Rating: 8/10
South Korean director Bong Joon Ho is no stranger to injecting his films with deep meanings, and his newest film, “Mickey 17,” is no exception — even if it is his most unsubtle entry yet.
“Mickey 17” is an adaptation of Edward Ashton’s 2022 sci-fi novel “Mickey7.” The story takes place in 2054 and follows Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson), a disposable crew member on a mission to colonize an ice planet.
Mickey is what the film calls an “expendable,” meaning that whenever he dies in his line of work, another copy of himself is printed while holding on to all of his memories.
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This plot device has a clear message about workplace safety and workers’ rights. While forced, it is engaging to see, considering how the script plays around with this contrivance.
However, this message gets muddled in the sea of things Joon Ho wants to say to his audience.
Aside from the workers’ rights topic, the film touches on capitalism, fascism and animal rights. While these points are crucial to discuss and not uncommon to be brought up in the movie, there comes a moment in which viewers can get overwhelmed by just how much is trying to be said.
What made two of Joon Ho’s other films, “Parasite” and “Memories of Murder,” so great is how both movies handled their heavy-handed themes with a nice hint of subtlety. It forces the viewers to go beyond simply watching the films and look deeper into what they are truly about.
Despite this slight fault, “Mickey 17” bounces back with many positive features, especially its cast.
The film stars Mark Ruffalo, Naomi Ackie and Steven Yeun, all of whom help with the movie’s recognizability. All of these actors truly shine in every one of their scenes and are stellar as their respective characters.
Pattinson is the standout among the actors, playing 18 versions of his character throughout the film. Even if some of these versions only get a few frames of screen time, the English actor does an incredible job at making each one distinct.
The film is also plain entertaining. As a dark comedy, it keeps viewers interested and content without dragging the film on.
In terms of how the movie came to life, “Mickey 17” experienced a troubled production process, with multiple delays and studio interference that almost affected Joon Ho’s vision for his movie.
The film was first teased on Dec. 6, 2022, with an original release date of March 29, 2024. Due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike and a dispute over the final cut, the film was delayed to Jan. 31.
“Mickey 17” was then delayed again to April 18 as Warner Bros. wanted to have the film screened in IMAX, only for the film to be moved forward to its final release date of March 7.
On top of these delays, the movie suffered from poor test screenings directly from Joon Ho’s cut of the film.
According to a report by Kim Masters from Puck, Warner Bros. stepped in and made their own cut of the film because of the screening’s low scores, which received better ratings.
“The film tested badly, sources say, but director Bong dismissed the results, saying his Oscar winner ‘Parasite’ didn’t test well, either,” Masters said. “But that film had cost just $10 million. Meanwhile, a knowledgeable source told me that Warners had come up with an alternative cut of ‘Mickey 17’ that tested 10 points higher. But the director had final cut and got his way.”
Ultimately, the cut screening now in theaters is Joon Ho’s complete version with his original vision and flair.
Although “Mickey 17” is one of Joon Ho’s weakest works in his filmography, it still is a great movie that takes viewers on a wild ride — even if it holds them by the hand for the entire runtime.
