"Mickey 17" Review

A major step back for one of today's most talented directors

As the first film following Bong Joon-Ho’s lauded Korean masterpiece Parasite, I had high expectations coming into Mickey 17. Parasite (as most of his other Korean films) was filled with excellent writing, subtle yet not so subtle social commentary, and demanding roles that were adequately filled. This combined with a rich repertoire of other Korean films, such as Memories of Murder and The Host, only added to my anticipation of the newest installment from one of the most prominent film makers of the Korean New Wave movement. Unfortunately, Mickey 17 is a major step back that sacrifices any form of subtlety, intelligent storytelling, and quality writing for the sake of catering to a less sophisticated Western audience.

Bong has always been a political filmmaker. Whether it's Parasite’s commentary on class struggle or The Host’s environmental and familial commentary, Bong is a filmmaker who always has something to say. However, he has always done it with tact and complexity, until now. Prior to Mickey 17, Bong’s weakest film (at least that I had seen) was Snowpiercer. Now unfortunately, Mickey 17 has earned this title through thick and thin.

Despite Bong claiming that “No person in this was meant to represent any living politician”, it is painfully clear that this is an Anti-Trump film, and has no problem with being up front with this. Bong has resorted to the same political talking points and lazy Trump-esque representations that much of Western media has resorted to since around 2017. There is no tact, no creativity, and very little deeper reflection on the morality of disposable work forces. Seeing this kind of surface level criticism from Bong Joon-Ho really is upsetting to see, and I expect better from him.

Bong also traditionally excels with air-tight scripts with intense focus and purpose, fully self-aware of how the audience may perceive it and how to manipulate them. Mickey 17 has almost none of this. The writing is first and foremost, sloppy. Mickey is treated as an object throughout the film, despite very much being a person. Mickey is also treated as an object by the screenplay, who is only there to serve as a running gag (that gets old pretty quickly) and an object to promote other protagonists' political careers. The character of Nasha, who serves as Mickey’s “love interest,” is a particularly despicable character upon further reflection. She seems to latch on to Mickey to use him to fulfill her own needs (a sentiment that is reinforced by a rather uncomfortable scene), and when he has fulfilled this purpose, she seems to appropriate Mickey’s struggle to claim it as her own talking points. Meanwhile, we as the audience are stuck facing her obnoxious lecturing about things we already know. Yes, we know the bad guy is bad. Yes, we know the aliens are communicating. Yes, we know you are so tough, but do (what you perceive to be) the right thing. This mixed with the comedic awareness of board and abundant plot holes (Why people waited until the third act to report to an ‘ethics committee’ that had never been mentioned until then, how the mafia was able to track down certain characters to absurd levels, why is Mickey seemingly the only person ever to go through this elaborate procedure).

While Mickey 17 has tons of problems, there is some fun to be had with it. The performances are great for the most part, especially from Robert Pattinson, who steals the show. He is able to play a character with many different personalities so well that it really does immerse you in the world. Despite Mark Ruffalo obviously trying to imitate a particular political character, he is a somewhat funny antagonist when paired with Toni Colett’s usual insanity. The world in this film is also quite immersive and feels like its own, with the claustrophobic living spaces on this Snowpiercer type spaceship really being sold to the audience.

Unfortunately, Mickey 17 is another nihilistic, political soapbox made to cater to what feels like a dumber Western audience with a few unlikable characters and a messy story. While most performances range from good to excellent, the flaws of Mickey 17 outweigh its pros, and ultimately reduce it to a film that will “have” to be watched in order to complete Bong Joon-Ho’s filmography rather than a film you “get” to watch.