“The weakest & traumatizing movie in Bong Joon Ho filmography but still a solid sci-fi comedy”

Dir: Bong Joon Ho
Prod: Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Bong Joon Ho, Dooho Choi, Brad Pitt
Writ: Bong Joon Ho, Edward Ashton
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, Mark Ruffalo, Toni Collette, Anamaria Vartolomei

I never expected to review a Bong Joon Ho movie, but here we are. Mickey 17 is a sci-fi comedy based on the novel Mickey 7 written by Edward Ashton. It’s about a man named Mickey Barnes (played by Robert Pattinson), who is depressed because of Earth and is very much broke financially. He joins a program called “Expendable,” where his job is to do insane things, and if he dies, the government can just clone his body and restore his memory.

So, how’s Mickey 17? Is it good for a sci-fi movie, despite being based on an existing IP? Yes, it is! I had a lot of fun, and the movie itself feels original, despite its traumatic elements and flaws. Now, let’s go to the things I liked and disliked.

First, Robert Pattinson. Man, this actor is a genius. From being known for Twilight to playing in movies like The Rover, The Batman, Cosmopolis, Good Time, and The Devil All the Time, every time he’s in a movie, he feels like a completely different character. And now in Mickey 17, he’s once again outstanding. He’s an awesome actor, and every time you see him acting, he plays his character so well that you forget he’s just an actor. That’s what makes him great. All of the supporting characters are great as well. Mark Ruffalo is fun playing the politician Kenneth Marshall, even though he’s playing that “Political Figure” type. Toni Collette also plays Marshall’s wife, Steven Yeun is Mickey’s friend, and Naomi Ackie as Mickey’s girlfriend Nasha is great. This is the first time I think I’ve seen Anamaria Vartolomei. I don’t know nothing about her, but despite her character Kai being flat, having a short appearance, and underdeveloped, she’s an excellent addition, scene stealer, and one of the best newcomers I’ve ever seen in a movie. That’s what I want from a newcomer having a short appearance in the movie but still managing to steal the show, just like Pattinson and the rest of the big-name actors and actresses who act alongside her.

The story is, I gotta say, interesting but also traumatizing. It’s relevant to the world right now, like “how not to be arrogant if you want a job, read it not just for the salary but for the consequences in the future,” and it also mocks how people always hunt animals and how politicians are arrogant. The last thing is trying to be ourselves. What makes it traumatizing is that if you relate to this story, you might find the movie itself scary, even though it’s a sci-fi. Especially with the current state of the economy and the world, if you have a hard job like that, you’ll find it disturbing and scary. They also play it for laughs, and the comedy is more of a satire and also have some dark moment in the movie, which is what makes this movie not have much replay value. The direction from Bong Joon Ho is marvelous. It doesn’t feel like a Hollywood movie. It feels much more like a foreign film. The cinematography from Darius Khondji (who also shot Se7en) is insane. It looks great, and just like Se7en, if you told me this movie was made in the future, I’d believe it, just like what he did for Se7en.

As for the negatives: Mickey’s character is hard to relate to because there are so many clones of him. The use of CGI is good, but it’s very noticeable, especially with the alien. The narration will turn some people off and make it boring because, first and foremost, this is a sci-fi comedy mixed with slices of life, not an action sci-fi like Star Trek, Interstellar, Ad Astra, or even Star Wars. You should’ve seen the trailer and known what it was. Like I said earlier, some characters were underdeveloped, like Mickey 18 and Kai, and the runtime of 2 hours and 17 minutes feels too long. It could’ve been shorter because the second act to the third act kind of drags. I think that’s my only nitpick with this movie.

Is Mickey 17 Bong Joon Ho’s best film? No, it isn’t, but I think it’s still a solid, original, and unique sci-fi movie despite having some flaws and lacking much replay value. You should probably watch it if you love Bong Joon Ho movies like The Host or Okja.

My Rating: B