On March 7th, ‘Mickey 17’ was released in theaters across America. The film is directed by Bong Joon-Ho and stars Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Anamaria Vartolomei, Mark Ruffalo, Toni Collette and Steven Yeun. The film currently sits at 7.1/10 on IMDb and 77% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The film follows Mickey Barnes and his taxing journey as an expendable, someone whose body is printed out after they die. On a mission, Mickey 17 is badly injured and everyone assumes he’s dead. To his surprise, he’s not, and when Mickey 17 comes back he finds Mickey 18, causing his life to unravel around him.
‘Mickey 17’ is Joon-Ho’s latest film since ‘Parasite’ which won best picture in 2020, becoming the first foreign film to ever win the coveted category. ‘Mickey 17’ takes a much different turn from ‘Parasite’ though, being much more reminiscent of his 2017 film ‘Okja.’ Taking fun characters and cute creatures, Joon-Ho is able to create a reflection of our own world and calls out how governments treat the citizens of their country.
The film is based on the book ‘Mickey 7’ by Edward Ashton. Released in 2022, the book follows a similar plot as the film. It even has a sequel called ‘Antimatter Blues’ which expands upon Mickey’s life two years after the original book.
Pattinson steals the show by not just playing the main character Mickey 17, but also one of the supporting characters Mickey 18, sometimes even having to act alongside himself. Taking on these roles wasn’t an easy feat, even Boon-Ho told Pattinson this role would be impossible. Pattinson proved himself up for the task though, giving two stellar performances in one film.
Opposite him is Ackie as Nasha who’s Mickey’s love interest in the film, a grounding support for him throughout his time on the spaceship. Ackie gives a phenomenal performance as a head strong officer, but more importantly she gives her character the time to shine and doesn’t let her be pushed to the side.
Set designers Alice Felton and Conner Smart worked together to create both a futuristic spaceship and a desolate ice planet reminiscent of living in Antarctica. The spaceship was bare and expansive, except for the governor Kenneth Marshall’s room as it’s filled with lavish decorations and the best food the ship has to offer. It not so subtly reminds the viewer of the class divide in the film, especially when Mickey takes a visit to have dinner with the governor in his room.
‘Mickey 17’ is a fun film that doesn’t shy away from confronting its political messages head-on, so make sure to head to the cinema soon to watch Mickey 17 and all his adventures before it leaves theaters.
