Movies

After ‘Parasite,’ Bong Joon Ho could have played it safe. Instead, he made ‘Mickey 17’

BBG News

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Five years ago, South Korean director Bong Joon Ho found himself astonished on the Oscars stage as his movie “Parasite” broke records by becoming the first non-English film to win the Best Picture award. This darkly comic thriller, which delved into class struggle and deceit, had previously scooped up three other Academy Awards that night – for directing, original screenplay, and foreign feature film. These victories solidified Bong’s position as a prominent filmmaker of his time. In his acceptance speech, he humorously mentioned plans to drink till dawn, while backstage, he playfully made his trophies ‘kiss’ each other like action figures.

Instead of capitalizing on Hollywood’s offer for high-budget studio projects or A-list drama productions to boost his Oscar chances, Bong Joon-ho had the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of numerous international filmmakers who came before him. However, the suspense was building about what his next move would be, with some fans and industry experts even fantasizing about his involvement in popular franchises such as Star Wars or James Bond.

Not that he hasn’t ever considered it, on his own terms.

Bong, who’s 55 and speaking over Zoom from New York, shares that he generally avoids franchise films, but there was a time when the idea of making an ‘Alien’ film appealed to him. With his characteristic dry humor, he suggests a unique twist: an ‘Alien’ musical.

In place of the dancing xenomorphs, Bong directed “Mickey 17,” hitting theaters this Friday, which presents a darkly humorous science fiction thriller set on a spaceship carrying colonists en route to a distant icy planet. Robert Pattinson plays Mickey Barnes, a low-ranking crew member often referred to as an “expendable,” who is tasked with the deadliest missions and meets his end repeatedly, only to be brought back to life each time retaining his previous memories. The film also features Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo. This production, both a terrifying exploration of existential dread and a satirical comedy, reflects Bong’s recurring motifs of class, power, and exploitation, critiquing a system that deems certain lives as completely disposable.

For a filmmaker who has recently won an Oscar and Warner Bros., which is distributing the $115 million movie, it’s not a conventional choice to invest in Bong Joon-ho’s genre-shifting, bitingly satirical project, given that original sci-fi films are growing scarce.

According to Bong, creating a sci-fi film is all about that aspect for him, acknowledging the risk. “It might appear as a tale set in the future or on another planet,” he explains, “but it’s essentially a reflection of our present and the world we live in today, not some distant world in space.

Initially, even Robert Pattinson wasn’t certain about “Mickey 17,” a movie adaptation of Edward Ashton’s 2022 sci-fi novel, as he hadn’t anticipated working with Bong Joon-ho. He considered Bong one of those directors who were too renowned to work with. During a phone conversation, Pattinson expressed this by saying, “He was one of those directors that seemed almost unreachable.” When he learned that Bong was meeting in Los Angeles about a mysterious project, Pattinson eagerly seized the opportunity. Given that nothing like it was being produced – particularly at studios – he thought, “This is significant, I guess.

Later on, upon reading the script, he was taken aback by its abrupt changes in tone. “It’s like,” he comments, “you’re asking, what mood should this be set in? Is it supposed to be ‘Dumb and Dumber’ kind of light-hearted, or something as profound as ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’?

In essence, the solution was a blend of both elements – and even more factors. The storyline of “Mickey 17” goes beyond its science fiction basis, delving into themes of power and exploitation. Mark Ruffalo’s character, an overbearing and somewhat Trump-like leader of the colonization expedition, assumes a cult-like status, while his wife, portrayed by Collette, becomes obsessed with concocting sauces using the native creatures of the ice planet, known as “creepers.” As Mickey’s reappearance challenges the colony’s strict social structure, their rule and the very concept of what gives a person worth begin to crumble.

Following the success of “Parasite,” Bong didn’t miss out on opportunities, but, consistent with his 25-year filmmaking journey, he chose his unique course. During his Oscar campaign, he was simultaneously working on various projects. One of these was a film inspired by a real-life London resident’s story, which he eventually dropped due to ethical issues concerning the individuals involved. Another project he started was an animated movie featuring deep-sea creatures, which he intends to finish first. However, his affection for Ashton’s novel led him to adapt it for the screen as his next endeavor.

In response to winning Best Picture, Dooho Choi, South Korean producer on Bong Joon-ho’s films “Okja” and “Snowpiercer,” remarked, “I imagine he could make anything he desired, and he opted for ‘Mickey 17,’ a film brimming with thoughts about our contemporary era, yet presented in an amusing, fantastical manner. Bong consistently adheres to his vision and creative impulses. He approached ‘Mickey 17’ just as he did with all his other films.

