MICKEY 17
Oscar-winning director Bong Joon Ho is back with the new film, Mickey 17. It may seem like a departure following Parasite, but it falls perfectly in line with his other films like Okja, Snowpiercer, The Host, and more. It’s now available on 4K, Blu-Ray, DVD, and digital from Warner Bros Home Entertainment.
Mickey 17 stars Robert Pattinson in another zany role as Mickey Barnes who is part of a government program and referred to as an “expendable.” Expendables are used for risky, deadly scientific experiments but can have their bodies regenerated every time they die. Steven Yeun’s character, Timo, says to him, “What’s it like to die? I’m sure you’re used to it by now” as Mickey is now on his 17th body. They’re tasked with trying to colonize an ice planet called Niflheim which is covered in slugs and roaches called “Creepers.” If one Mickey wasn’t enough, the scientists aboard this ship have introduced human printing, aka cloning, and creates a Mickey 18. At the helm of all of this is their disgraced leader, Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) and his wife Ylfa (Toni Collette) who have dangerous ulterior motives.
Like many of Bong Joon Ho’s films, it comes with a truly unique premise that straddles many genres from satire to sci-fi/fantasy to creature feature. He spends the first thirty minutes on world building alone with Robert Pattinson doing the voiceover as Mickey detailing how he became a part of this operation. Bong Joon Ho’s films are usually filled with a social and political commentary, and Mickey 17 is no different. It’s quite clear that Mark Ruffalo is playing a Donald Trump-inspired leader who is obsessed with TV and media appearances, comes with a fake tan, uses superlatives in his speech and has very racist plans for the planet. Every one of these performances is heightened in true satire form. Robert Pattinson continues to take on these off-kilter characters like this as we also saw with Good Time, The Lighthouse, and The Devil All the Time. He dons interesting accents, raises the pitch of his voice, and leaps away from any sort of dashing, leading man image he started his career with during his Twilight years. Naomi Ackie is also wonderful as Mickey’s new love interest, Nasha. Mickey 17 may run longer than it needs to, but Bong Joon Ho knows how to create a very unique and individual film that’s singular to his asthetic.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Behind the Lens: Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17
- Mickey 17: A World Reimagined
- The Faces of Niflheim
Here’s a video I made for TikTok
