Bong Joon-Ho’s latest film, “Mickey 17,” is a bold, darkly comedic sci-fi satire that blends its social comedy with absurdist humor and blockbuster extravaganza. With Robert Pattinson at the helm in a role that is both magnetic and deeply layered, the film succeeds in its duality as both a high-concept space odyssey and uncommonly crazy adventure.
Many people have taken note of the film’s unique tone, being compared to recent (not necessarily subtle) films like “Don’t Look Up” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” for its unique tone and how strangely direct its messaging comes across. Joon-Ho is known for this message, and I am happy to report that his signature flair for blending genres is in full force here more than ever.
His latest film’s humor is over-the-top and often absurd, yet it remains smart and socially conscious, adding even more to the “Bong Joon-Ho eating the rich cinematic universe” idea. It doesn’t surprise me that Warner Bros. saw this and didn’t know what to do with it, as the release date got pushed from Jan. to March.
Pattinson continues his run of unexpected and “out there” roles, fully embracing the eccentric part of himself seen in his previous works: “The Devil All the Time” and “The Boy and the Heron.” His portrayal as both Mickey 17 and Mickey 18 make for a balancing act worth all the praise it has garnered. Their relationship: when your jittery innie meets your obnoxious outie, for my fellow “Severance” fans.
Mark Ruffalo’s role as the president of Mickey’s space colony, while performed well, continuously took me out of the film due to his ghostly similarities to our real life president. “Space dictator Trump” as I’ve deemed him, could have been dialed back, though his place in the film is probably justified and only hammers home the film’s key themes.
The film could have benefited from being longer, as some of the themes and plots muddled around are not expanded on enough or resolved. The creepers’ culture, expendable rights, and especially the romance could have been given more attention (although the addition of Elliott Smith’s “Twilight” in the semi-breakup scene makes up for that last shortcoming just a little bit).
Whether it will be universally appreciated or not, it is clear that Joon-Ho remains one of the best at genre-bent storytelling– continuing to push the boundaries of what mainstream films can be in cinema’s present state.
Production Information:
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Screenplay: Bong Joon-ho (based on Mickey7 by Edward Ashton)
Producers: Bong Joon-ho, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Dooho Choi
Cinematography: Darius Khondji
Editor: Jinmo Yang
Music: Jung Jae Il
Production Companies: Plan B Entertainment
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Runtime: 137 minutes
Budget: $120 million
