South Korean auteur Bong Joon-ho returns to hilarious form in Mickey 17, a biting sci-fi satire of capitalism, class warfare, and demagogue worship (insert Donald Trump here). Based on the novel by Edward Ashton, the bonkers narrative follows a sweet and simple man who’s stuck in a repeated loop of ghastly death while helping to colonize a frozen planet. Robert Pattinson and a sharp ensemble cast will have you laughing out loud with exaggerated performances meant to hammer in the film’s themes. Not all of it works, and the pacing grinds to a halt in a labored finale, but Bong’s message is loud and clear.
Set in the near future, Mickey 17 opens with our hapless protagonist stuck in a familiar situation at the bottom of an icy crevasse. The 17th iteration of Mickey Barnes (Pattinson) can’t believe he’s still alive. Mickey hopes for a quick rescue when Timo (Steven Yeun), his supposed best friend, rappels down into the crack. Mickey’s hopes are quickly dashed when Timo just recovers the ship’s equipment. He leaves poor Mickey in the lurch with the annoying question he’s always asked, “What’s it like to die?” Then, “I’ll see you later.”
The Expendables
The trapped Mickey recounts how he ended up in this predicament. Back on Earth, he had no family, money, skills, or opportunities in an overpopulated world beset by climate disasters. We see the beginning trend of Mickey being Timo’s lackey and fall guy. They’re forced to escape a savage debt collector by joining a space colony mission to the newly discovered planet of Nilfheim. The expedition leader, Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo), a failed politician and unbridled narcissist with bleached buck teeth, and his sauce-loving wife, Ylfa (Toni Collette), have a legion of red-hat-clad followers who worship him like Jesus.
Mickey, who, of course, doesn’t read the fine print in his contract, unwittingly signs up to be an “expandable,” a throwaway employee assigned to the most dangerous tasks, ones which are almost sure to be fatal. The rub is that an expendable has their memories continually backed up and loaded into cloned bodies made in a biological 3D printer. Every time Mickey goes kaput, he’s reprinted and sent back to work. This technology was banned on Earth, but allowed in space under Marshall’s dubious auspices.
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Death in a Loop
Bong does a superb job of framing the initially meek Mickey as the textbook proletariat worker essential for systemic classism. Mickey is the lowest rung on the ladder. Radiation problems affecting the hull? Send good ol’ Mickey outside to see how long a human can survive before being burnt to ashes. Blood-puking pathogens in Nilfheim’s atmosphere? Mickey can take some deep breaths outside and scientists will craft an antigen from his shattered immune system. Not only is Mickey the perennial punching bag, but he gets limited portions of inedible gloop because calorie restrictions are the only way to keep the ship fed…except for Marshall and Ylfa, who dine on scrumptious filet mignon.
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Love crosses all barriers and Bong gives Mickey a wonderful ally. Naomi Ackie co-stars as Nasha Barridge, an armed security officer who takes pity on Mickey. Their hypersexual relationship is the only comfort Mickey gets. Nasha recognizes Mickey’s value, undaunted courage, and loyalty to the ship despite his awful treatment. Nasha is the film’s moral compass and a constant reminder of Marshall and Ylfa’s effed-up philosophy. The film’s plot kicks into high gear when the ice-bound Mickey doesn’t die and returns to Nasha with a big surprise waiting in their quarters. This mind-blowing development changes Mickey’s calculous as he’s forced to navigate a perplexing dilemma.
Robert Pattinson Saves the Day
Bong and Ruffalo pull no punches in excoriating Trump with Marshall’s selfishness, constant need for affirmation, and outlandish buffoonery. Marshall sees himself as a messianic figure meant to populate a “pristine white” planet with the right kind of people. In Marshall and Ylfa’s eyes, only the socially accepted, beautiful, and intelligent are worthy of procreation. Lowlife “cretins” like Mickey are only good for specific purposes. Their lives should serve the greater good and nothing else.
Mickey 17 brilliantly explores the moral explanations of the biological printer. It works like a classic feeder, where the printed material gets stuck, and then goes back and forth before the job is done. Mickey is coughed up and spat onto the floor, a reminder of his status. But the irony is that Mickey’s importance can’t be understated. The ship would never have made it to Nilfheim without him. Marshall and his wealthy elites are the true parasites, in an obvious reference to Bong’s Oscar-winning Best Picture, who feed from the spoils of others. The 3D printer allows the maligned poor to be recycled like paper. Bong employs no subtlety in this pivotal subplot. Something that can prolong human consciousness becomes a tool for the wicked.
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Pattinson, known for his blockbuster turns in the Twilight franchise and The Batman, is extraordinary as Mickey. He speaks in an overly simple accent with down shoulders and body language. Mickey, who’s heard through a continuous voice-over, never shirks duty and plays by the rules, something that’s upended in the second act. Pattinson then gets a chance to portray a different side of Mickey: angry, bitter, and vengeful about being used and discarded like trash.
Pattinson has never shied away from complex and difficult roles (The Rover, Queen of the Desert, The Childhood of a Leader). He anchors Mickey 17 when it goes off the rails in a ridiculous, extended climax that should have been edited. Bong runs long and out of steam in the end, but Pattinson saves the day just like Mickey would.
Mickey 17 is a production of Plan B Entertainment, Offscreen, Kate Street Picture Company, and Domain Entertainment. It will be released theatrically on March 7th from Warner Bros.
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