Have you ever wanted to live forever, except you’re constantly doing hard labor and serving as a guinea pig for those in power?
This concept is explored in “Mickey 17,” the newest film from director Bong Joon Ho.
An adaptation of Edward Ashton’s novel, “Mickey7,” “Mickey 17” follows Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson), who ends up in a rough situation after he and his associate, Timo’s (Steven Yeun), attempt to start a restaurant to sell macarons goes horribly wrong. As a means of escaping debt, Mickey signs up for the Expendable program, which is part of a space expedition headed by sleazy United States Congressman, Kenneth Marshall (along with his wife Ylfa (Toni Collette), who has an odd obsession with sauces) — except that it comes with a catch. Every time he dies, a machine will generate a new copy of Mickey, with each version of him implanted with all his memories – A concept with concerning consequences.
As a part of the program, Mickey is assigned to explore the icy surface of Niflheim and undergo a plethora of tests headed by scientist Dorothy (Patsy Ferran), resulting in him becoming the expedition’s guinea pig. Niflheim, the icy, barren planet Mickey is forced to explore, is being envisioned by Marshall as a conquest for colonization, a new frontier where, in his words, civilization can spread their seed and genetics. While on the ship, Mickey meets Nasha (Naomi Ackie), with whom he begins a romantic relationship.
As Mickey Barnes, Robert Pattinson gives a great performance as this character, developing an eccentric offbeat accent for him and the other versions. Along with this aspect, some of the darkly humorous aspects of the film come from his character’s casual acceptance of death. This is not the first film that Pattinson has starred in that takes place in space and is also directed by an auteur filmmaker (with the previous film being Claire Denis’ 2018 work “High Life”).
Taking on the role of Kenneth Marshall, Mark Ruffalo delivers a brilliantly over-the-top performance, embracing the jingoistic viewpoints of this oppressive egomaniac. His portrayal of this vile vulture of a character combines the ideological viewpoints of Elon Musk and a voice/accent that is reminiscent of the vocal mannerisms of Donald Trump, resulting in the character being an amalgamation of both authoritarian figures.
In his first film after his 2019 groundbreaking Oscar-winning satirical thriller “Parasite,” writer-director Bong Joon Ho examines the infestation of late-stage capitalism in the universe through the sci-fi genre – specifically with the concept of Expendables, with characters like Marshall viewing workers as disposable slabs of meat, only existing to be test subjects for the colonialist prospects envisioned by him. He also examines misogynistic and sexist attitudes perpetrated by figures such as Marshall, no scene displays these viewpoints held by Marshall so bluntly as the dinner sequence in the second act.
This sequence takes place during Dinner with the Senator. In this monthly event, employees of the ship are invited to have dinner with Marshall and Ylfa. This time, Kat (Anamaria Vartolomei) and Mickey are the guests. During the distressing dinner, Marshall practically interrogates Kat about her uterus and her genetics, seeing her as nothing other than a childbearer. The comments made by Marshall in this scene and throughout the film are comparable to the viewpoints of modern-day fascism, with real-life figures such as Elon Musk and political commentators perpetuating these views in the current political atmosphere.
“Mickey 17” offers a brilliant offbeat blend of dark comedy and science fiction, along with stellar performances from Robert Pattinson and Mark Ruffalo. Bong Joon Ho crafts a satire that serves as a critique of capitalism that is starkly relevant, with characters like Marshall being reminiscent of the politicians currently in power. “Mickey 17” is another example of why Bong Joon Hoo is one of the most anticapitalist filmmakers and great creative visionaries in the world of cinema today.
“Mickey 17” is now playing in theaters and is available for pre-order on Amazon Prime Video.
