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In “Mickey 17,” Bong Joon Ho recycles Robert Pattinson and his old ideas

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Of course, Bong Joon Ho is an environmentalist. He recycles his own ideas.

Mickey 17,” a fun, albeit messy, sci-fi comedy from 2054, blends elements reminiscent of “The Host” (monster fear), “Okja” (animal activism), “Snowpiercer” (ecological warnings), and “Parasite” (social disparity). The latter, an Oscar winner, gave director Bong the freedom to create a smorgasbord of his signature styles. It’s like eating identical meals on a tray in Mickey 17’s space cafeteria – repetitive but satisfying nourishment. But I’m not grumbling. While some filmmakers preach, Bong prioritizes entertainment.

17th Mickey, who resembles Mickey Barnes physically, finds himself in a desperate situation after his macaron business fails and its main investor threatens him with a chainsaw. With Earth offering little appeal, he contemplates fleeing to Niflheim on an escape ship, as the planet appears no less daunting than the dust storms of home. Mickey muses that it seems as though everyone is trying to escape something on this planet, gazing at a queue of aspiring migrants vying for a spot on the Niflheim-bound vessel. Despite the cold, Niflheim doesn’t appear any more uninviting than the storms he has left behind.

Mickey lacks essential skills, making him unfit for tasks such as piloting aircraft, conducting scientific research, or handling any complex duties. In other words, he’s not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. Despite his kindness, there’s no denying that this becomes apparent whenever Pattinson speaks, with his repeated mundane statements delivered in a high-pitched tone that suggests a lack of proper brain oxygenation. As depicted in Edward Ashton’s book “Mickey 7,” this character is portrayed as academically inept, adding an extra layer of sadness to his story.

Mickey volunteers for the role of the ship’s “disposable,” a character resembling both a canary and a crash test dummy, who repeatedly risks his life to check radiation levels and toxic substances in the atmosphere and air. It is he who must die to develop vaccines. He is essentially a 3D-printed human made from scraps, fittingly taking on the role of an obedient lab rat under Pattinson’s command.

Movies

The historic Oscar victories for “Parasite” by Bong Joon Ho have made headlines. Now, he returns with an enigmatic, philosophical science fiction tale centered around an unusual character: a worker destined to defy death.

In contrast to the movie “Groundhog Day,” Mickey 17 experiences the suffering of all previous Mickeys, starting with the original and going up to number 16. Each new hardship that befalls this now vulnerable Mickey emerges from a faulty printer and lands on the floor, abandoned. As more copies are produced, he’s treated with less respect as if he were no longer human. One of the clever changes Bong made in adapting Ashton’s book is transforming the character from an everyday person into a hapless victim. Despite the pain he endures, he struggles to identify the source of his misfortune.

Initially, Mickey finds himself stuck at the base of a deep crevice, falling not towards disaster but causing trouble for others. Feeling cold and terrified, he looks up at what used to be his supposed friend Timo (Steven Yeun), praying for aid. However, Timo examines his wounds with the calmness of an appraiser and leaves him behind, letting him endure the cold.

“Have a nice death,” Timo says offhandedly. Mickey shivers. “Yeah, no … we’re cool.”

The comparison here leans towards “Candide,” an influential 18th-century novel about an innocent protagonist experiencing civilization’s turmoil, including disorder, greed, sickness, and decay: issues that remain relevant in 2054 despite the passage of centuries. Bong might have delved into Voltaire, but his movie caters to a more mainstream audience. Mickey’s bowl haircut is reminiscent of “Dumb and Dumber.” His unwavering optimism transforms him into an interstellar Forrest Gump.

Remarkably, women adore him. Mickey’s girlfriend, Nasha (Naomi Ackie), is far beyond his league; when she’s 17 and takes too much time returning to her room, she shows a surprising eagerness for a replacement. The 18th Mickey, portrayed by Pattinson as well, is a more typical hero who surprisingly possesses intellect alongside his good looks. Pattison masterfully manages both the languid, awkward caricature of 17 and his polar opposite. Nasha refers to them as “mild and spicy.” As Pattison switches between the two, it’s hard not to recall how the former “Twilight” heartthrob transitioned himself away from romantic roles. You can almost envision Pattinson practicing transforming his own face in front of a mirror, determining the exact jaw tilt that turns him from ordinary (boring) to rugged (yay).

As a film enthusiast, I must admit that the passengers on this spaceship are quite the sycophants to their rulers, Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo), a self-aggrandizing politician, and his wiser spouse Ylfa (Toni Collette), who often reins in her husband’s verbal indiscretions. The idea of mandatory celibacy, drawn from the novel’s observation that the colonists lacked mentally engaging hobbies, seems to be a joke, given Ashton’s comment, “Mostly, we banged.” However, the sex-themed narrative clashes with an overpowering piano score reminiscent of a western, which didn’t sit well with me. Nonetheless, I enjoyed spotting the intriguing details in the futuristic costume design where buttons and pockets were oddly placed.

As a cinephile, I find Marshall to be a self-proclaimed moralist who criticizes his adversaries, whether they hail from foreign lands, such as the armadillo-like beings of Niflheim known as “creepers,” or are domestically rooted, like multiple characters he labels as “Satan’s work.” Bong has envisioned a television career for this character; the makeup team has given him an orange tan. It’s no surprise that his supporters in the colony don red caps and salute with one arm – it’s all too familiar. It’s worth mentioning that filming was completed in 2022. Bong likely took a chance that the joke would be quaint, albeit excessive. Voltaire might have cautioned that history has a tendency to repeat itself, over and over again.

Mark Ruffalo has always come across as an authentic, kind person. Lately, he’s been leveraging that good reputation by portraying villainous characters, like his Academy Award-nominated role as the lewd man in “Poor Things.” He slips into these roles effortlessly, as if they were a flexible Godzilla costume and he’s wreaking havoc. As for Ylfa, a freshly created character, she primarily serves to incorporate Collette’s exceptional talent and comedic skills into the narrative. Her portrayal of Ylfa is that of a glamorous food enthusiast – essentially a carbon copy of Tilda Swinton’s meat-loving tycoon in “Okja.” When discussing condiments with a group of starving workers, Ylfa might as well exclaim, “Let them have ketchup!

Toward the end of the film, Mickey’s storyline concludes and Bong focuses on a new theme: rebellions, a subject he is fond of. This shift gives the impression that Bong has made a similar movie before, leading him to take some shortcuts. One side plot revolves around another “Okja” spin-off, an adorable baby mammal creature. Although it’s small, I find it hard to be overly enthusiastic about it. The creature design resembles a microscopic tardigrade, adding enough biological plausibility to offset the fact that it shares the same unfolding tentacle mouths as many aliens from the last 15 years.

It’s fascinating to note that these creatures seem to be tightly knit as a society – they exhibit empathy on a scale that humans struggle to match. There isn’t a single one among them who questions the existence of a soul in their peers. Conversely, we find it hard to assert this belief without reservation, whether we have tentacles or human mouths. Despite feeling somewhat peripheral, “Mickey 17” within Bong’s work, I’m comforted by his consistent pursuit of giving significance to every life. He won’t stop asking this question until we find a satisfactory response.

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2025-03-07 14:32

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