself that’s played by the same actor is nothing new as the 2009 Duncan Jones movie, Moon also did the same thing (Very underrated sci-fi film BTW!). But what I really love about Pattinson’s approach to this is he portrays the Mickey clones very differently from one another where one is levelheaded and a little quirky while the other is very aggressive and solves his problems by fighting or killing. 

            Both Pattinson performances deliver a lot of laughs and their back-and-forth banter is one of the most entertaining parts of the movie. With films like this, The Lighthouse, Tenet, and The Batman, it gets harder and harder to see him as Edward from Twilight as his roles in these really show his capabilities as a competent actor and all of which are very different from each other. 

            However, there are two other actors in this film that can rival Robert Pattinson’s dual performance and they are Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette. Ruffalo and Collette’s characters in this should be the textbook example of celebrated actors hamming it up like mad and it is a delight every time they’re onscreen with Ruffalo’s charismatic yet psychotic failed politician turned voyage leader and Collette as his devious and controlling wife, they had me in stitches throughout the film. 

            The movie also looks fantastic and is definitely worth seeing on a large screen (I saw it in IMAX) with production design and cinematography reminiscent of Snowpiercer mixed with the snow planet from Interstellar. What I like about Bong Joon-ho’s style of science fiction with films like this and Snowpiercer is that he doesn’t lean into fantasy that much and he encompasses a lot of grit and realism to his sci-fi where the audience can still relate to what’s happening to an extent. 

            I will say, the first half of the film is stronger than the second half where now it’s about protecting these alien creatures known as Creepers (That’s what Ruffalo and Collette’s characters dub them as) and it gets a lot more abstract and a little goofy. I was still entertained by what I was watching, but I felt when it was about the two Robert Pattinson clones working off each other and trying to keep their secret hidden was more endearing and interesting than the humans VS aliens conflict. 

It also somewhat crosses into James Cameron Avatar territory with its message about the human nature, but it’s still executed well and is effective in the long run. 

Mickey 17 might be the black sheep in Bong Joon-ho’s filmography, but I very much enjoyed my time with the Robert Pattinson clones and cartoonishly evil Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette. It’s an absurd and funny ride while still being intriguing and thought-provoking that I will gladly hop back on for a second voyage.