Bong Joon-ho is back! After six years without a new film, the Oscar-winning Korean director returns to the big screen with Mickey 17. While his reputation had been slowly growing thanks to his sci-fi and fantasy movies, it was the more grounded drama Parasite that signaled his peak. Mickey 17 is a return to sci-fi, if not quite to form.
There’s little doubting the film has an intriguing premise. Robert Pattinson stars as the titular Mickey, an Expendable, or someone who is cloned repeatedly in order to facilitate the testing of viruses, environmental hazards, and more. The film finds a healthy amount of dark humor in the casual manner that others treat Mickey due to his expendable status, and this provides Bong’s expected social commentary.
But this premise only sort of sets up the events of the movie, and one of its bigger issues. If you’re hoping for a deep exploration of the cloning technology and the various deaths that Mickey must endure, beware: this film goes in different directions, exploring a variety of thematic ideas and plot concepts during its overly long runtime. Even after 137 minutes, none of the ideas feel as fully explored as they could be, resulting in a movie that is too long and too shallow.
It is as though Bong had a list of themes he wanted to talk about, but never figured out which ones to focus on most. Especially in terms of the cloning premise, Mickey 17 feels like wasted potential. All of the kooky Mark Ruffalo scenes can’t save this from falling into a sort of tedium.
The movie has a talented cast and overall strong direction. Pattinson continues to stretch his wings as a character actor, inhabiting the meek manners of his Mickey character with amusing simplicity. As mentioned, Ruffalo is a hoot as a failed politician who has taken control of the interstellar expedition the film centers on, proving that he’s still underrated as an actor. Even in their smaller roles, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, and Naomi Ackie impress.
That’s not to say Mickey 17 is a poor work or even mediocre one. This movie is firmly on the good side of the scale, and has a number of intriguing scenes that keep you giggling or smirking in turn. It also features Bong in a sweeter and more hopeful mood than many of his prior movies. Given the heavy issues rampant in his films, it is nice to see him express some optimism.
Mickey 17 just needed more time in the editing bay or writing room. It needed sharper commentary in some areas and to cut down the various plot points to reach its true potential. It does not reach the masterpiece heights of Parasite, but it is an affable piece of entertainment.
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