Review of 'Mickey 17'

Escaping a dangerous loan shark Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) signs up as crew on a spaceship leaving earth. With demand high for positions on the ship Mickey has agreed to become an “expendable” – Someone treated as disposable, who is replicated after death using banned Earth technology. During the voyage Mickey begins a relationship with security agent Nasha (Naomi Ackie). When the ship arrives at the snowy planet of Niflheim the 17th iteration of Mickey is left for dead having fallen in a crevasse. Discovered by the massive tardigrade-like “creepers”, Mickey realizes they are sentient as they release him to return to the ship where he discovers a more aggressive “Mickey 18” has been replicated and is living with Nasha. Expedition leader sleezy politician Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) has vowed to kill “multiples” so Mickey 17's life is in danger. At dinner Marshall feeds experimental meat (then painkillers) to Mickey 17 but he manages to escape. Mickey 18 vows to kill Marshall but then the creepers arrive and everything changes…

The quirky trailer for this film really got me so I had to see the film and I am glad I did though I have to say many of the funniest and best bits are in the trailer, as is often the case. This is definitely a dark comedy but has, surprisingly, little gross violence with things hinted at rather than shown. One amusing bit is the way replicas are created in a machine bringing to mind old-fashioned computer printers with the body herking and jerking as it is “printed”, occasionally spitting out onto the floor if the technician is not paying attention (quite often). The biggest comedic theme here is the sheer incompetence of pretty much everyone and the chaos that ensues but the story ends up boiling down to defeating the baddie and in doing so saving the native worm-like “creepers”.

Ruffalo is great as the clueless politician driven around by his gastronomy-obsessed wife Ylfa (Toni Collette), playing slightly against type in his popular role as “Bruce Banner” (aka the Hulk) from the Avengers franchise. His scruffy look and distracted face helps convince us that he really has no idea what is going on and is just going with his gut. Thankfully this not at all a cruel character. Robert Pattinson is the lead as Mickey has that innocent look of a deer caught in headlights, finding himself in a situation as an expendable which he is remarkably quick to accept despite not initially really knowing what it involved. What is a bit harder to take is his having to take on the role of hero which does not really seem to the suit the character.

Not to be taken at all seriously with no moral that I can detect “Mickey 17” is a great bit of fun though it does feel quite long at more than 2 hours. Indeed, the dark, ironic humour is wearing a bit thin and getting to be more than a bit repetitive by the time the action starts ramping up in the finale almost 2 hours in.

Rating: “Really good but I have some issues”

Review Date: 2025-03-15

Directed by: Bong Joon Ho

Studio: Warner Bros.

Year: 2025

Length: 137 minutes

Genre: Science Fiction

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12299608/

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