Movie: “Mickey 17”
Release Date: March 7, 2025
Director: Bong Joon Ho
Runtime: 2 hours, 17 minutes
Genre: Sci-Fi/Comedy
Rating: B-
“What’s it feel like to die?”
That’s the question posed by several characters in “Mickey 17.” The story follows Mickey Barnes, played by Robert Pattison in a strong performance. Barnes starts out as a failed macaron salesman who gets on a voyage to a snowy and dangerous new planet called Niflheim to escape the sadistic, earthbound loan shark that wants to brutally murder him and his manipulative friend Timo (Steven Yuen.)
Barnes is far from the only one trying to get on the expedition’s crew, so to ensure his acceptance to the program, he hastily signs up to become an “expendable.” The job is exactly what it sounds like, as expendables are put in dangerous situations, die, and a clone is literally printed out so the process can repeat.
Each new variant is given the memories of the last, so by the time the 17th version of Mickey is around, he’s developed a romance with a fellow crew member and security officer named Nasha (Naomi Ackie.) The chaos that drives the plot starts when Mickey 17, after falling into a cave, inadvertently survives a mission without the knowledge of his crewmates.
On the ship, Mickey 17 runs into Mickey 18, also portrayed by Pattinson. By the rules of Marshall’s fanatical religion that declares duplicates of the same expendable unnatural and evil, if they’re discovered, they’ll both be executed, permanently.
The expedition is ruled over by Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo), who the director has stated is based on no real politician in particular. Marshall is accompanied on his quest to make the Human Race Great Again by the crew, his equally cruel wife Ilfa (Toni Collette), and an entourage of groveling officers.
Mickey 17 starts off hot, managing to make a long exposition sequence very fun and interesting, keeping the viewer guessing about how the intriguing setting operates and why Mickey signed up for such a horrifying job. Pattinson plays Mickey 17 with what can only be described as an “aw shucks” attitude, which plays excellently against the darker and more aggressive Mickey 18.
Where Mickey 17 starts to drag is the third act. The comedy and weirdness are ramped up a bit too much, the social and political satire gets too obvious and the resolutions feel sudden and unearned.
The dynamic between the two Mickey’s is very entertaining, but the filmmakers don’t fully take advantage of the premise. The dystopian implications of their situation are fascinating, and the movie teases a deeper exploration of the relationship that could examine the disturbing psychological effects of Mickey's life as an expendable, how he grew so detached from the process and the divide between 17 and 18.
However, the twists reveal themselves too early, and it shifts focus in favor of a more middling and predictable plot that’s not boring or even bad, but leaves a feeling of missed potential.
Most of “Mickey 17” dark comedy works, but the premise might’ve been better served by a more dramatic take on the idea. The final film get sidetracked with a decent but less engaging subplot that turns out to be the main conflict of the climax.
The supporting cast is mostly entertaining, but the early parts of the film don’t quite set up some of them for their pivotal roles in the third act as it should have. Nasha is well-acted by Ackie, and has fun moments, but she isn’t really developed much prior to becoming a central figure. Timo’s scenes work the first few times, but feel repetitive by the time the credits roll.
As for the somewhat cartoonish but engaging villains, Ruffalo’s obvious play on no specific real politician is engaging to a point, but becomes overly cartoonish and gets to be a bit much. Collette’s Ilfa, though similar, feels like a more original and entertaining villain.
The film is very well produced, with solid cinematography, sound and impressive digital effects. The product on screen justifies the $118 million dollar budget, but the box office results likely won’t.
“Mickey 17” is a fun, effective story that feels consistently creative and exciting for the better part of the story. Even if it’s far from perfect, it’s a movie worth seeing and supporting, even if only for the great lead performance.