Mickey-17: A Sci-Fi Satire That Lives (and Dies) on Its Charm

What is it like to die? One of humanity’s most asked questions, the subject of countless stories in all forms of media, and yet its answer remains ever-elusive. Oscar-winning director Bong-Joon Ho gives audiences a take on the nature of death and dying in his newest feature film, Mickey-17. Bong’s latest project presents a dystopian Earth in which people are dying, in all senses of the word, to get off the aging planet and secure their spot in one of a number of planetary colonial enterprises. The other key element of the world of Mickey-17? A revolutionary technology that allows for the complete biological cloning of organisms, or in this film’s lexicon, Expendables.

The film follows the 17th copy of Mickey Barnes, a poor fop who would’ve done well to read the fine print before condemning himself to a cursed existence, dying again and again amidst his bumbling efforts to fulfill his job on the planetary colony Niflheim. The result is a very fun and intriguing, yet admittedly bloated, story that seems content to merely scratch the surface when it comes to exploring its themes of personhood, death, and dying.

Mickey-17 is more or less carried on the back of lead actor Robert Pattinson. There are a number of other fun performances一Naomi Ackie’s Nasha is another magnetic standout一but it is Pattinson’s creation of a pathetically endearing Mickey that makes the viewer care about any of the film’s events. It is fair to say that such a wonderfully fascinating persona and character history deserves a better arc. Audiences become invested in stories and characters by seeing them and their values come into conflict with the world around them and watching them change as a result.

The unfortunate truth of Mickey-17 is that the film’s central character does not change much from the film’s chronological beginning to its end. Sure, he becomes a little braver and more assured of himself, but we already see that he had that within him to begin with as evidenced by the personality of Mickey-18. There is some content at the film’s conclusion that tries to performatively tell us Mickey-17 has changed more than the film’s events actually show, so an effort was certainly made. But it is almost better to trim the fat of those scenes and let audiences extrapolate than to present such an elementary, yet off-kilter, final note that only serves to further confuse.

Similarly, there are several thematic strings in Mickey-17 that almost deliver, but come up just short. His anxious attachment to red buttons is introduced and then nothing is done with it until he triumphs over it in the film’s final moments in an act that is supposed to feel triumphant, but instead feels unearned.

Mickey’s final nightmare is framed as a fear of the abuse of technology, seeds of which are genuinely planted throughout the film's entirety. However, in a film that has up until that point employed the character’s relationship to death as its main thematic engine, it is a very bizarre and unrewarding note to go out on. If Mickey’s subconscious attachment to his ability to evade absolute death had been emphasized more, his destroying of the machine would have had far more impact.

“Polished” is far from the first word I would use to describe Mickey-17, but that isn’t an entirely bad thing. This is the type of film that asks you to have fun with it, and it’s quite easy to give into in no small part to Pattinson’s freakishly charming portrayal of Mickey Barnes.

Did a certain level of thematic depth have to be sacrificed in exchange for this fun? One certainly wouldn’t think so. While that is unfortunately the case here, it doesn’t take away from the undeniable romp that this movie contains. The world-building is impeccable and there is a consistent and well-executed darkly comedic tone. The visual gag of Mickey’s body always getting a little jammed in the printer à la a real-life printer experiencing a paper jam is exemplary of such.

The film is also deliciously edited, aside from its engorged run time, and Bong exhibits signs of the deft eye behind the camera he became known for after his Oscar-winning film, Parasite, was released. Though the final product overstays its welcome a tad, the majority of the film’s runtime has a snappy and satisfying pace. Flashback is expertly wielded here, revealing information and character history in precisely the way needed to make us like this character, hate that character, etc.

This film cannot be discussed without also discussing its politics. Bioethics is obviously at the very center of Mickey-17, but so are consumerism, colonialism, and corruption. Mark Ruffalo’s Kenneth Marshall is a failed politician turned egomaniacal planetary colonizer. Marshall feels like such a blatant parody of American President Donald Trump that it is hard to ignore when he is on screen. From his physical and vocal mannerisms to his penchant for corruption to even his wife’s name, Marshall is a sketch of Trump, whether intentional or not (although it is hard to believe this could happen coincidentally). The character and portrayal of Marshall represents what makes Mickey-17 a frustrating delight to view. Watching Marshall is like watching a college sketch comedy team. A good one even, sure! He is entertaining, but the absolute clownery of it all does largely undercut the gravity of his despicable actions.

This film’s point of view on these political subjects is quite clear, but it does also seem to not take them very seriously. It’s as if they are introduced and set up to be genuinely fleshed out, but doesn’t get much farther than “corruption=bad.” The entertainment of it all is delightful, sure, but it is equally frustrating to see what is just within reach and think what more could be said.

Overall, Mickey-17 succeeds not because of its story, but because of its world-building, its technical elements, its fascinating performances, and its adorably terrifying fuzzy alien mammoths. The film is further evidence that Pattinson is one of the most interesting actors working in the industry and that Ackie is an undeniable star of the screen. Though my hopes were higher in terms of emotional payoff, Mickey-17 is a more than serviceable romantic sci-fi farce that maintains a clearly unique and enjoyable tone.

Gabe Ozaki is an actor, writer, and film critic. He is based in Chicago.