“Mickey 17” Review: An Absurdist & Hysterical Dark Comedy Far Deeper Than You Might Think

The Oscar-winning director of “Parasite,” Bong Joon-ho, returns to the world of cinema with another project long in the making. Much like his previous acclaimed work, the director straps into another hysterical dark comedy and takes us on a sci-fi adventure we won’t soon forget.

The story follows Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson), a financially destitute man after a failed business venture who is on the run from a loan shark. To escape his predicament, he decides to take the last ship that will leave the planet to colonise a new one. However, in his desperation to leave, he decides to sign up to be an expendable employee, a replaceable staff member sent to do the harshest of tasks in the extreme environment where he dies and is cloned over and over again 17 times. Everything is fine until they accidentally create another clone of Mickey, the 18th variation of him. What starts as a gruelling space adventure for the expendable quickly spirals into a hysterical rollercoaster as the two try to fight and survive to see who gets to live.

Despite being identical, Mickey 17 and Mickey 18 are almost entirely different individuals; the former is mild-mannered and a lot more forgiving, while the latter is quick to anger, spiteful, and vengeful. “Mickey 17” is an exploration of individuality, as it is taboo to have multiple clones of the same person; thus, the two try to kill each other so that the other may live a more fulfilling life.

But what’s so fulfilling about being an expendable person that Mickey doesn’t mind being sent out to repeatedly die for the benefit of others? Well, for starters, there is the one and only person who truly loves Mickey, in the form of Nasha Barridge (Naomi Ackie), a security agent who loves and actively fights for her boyfriend across all his bodies. Kai Katz (Anamaria Vartolomei), another security guard who has a thing for the expendable but is just too little, too late, is also vying for Mickey’s attention. There’s also his childhood friend Timo (Steven Yeun), his partner in the botched business that ultimately forces them out of the planet.

Though not everyone treats Mickey with the respect a normal human deserves. A prime example of this is Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo), a slimy egomaniac, a failed politician, and leader of the voyage who has dark plans for the ice planet. He is joined by his wife, Ylfa (Toni Collette), an equally despicable character known for manipulating her husband.

Much like Bong’s previous work, “Mickey 17” doesn’t pull any of its punches. It does not waste time and gives us what we need to see and know, whether it’s the graphic violence, Mickey and Kenneth’s class conflict, ethical dilemmas, and more. Mickey frequently provides these expositions through his narrations, offering us tidbits of knowledge that are both educational and humorous. Though its direction is anything but subtle, the movie never comes off as excessively preachy, nor does it force some comedic moments; most of these often come naturally, which makes it quite the effective satire.

What makes this film so effective is Pattinson’s range of emotions. We’ve always seen him play the brooding type, but Bong was more enamoured with the actor’s goofy side, which he tapped into. It was this acting range that made him an easy choice for the film, and we couldn’t agree more. Unfortunately, this does make everyone play second fiddle to him, making the only person who can out-act Pattinson, none other than Pattinson himself.

The film is perfectly paced, and there’s no scene that feels like it drags on for too long, but it can slow down to give some characters more depth and give others more time to shine. However, despite its bravado, be it the large-scale and impressive CGI or the wild performances, it actually hits quite deep, as it explores the human side of things and features several tender moments that stay with you after the credits roll. This sense of rawness is a good palette cleanser to the action-packed sequences that make it a well-rounded film.

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“Mickey 17” is in cinemas today!