Bong, like many others, was taken aback by the phenomenal success of “Parasite,” which grossed an astounding $258 million worldwide, but it didn’t disrupt his regular pace. As he put it, “It was a tremendous honor to receive those awards, and I must admit, it was also quite unexpected since I hadn’t experienced anything similar before. However, when it comes to my work style, there were no significant alterations. I didn’t take a break post-success. Instead, I continued working without interruption.

Lifestyle

What’s the secret to Bong Joon Ho’s success? Keep it simple and channel your angst into your work.

In “Mickey 17,” he continued demonstrating his strong work ethic by creating another universe with a unique, twisted logic reminiscent of Bong’s style. He meticulously planned the movie using extensive storyboards before any filming took place. The world of Mickey 17 is richly detailed and tangible, featuring technology that looks like it comes from the past rather than the future, along with an industrial grime reminiscent of films such as Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and John Carpenter’s The Thing. Bong and his team designed the spaceship Drakkar to have a futuristic yet oppressively bureaucratic feel, resembling a deep-space factory where human life is treated like a machine and survival is maximized at the expense of individuality.

According to Bong, even though creating a sci-fi film offers delightful experiences, the characters in his movie seem better suited for shady backstreets rather than glossy spaceships. Instead, we opted for a rougher, more practical vessel akin to a cargo ship. An upcoming exhibit at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will delve into Bong’s filmmaking methods and inspirations, opening later this month.

In my perspective as a film enthusiast, “Mickey 17” dons a captivating retro-futuristic veneer, but beneath that lies a sharp and poignant commentary on the capitalist system’s cold treatment of laborers, often reducing them to interchangeable cogs in the machine—a chilling reality it portrays quite literally.

As a passionate cinephile, I find myself captivated by Bong’s profound observation: “Mickey is being reproduced so he can perish, and within that idea lies both humor and sorrow.” In the real world, I’ve witnessed numerous professions where accidents claim lives, only for another to step in. The job persists, merely the workers rotate. It’s a poignant reflection of modern capitalism’s woes, and in this film, it reaches an unprecedented level of severity.

Movies

With “Parasite,” the academy gave best picture to the actual best picture. It also made history.

Despite its serious and at times gloomy subject matter, Bong Joon-ho finds “Mickey 17” to be his most comedic film. He remarks, “I believe in real life, humans are inherently humorous. Even amidst harsh or disheartening circumstances, people find humor. We’re a peculiar, comical species, often repeating the same mistakes.

In the movie, Robert Pattinson portrayed various versions of Mickey, and he experienced the blend of seriousness and silliness every day on the set in England towards the end of 2022. As he put it, “Director Bong has a unique sense of joy that can seem quite unexpected. We were filming a series of gruesome deaths, but he approached it with such a light touch. There’s an element of playfulness and innocence about him – it made us trust him immensely.”

Bong isn’t convinced that our machines will ever outpace human control — or fallibility.

Technology continues to progress, but ultimately it’s humans who control it, understand its implications, and establish the ethical and political context for it – and unfortunately, humans possess a flawed nature and are prone to making mistakes. I have a feeling that we’ll witness more and more instances resembling what is portrayed in movies becoming a reality.

In simpler terms, Bong views AI much like any other resource for inspiration, following its growing impact on Hollywood, particularly after the release of “Parasite.” Although others may perceive it as potentially undermining human creativity, he maintains a different perspective.

He expresses that movies such as ‘The Terminator’ demonstrate the potential of AI to fuel engaging narratives. However, he doubts that AI software would compose an entertaining tale about its own shortcomings or limitations. Instead, he feels confident in his abilities to craft such stories more effectively.

Robert Pattinson clearly recognized the challenge and complexity of the project that Bong was attempting. As he put it, “When he was editing, he said, ‘I’m trying to land a jumbo jet on a razor-thin strip of tarmac.’ He’s the only director who could have pulled off something like this. It’s almost like a mythical creature.

Nevertheless, Bong doesn’t seem to dwell on the idea that he grappled with the potential dangers in producing a movie like “Mickey 17.

He acknowledges the challenges faced by the producers and marketers, but when he discovers an intriguing plot, character, or scenario, he doesn’t hesitate to make a film about it, disregarding potential risks. He admits that perhaps he isn’t considering them fully.

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2025-03-05 14:32

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