“Mickey 17” arrives in theaters on March 7, and I got to attend a local advanced screening hosted by Warner Bros.
Written and directed by Bong Joon Ho (whose last film, “Parasite,” won four Oscars at the 92nd Academy Awards, including Best Picture), “Mickey 17” stars Robert Pattinson as Mickey Barnes, who signs up to work as an “expendable,” a position where he dies while doing various tasks and is regenerated after each death. However, things start to get crazy when one Mickey does not die, and he ends up confronted with his replacement.
If you’re thinking from the description that this sounds just like a plethora of other “character dies and is reborn” movies, what differentiates “Mickey 17” from the rest is Bong Joon Ho’s voice. He brings his signature style and humor, as well as social, class and political themes all throughout.
The cast is pretty stacked here. Naomi Ackie continues to prove herself as a rising star after her incredible work in last year’s “Blink Twice.” Toni Collette and Steven Yeun both deliver strong performances, though some aspects of their characters don’t fully connect. I wanted to care more about their characters and left wishing they had been more three-dimensional (Yeun’s character in particular felt kind of sidelined). Mark Ruffalo is also in this film, playing an extremely cartoonish and over-the-top caricature. That might not work for some, but I found that it mostly worked and was pretty hilarious.
The big takeaway here, without a doubt, is Robert Pattinson. I have always been a huge fan of his, particularly some of his more recent work in films like “Good Time,” “The Lighthouse,” and “The Batman.” However, I don’t think viewers will be prepared for how genuinely hysterical his work in “Mickey 17” is. It’s not even just because he gets the chance to play around and portray several different versions of himself. He absolutely makes the most of any time he is on screen. I was really taken with his physical comedy in this movie. From stumbling down some stairs to flailing over a table, he is able to convey just how gifted he is comedically. His performance is so reliant on both his physicality and his voice, and how he utilizes both of these just worked so well in the film.
For the first two-thirds of “Mickey 17,” it’s a great time. The blend of science fiction and comedy works exceptionally well, keeping the audience locked in with the unfolding story and its setup. You really want to go along on this ride with Mickey. However, I think one of the biggest issues with the film revolves around the third act. The laughs went away for me, and I felt the film trying to become super high-concept. The last third of the film gets a bit tangled up in its weaker aspects of the film, leading to a loss of interest. However, the ending doesn’t take away from how much the start and middle of the movie still stand out!
After seeing “Mickey 17,” I spoke to some other San Diego State University students who attended the same screening, and their reactions were generally positive. Fourth-year Evan Volk praised the casts’ performances and the films originality, while fourth-year Nivesh Raj enjoyed the film’s creativity and comedic elements, particularly impressed with Robert Pattinson in his multiple roles.
However, third-year Celia Beaumont thought that while the film has a really strong premise, it “loses its impact by trying to juggle too many themes at once.” She stated that in trying to make statements on a wide array of different issues, it fails to really hammer home any of them.
Overall, despite some shortcomings (particularly towards the end), “Mickey 17” is more than worth seeing. While many often complain about the flood of sequels, this big-budget science fiction comedy stands out as an original (albeit based on a novel published in 2022) by an Academy Award-caliber filmmaker. I recommend checking out this film, so grab your tickets sooner rather than later!
