‘Mickey 17’ Review: Sci-fi Wackiness Paired With Capitalist Critique

Sometimes the world just needs to see Robert Pattinson in space with a strange accent, and “Mickey 17” is here to satisfy that urge. An adaptation of Edward Ashton’s sci-fi novel “Mickey7,” “Mickey 17” is director Bong Joon Ho’s first film since his 2019 Best Picture-winning film “Parasite.” The new film follows Mickey (Pattinson), an “expendable,” on a spaceship heading to find a new colony on the icy planet Niflheim.

As an expendable, Mickey works the most dangerous jobs on the ship. Whenever he passes away — which is often — he is reprinted and uploaded with the memories of his past self. When the ship reaches Niflheim, Mickey is accidentally printed twice, and twin hijinks ensue. Equal parts bizarre and seriously reflective on capitalism and technology’s effects on society, “Mickey 17” puts a unique twist on the sci-fi genre. Still, the film’s choices and performances lead to some tonal fluctuations that make Bong’s critiques fall flat in comparison to his jokes.

While the humor of “Mickey 17” is wacky, the film takes its visual language seriously, which grounds the insane plot in a cohesive style and supports the movie’s larger themes. The movie is all about perspectives, and Bong repeatedly uses creative camerawork to literally place the viewer in a new point of view. At the film’s start, when Mickey has fallen into an ice crevice, the camera shoots his frenemy Timo (Steven Yeun) from below, as if the viewer were also lying on their back. As Mickey sees the bombastic Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) enter the ship’s dining room, the viewer glimpses Marshall through the shifting bodies of a crowd, as if we are placed directly in Mickey’s seat.

Beyond this recurring technique, the film is preoccupied with the snowy landscape of Niflheim, an obsession that is reminiscent of Bong’s earlier film “Snowpiercer.” Much of the film’s climax is obscured with atmospheric effects of blowing snow, as if plot tension and freezing weather are intertwined. Bong builds a chilling association between a consumerist, capitalistic future and barren, icy landscapes, which successfully hammers home his critique of coldness in our interactions with one another. Overall, Bong’s attention to detail in the film’s visuals gives “Mickey 17” a much-needed structure.

Bong’s visuals are somewhat hindered by the film’s tonal inconsistencies, which are exacerbated by its sparse use of score. “Mickey 17” is both a funny comedy and a critique of political extremism and capitalism’s tendency to dehumanize workers. While these two aims can coexist, the critiques and comedic beats normally come at different points in the film, which seems to lessen the impact of both.

For example, a scene in which a corrupt authoritarian leader cuts rations on the spaceship is followed by a scene in which Mickey and his girlfriend Nasha (Naomi Ackie) giggle over images of sex positions. Perhaps the tonal shifts would be better communicated if “Mickey 17” made better use of music. However, many of the scenes do not use a backing score while characters interact, so there are no musical nods to whether a scene should be taken seriously or in jest. This may be the point — capitalist cruelty can easily slide into absurdity, after all — but the lack of music may leave viewers scratching their heads and missing the idea altogether.

Technical aspects aside, the film oscillates between subtle, impressive performances and over-the-top acting, which also hurts its tonal cohesion. Pattinson leads the way with his portrayal of 18 versions of Mickey, each of which has a slightly different personality. Pattinson completely transforms in this role, with a strange but endearing and almost childish accent, and gives each Mickey something unique without making them appear like a new person.

Beyond Pattinson, though, the side characters with more comedic roles are inconsistent. Yeun is perfectly hateable as Mickey’s jerk friend Temo, and is both self-serving and charismatic in a way that will feel very real to any viewer. Not every comedic performance hits the mark, though — Ruffalo’s Trump-esque, excessive portrayal of the politician Kenneth Marshall is supposed to be hilarious, but ultimately comes across as a caricature of reality in an otherwise chillingly believable portrayal of a possible capitalist dystopia.

The mixed bag of performances makes “Mickey 17” feel like a mashup of a subtle sci-fi warning against capitalism and an “SNL” parody sketch — a combination that doesn’t quite hit the mark. Due to these inconsistencies, the funny aspects of “Mickey 17” overshadow the film’s critiques of capitalism, even if Bong attempts to balance both.

“Mickey 17” lies in the same vein as Bong’s other capitalist critiques, including “Parasite,” “Snowpiercer,” and “Okja,” but its formal choices lead to it being much more wacky than rhetorically impactful. This isn’t necessarily a failure, as the film is funny and has an interesting storyline. Yet, there is a sense that some tweaks to the cast’s performances and a clearer delineation between seriousness and hilarity could leave the movie with a stronger takeaway. Either way, viewers are sure to smile when they see Pattinson’s space adventures — it’s hard not to enjoy some weirdness every once in a while.

—Staff writer Hannah E. Gadway can be reached at hannah.gadway@thecrimson.com.