“Parasite” maestro unleashes yet another riveting, avant-garde spectacle!
Where: Now gracing cinemas
What: Film; 2 hours, 17 minutes.
When: Presently
Genre: A delightful cocktail of Action/Sci-Fi/Comedy
Rating: NNNNN (from a maximum of 5)
Why Watch: For aficionados of Bong Joon-ho, the intricate tapestry of social critique, human intimacy, and class struggles hardly strays from his trademark. Yet, this offering emerges as his most approachable narrative—highlighting Robert Pattinson at his eccentric best.
Envision the essence of Robert Pattinson’s character from Claire Denis’s stark 2018 vision, High Life—an audacious ensemble of death-row inmates catapulted into the cosmic abyss, searching for alternative energy in a black hole, whilst undergoing radical experiments in artificial insemination—yet, reimagined as a charmingly clueless himbo navigating an absurd universe. Meet Mickey Barnes.
In the not-so-distant horizon, Mickey 17 transports us to a reality where Mickey (Pattinson) perpetually cycles through life and death, merely as fodder for labor and experimentation aboard a capitalist-driven celestial venture aimed at colonizing uncharted worlds. However, our protagonist is far from a stoic hero; instead, he embodies the caricature of an unlucky underdog, eternally grappling with mortality… all for the sake of making ends meet.
Directed by the brilliant Bong Joon-ho—whose previous triumph, Parasite, snagged the Best Picture title—Mickey 17, inspired by Edward Ashton’s novel Mickey7, narrates the saga of Mickey Barnes, who resolves to evade his earthly debts by signing up as an “expendable” on an expedition aimed at the frigid, far-off planet Niflheim. Four years of celestial travel—what could possibly go awry?
Here we encounter the “Expendables,” a novel class of humanity stripped of rights, engineered for maximum disposability. Undergoing cloning and memory preservation, these beings are coerced into perilous tasks—death is merely a stepping stone as their memories are resurrected in fresh clone vessels, ready to face inevitable doom once more.
Leading this bumbling expedition is Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo), a hilariously cringe-worthy caricature of a failed politician—think a Trump-Musk fusion, replete with overblown bravado masking deep-seated insecurities. Marshall, unwittingly at the helm of a religiously charged, ultra-conservative faction (reminiscent of a thinly veiled fascist regime), strives to seed a pristine society alongside Ylfa, played with deliciously deranged flair by Toni Collette, channeling quintessential “upper-class Karen” energy.
In a moment of desperation, Mickey, oblivious to the fine print, assumes the expendable role—driven by his best friend Timo’s (Steven Yeun) catastrophic choice to default on a loan, thrusting Mickey into the crosshairs of a sadistic loan shark who revels in gruesome consequences for defaulters.
With each violent demise, Mickey’s memories are painstakingly reloaded into a newly minted clone, 3D-printed from organic materials sourced aboard the ship. Yet, amid his unending cycle of death, Mickey unexpectedly finds purpose as he develops an infatuation with Nasha (Naomi Ackie), a shrewd, no-nonsense security agent. Her fierce loyalty and protection add layers of depth to their whimsical romance, as she becomes the sole figure treating Mickey as a true human.
The couple embarks on a tender and passionate journey, one that fuels their spirits despite the grueling space odyssey and the challenges that ensue on their newfound world. Nasha’s profound sense of justice and compassion stands in stark contrast to her shipmates’ indifferent perspectives—a beacon of hope for Mickey amidst the bleakness.
Upon landing on the icy, seemingly barren Niflheim, they make a shocking discovery of an indigenous species—creatures akin to the sentient hippo pigs of Okja, yet flanked with tentacles. Initially perceived as vermin, the narrative pivots dramatically upon realizing their sentience when they save Mickey from a deadly fall into an icy abyss—a fate leading to the birth of yet another clone, Mickey 18.
As the aliens unveil their linguistic prowess, emotions, and grief, moral lines blur between those advocating for empathy towards distinctly different beings and those who devalue even fellow humans to mere collateral.
Mickey 17 orchestrates a darkly comedic ballet around mortality and morality, entwined within the harrowing backdrop of colonization. Characters teeter on a continuum—ranging from pseudo-religious zealots (Marshall and Ylfa) to justice-driven souls (Nasha and Mickey), with varying shades of indifference and opportunism embodied by characters like Timo, and cautious openness portrayed by scientist Dorothy (Patsy Ferran).
A stellar ensemble breathes life into Mickey 17, from Ruffalo and Collette embodying the worst of WASPy conservatism to Yeun’s disarmingly charming yet morally ambiguous persona. Ackie epitomizes the multifaceted badass, while Pattinson navigates the dichotomy of Mickey Barnes with finesse—oscillating between a jittery, anxious soul and an anger-laden force to be reckoned with.
Running over two hours, Mickey 17’s impeccable pacing seamlessly melds storytelling with the bizarre, ultimately presenting a beautifully surreal parable on existence, death (a relentless torrent of it!), love, and the ethical—often grotesque—disposability of certain lives under capitalism, religious zeal, and rampant bigotry.
The term “parable” is employed here quite purposefully, for the film is steeped in a rich concoction of religious and ideological symbolism, all intricately woven into the ship’s aesthetic—from symbols reminiscent of swastika-adjacent embellishments to militaristic designs adorning core antagonist Marshall. This burgeoning atmosphere of colonialism becomes progressively palpable as the narrative unfolds.
Mickey 17 serves as a piercing satire, an introspection on life, mortality, and the fundamental humanity of existence—challenging perceptions of whose lives are worthy and what implications arise when death loses its gravitas in a cycle of endless reincarnation. For Bong enthusiasts, the thematic depths might feel familiar, yet this film emerges as his most inviting exploration—gorgeously surreal as it articulates these profound messages. And let’s not overlook the amusingly bizarre portrayal of Pattinson, a delightful surprise in this cosmic odyssey.
