Written by: Rachel Becker
Mickey 17, directed by Bong Joon Ho, is a sci-fi comedy that forces you to evaluate our own trajectory as humans.
Based on the book Mickey7 by Edward Ashton, this film, which is the opposite of subtle, highlights the not so distant future with a space expedition to escape a barely habitable Earth. Led by the failed political figure and two time congressional election loser, Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo), hundreds of his desperate and crazed fans and a few others including Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) embark on a four year journey to the icy planet, Niflheim, where they will colonize and start a new, “pure” home.
Mickey is an “expendable.” He is perfectly replaceable, a capitalist dream. This job forces him to die repeatedly, giving work-life balance a new meaning. Each death allows the scientists to learn something new about a vaccine, radiation, lab grown meat, or deadly poisons. Technology in this world allows for you to die and be brought back through a human printer. Your memory is stored in a brick (that actually looks like a brick for some reason) and your body is recycled with other waste. The melted waste feeds back to the human printer, which moves remarkably like your classic paper printer with a little wiggle in and out before the final copy ejects.
Mickey and his frenemey, Timo (Steven Yeun), are escaping not only a crumbling Earth, but a crippling loan payment for an unsuccessful macaron bakery. There is nothing Timo can’t talk, fight, or sneak his way out of… except this loan… which he put the majority of in Mickey’s name. It is hard to see Mickey suffer so much while his so-called friend leaves him behind every step of the way.
From selling him on the idea for a terrible bakery business to getting money from a notoriously evil loan shark to securing a strong job on this mission as a pilot knowing Mickey likely couldn’t get a job on board, he truly is selfish. The opening sequence of this movie shows Timo saving Mickey’s weapon and leaving him to die in an icy hole since they would be printing him out again anyway. Even with this classic and upsetting relationship, he is nowhere near the most hateable character.
Trum- I mean Marshall shoves his signature phrase “one and only” everywhere from red hats to businesses aboard the ship to chants from devoted members of the crew. Sound familiar? Just in case you didn’t get the point from Marshall’s eerily similar dialogue and Ruffalo’s clear impersonation of Trump (including his distinct dance moves,) then the message he was spreading should.
This phrase, combined with the consistent reminder they are being funded by a Church, makes it hard to deny Marshall sees himself as a God or a King. His glutenous feasts, luxurious cabin, vibrant clothing, and inability to empathise are a harsh contrast to the stark grey clothes, food, and rooms of everyone else on board. There are many religious and cult-like practices to emphasize this tie such as believing everything Marshall and his wife says without question.
Marshall also controls his own news network and TV show, further encouraging his followers to think inside the box. This film was written so close to home that one scene already came true, when at one point Marshall survives a near miss assanation attempt during a televised speech. You may be tempted to think this is just another nod to reality when in fact it is a prediction come true. Bong told MovieMaker that this scene was shot in 2022 and written in the script in 2021, so the 2024 Trump incident seems to have been a coincidence.
Viewers of Mickey 17 have to battle with whether to laugh or cry at the painful feature of the state of the world, especially in America. Personally, I wasn’t ready to laugh.
The expedition leaders clearly view the women in this film as nothing but a vessel to birth children for a “pure human race.” Despite the women holding powerful jobs, often higher than the men that are featured, fundamentally this still seems to be an issue. There is virtually nothing to suggest the men and women are seen as equals in this colonization expedition and even when they die, they only value the women as one less babymaker.
An exception is Marshall’s wife, Ylfa (Toni Collette), who is always whispering what to say in his ear. She was added to the film adaptation and not in the book. They lead this cult together, but she notably has an over the top addiction to sauce. Sauce comes up a lot and not just at meals (not that anyone besides them gets to eat sauce anyway.) I’d like to think this may be a side effect of spending so much time in space and not having all the luxuries you’re accustomed to, but it feels completely random.
Another character added to the film is Pigeon Man (Tim Key). He is just a loyal follower who is always dressed in a pretty large Pigeon costume. I would like to think this was also supposed to be an example of someone going crazy while away from Earth. Maybe the bird serves as a reminder of home? There isn’t a lot of agreed upon research, but some bird experts say Pigeons represent loyalty and fertility. If this is the case, I guess I’ll accept it for this group and their mission. In my opinion, the realism of so much of the film didn’t blend well with a man in a Pigeon costume.
Everything in this movie is very on the nose, including naming the native inhabitants of Niflheim, creepers. It’s tough to watch what happens as the humans see them as an immediate threat, declare war, murder one (a baby might I add), capture another (also a baby), and still feel they are in the right to colonize the planet. When Mickey first encounters them, they even save him, despite his theory that he “isn’t good meat” after being reprinted so many times.
This creature points out our individualistic and impulsive nature. There is also a clear nod to animal cruelty. It seems without a second thought they are seen as bugs with no capability for conversation or feelings. As they make plans to use a nerve gas to kill them all, one has to remember the many tragedies in real life where the hero didn’t save the day. Clearly, this film is a warning to not let history repeat itself.
This is not the only story catching the public’s eye right now that seems to express similar fears for advanced technology, the environment, and political unrest. Companion, Love Me, The Substance, and Severance, all bring to the screen somewhat hopeless stories of Humans failing ourselves. This is not a new concept as typically following a major event such as World War I and II, the Cold War, 9/11, Covid-19, ect., the media in the years after will reflect how afraid people are of these man-made disasters through movies, TV, books, and comics.
Right now, the climate in America and the world as a whole is very tense from an environmental and political standpoint. It is no surprise to me we are seeing movies that show downsides to AI, nuclear war, ignoring the environmental crisis, capitalism, and un-separated Church and state. This film made me understand why people fear aliens. If they are anything like us, we should be very scared.
The saving grace of this movie is Mickey’s and Nasha Barridge’s (Naomi Ackie) incredible performances. They are truly each other's one and only.
Pattinson does an incredible job making each Mickey distinct. Even when 17 and 18 are side by side it’s so easy to feel like they are almost two entirely different people. Some of the Mickeys are only on screen for seconds and you can clearly see their different personalities shine.
Ackie brings a refreshing strength and boldness to her role the movie needs. She balances out the bleak environment with so many frail and disliked characters. Nasha has a diverse range of emotions and through it all, never loses your respect. She is able to confront even the seemingly untouchable like Marshall and Timo, while having a soft side with overflowing love for every Mickey. You can’t help but want her to succeed and when she does, it brings hope. She is a top-notch female lead and I want to see more women with this depth in films.
Besides the incredible performances from these two in particular, I was really blown away by the graphics. This movie is visually very immersive and the world building sucks you in and prints you back out. The creepers had an interesting look to them that felt unique. The snow and ice covered planet, while having lots of vast white landscapes, felt familiar and foreign. The ship interiors looked futuristic and functional. Overall the CGI and set design led by production designer, Fiona Crombie, was well executed.
I don’t believe this film will leave the impact Bong’s previous Oscar winning film, Parasite, did, but that’s a very high bar. I do, however, believe it is worth the watch. Despite the many grievances you may have with this film, whether too close to home or hilariously satirical, you will feel like you stepped into a time machine in the near future and now it's your job to warn the people of 2025.
Above all, we see how compassion, love and respect win in the end. Including respect for human nature, which means dying. Life is finite and the knowledge it can go away makes it special. It is not in our nature to live forever, but it is to help each other. We can see from Mickey and Nasha to the creepers to Marshall and Ylfa, love drives us all in one way or another.
The message here is clear. Now, what will we do about it?
