Heading into 2025, the film at the top of my most anticipated movies list was Mickey 17, the latest flick from acclaimed South Korean filmmaker, Bong Joon-ho. This was primarily because the director has consistently delivered some of my favorite movies over the course of the past decade. So coming off his Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture wins at the Oscars for his 2019 film, Parasite, a lot of us fans were eager to see what he was cooking up next. But does his newest film live up to expectations or is it a rare stinker in an otherwise impeccable filmography?
Set in the distant future, the movie follows Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattison), a down-on-his-luck man who enlists to join a group of interplanetary colonizers as an expendable. As the job title suggests, he is basically considered fodder for all of the colony's dangerous missions and experiments. The catch is that each time he dies, a clone of his gets reprinted with all of his memories intact. But when they prematurely print out an extra clone, the titular Mickey 17 must contend with his new, more aggressive self, as well as the chaos surrounding the development.
At first glance, Mickey 17 appears to be nothing more than a rethread of the brilliant 2009 science fiction movie, Moon. After all, both movies feature a setup where a man is engaged in dangerous work off-world, and what happens to that man when he inadvertently meets a carbon copy of himself. But in truth, that is where the similarities end because Mickey 17 grapples with even more themes beyond the questionable ethics of human cloning.
Fans of Bong Joon-ho's other works would no doubt spot recurring motifs like a rebuke of the mistreatment of animals (Okja) or the widening divide between the haves and the have-nots (Snowpiercer). There were likewise allusions made to the modern-day political landscape, which served as an overall critique of the politicians themselves as well as the role the media plays in helping peddle their propaganda. But it is ultimately left to the viewer to draw out whatever message they happen to find most resonant, so I wouldn't be surprised if others picked up on even more themes.
Speaking of politicians, it wouldn't be a Bong Joon-ho production if we didn't get a cast filled with oddball characters. We of course had Tilda Swinton's Minister Mason in Snowpiercer, as well as Jake Gyllenhaal's Johnny Wilcox in Okja. And here, the one that would no doubt have people buzzing is Mark Ruffallo's turn as Kenneth Marshall, a performance that is so shamelessly derivative of Donald Trump, specifically his speech and mannerisms, that it might as well have been an SNL sketch.
To be clear, I have no issue with parody in films, nor do I particularly care which politicians a filmmaker or actor chooses to ridicule in their movies. But when those jokes are this on-the-nose or heavy-handed, it is hard to find them to be anything other than distasteful. One joke in particular that took shots at Kenneth Marshall's failed attempts at getting elected didn't particularly age well, given the outcome of the last US elections, so you've got to wonder why it wasn't simply taken out of the film in light of that.
Thankfully, most of the other jokes and gags in the movie managed to land just fine without resorting to cheap, below-the-belt theatrics. Similarly, the other actors gave adequate performances, including Robert Pattison who showcased his broad range and great comedic timing as the various Mickeys. It also helps that the film looks great and is competently shot and edited, allowing for a relatively smooth viewing experience that never started to drag or overstay its welcome.
Mickey 17 is a funny and thought-provoking take on a well-worn science fiction trope. It could also be considered a political satire, although how much enjoyment you glean out of its gags probably hinges on what side of the political aisle you happen to fall. Bong Joon-ho has already shown that he has a deft handling of how to craft strong, resonant social commentary and there's certainly plenty of that to be had here. So while it might not be his strongest outing, Mickey 17 is nonetheless another essential watch for fans of his previous work.
