Mickey 17 is the new science fiction dark comedy written, produced, and directed by Bong Joon-ho. The film stars Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo. Set in the future, the film follows a disposable employee, Mickey (Pattinson), sent on a human expedition to colonize the ice world Niflheim. When one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact.

Mickey 17 has been one of my most anticipated movies of the last few years. Due to consistent release date changes, my anticipation only grew and grew. After seeing the early reviews pouring in, I can’t say I was completely surprised. Personally, I think Bong Joon-ho is at his strongest in South Korean films over his American films. Plus, he’s not ever really subtle with his political beliefs as he has made his films geared towards a certain commentary. While I did really enjoy the film, I am going to go ahead and say that viewers need to go in knowing this is not the next Parasite, but more of Okja & Snowpiercer.

Robert Pattinson has come very far since his Twilight days. By working with auteur filmmakers, he has been able to show his craft I’d say for about the last decade. It was only a matter of time he’d eventually work with someone like Bong Joon-ho. When it comes to his American films, Bong Joon-ho’s style requires a lot more of a weirdness to it. A weirdness I believe someone like Pattinson is more than able to pull off. What’s most commendable about Pattinson is how he is able to make two different clones of the same character completely different while still creating a through line between the two.

The 17th iteration of Mickey avoids a near-death accident, result in the company he works for believing he is dead, and thus generating an 18th iteration. When you see the two side by side, it feels like two different actors at work. I was even impressed by how the camera caught the two next to each other on screen. Mickey 17 is a lot more sensitive and wanting to live, while Mickey 18 is a lot more confident and willing to take bigger risks. It offers a commentary on how an employee might try to find a balance in the workplace. Both characters are capable of doing much more, but it’s within their own perspective is how they choose to lead their life.

Another glaring commentary the film offers is a hefty political one. This is where it’s going to lose a lot of viewers. I can already see the pacing losing viewers attention, but to add in a political commentary might not be want viewers want. Still, I believe the commentary the film offers will give viewers plenty to talk about after. If that doesn’t suit someone, I can’t imagine viewers enjoyed it. If you are like me and have an open mind, I can promise you that you will find something meaningful and artistic that only someone like Bong Joon-go could pull off.

The narrative structure is a unique decision. It’s not precisely linear in the beginning, resulting in quite a bit of voiceover narration. I personally do not care for this device at all, and it’s not something that works in the film’s favor. I find the device to try to feed everything to the viewer rather than the viewer gaining the information organically and in real time. Once the film loses the voiceover is where the film becomes a lot more interesting.

I heard some things about Mark Ruffalo’s character that piqued my interest. I think he’s always been a solid actor outside of the MCU. What Bong Joon-ho gets out of him blew my mind. Ruffalo locks in and completely changes the way he looks simply by the way he holds his face resulting in outrageous and humorous dialogue. Viewers might roll their eyes at how ridiculous his character can be. For me, it’s something I have never seen from the actor, resulting in what is already one of my favorite performances of the year so far.

As for the rest of the supporting cast, Naomi Ackie has been crushing it lately, performing in stand-out roles that makes her one of the best working actresses today. She has so much charisma and care for the characters she plays. I have seen viewers take issue with Steven Yeun’s character. His character does offer a different perspective on what’s going on within the story, but I also believe his purpose heavily influences Mickey both in the way he lives and how moves forward. For that, I find Yeun to be effective, even if I wouldn’t mind him doing more. There’s Toni Collette who doesn’t do as much as I like even though I found her to be pretty good. A new actress I haven’t seen before, Anamaria Vartolomei, who plays as a character named Kai, will certainly be getting more roles after this.

I really enjoyed the climax of the film. That’s where a lot of the themes and ideas of the film pay off. I was frustrated that I was forced into seeing the trailer for this when I tried so hard to avoid it, because the trailer tries to match the same tone as the climax. While the film is consistently engaging and funny throughout with its structure, the climax has its biggest action scene that I was completely enthralled by. The only thing I did care for in the third act was a small bit in the conclusion involving a dreamlike sequence. It’s the end of the film. It wasn’t necessary. It would have been more effective in the beginning to explore the specific character’s mind. Now that we are at the end, it didn’t quite offer anything new.

Bong Joon-ho clearly uses influences from his prior work to help heighten the commentary and to clearly a visually rich world I loved exploring. I would love to watch it again in the near future, but I also can’t help but to see the cracks and what could have been done to make it better. I believe if the film was a little bit more straightforward in the beginning, it could have lost the voiceover. Making it more straightforward would have also improved the pacing, offering more of an understanding of who these characters are and what their goals are. That way we can understand and appreciate the smaller moments more.

Overall, I really enjoyed Mickey 17, but will admit this won’t for everyone. I could see this gaining more appreciation overtime. Just expect more of Bong Joon-ho’s style in his American films over his South Korean films. There is a visually rich world offering a lot of commentary that will get conversations going. Pattinson is great in the dual role, while Ruffalo delivers a career-best role. It’s consistently funny and engaging throughout. I can’t wait to revisit again down the road. It’s not a perfect film, but maybe… Just maybe, my score might go up.

VERDICT: 4/5 (Great)