Mickey 17 (Christian Movie Review)
Verdict: Despite featuring plenty of creative talent and an original concept, Mickey 17 is a narratively disjointed, self-indulgent slog that is never as funny, clever, or subversive as it thinks it is.
About the Film
“What is it like to die?” Science-fiction is at its best when it probes existential questions and offers biting social commentary. There is a theoretical version of Mickey 17 that succeeds on that front by leveraging its high-concept premise and unsettlingly dark comedy to explore provocative themes of mortality and social power. But while many people argue that Hollywood is out of ideas, Mickey 17 suffers from having far too many. Despite featuring plenty of creative talent and an original concept, Mickey 17 is a narratively disjointed, self-indulgent slog that is never as funny, clever, or subversive as it thinks it is.
Most disappointing about Mickey is its squandered potential. Director Bong Joon-ho earned an Academy Award for his film Parasite (2019), and actor Robert Pattinson has now fully rid himself of the stigma of being “that sparkly vampire from Twilight.” The film’s compelling premise of a so-called “expendable” who can be “reprinted” over and over, allowing him to serve as a scientific guinea pig in a grim cycle of death and rebirth, opens the door to some interesting philosophical and theological dilemmas (what does cloning technology mean for the human soul?). But the film is easily sidetracked, choosing instead to bloat the runtime with shallow political satire and kinky sexual scenarios.
There are almost two parallel movies in Mickey 17 that are as incongruous as the “multiples” of Mickey in the film itself. The first, far superior storyline focuses on Mickey’s point of view and experiences. The second is a wearisome, ham-fisted political satire. With a recognizable speaking cadence, red hat-wearing followers, and an obsession with media exposure, Mark Ruffalo’s portrayal of an egomaniacal politician is clearly intended to represent President Donald Trump. Political satire is fair game for a movie, but Mickey 17’s one-note, over-the-top approach plays out like an uninspired SNL sketch, and it quickly overstays its welcome.
Perhaps the biggest problem with Mickey 17 is that it is a mostly humorless comedy, a film with a high-concept plot and humor that aims at the gutter. For example, the politician’s wife (a gratingly on-the-nose caricature of a “Karen”) has a bizarre obsession with making the sauce for her cooking. The joke isn’t funny, yet it is tediously repeated. Other attempts at humor involve characters uttering F-bomb-saturated diatribes, with the only punchline seemingly being that the character said a lot of swear words. The humor is designed to shock and unsettle, but it is delivered with such unrelenting and uninspired repetition that any impact is lost.
The film is far more successful when it focuses on Mickey himself. Robert Pattinson’s accent will likely be a divisive creative choice, but his character possesses a tragic charm. The dynamic of having a split personality embodied in multiple physical versions of himself is fascinating fodder for a character study. Yet, once again, the film cannot stay focused. Rather than exploring the compelling aspects of a dehumanized character who is willing to die repeatedly, it lingers on icky sexual implications (such as a threesome involving two “Mickeys” and their shared girlfriend).
Overall, Mickey 17 is a cinematic exercise in excess. It may garner some critical acclaim, especially from critics who align with Bong Joon-ho’s strong political sensibilities. But it is too disjointed to please audiences looking for more than cathartic political affirmation. The film should be commended for taking a bold and ambitious swing for the fences at a time when risk-averse Hollywood typically opts to play it safe. At times, the grim humor and social commentary work. But like Mickey himself, the same one-note jokes and simplistic satire beats are resurrected repeatedly, only to be subsequently beaten to death. With a too-lengthy runtime, I was left feeling like an “expendable” who was trapped in an endless cycle of misery.
For Consideration
On the Surface—(Profanity, Sexual content, violence, etc.).
Language: There is heavy profanity throughout, including a bombardment of F-bombs in nearly every scene.
Violence: The character of Mickey repeatedly dies in various unfortunate—but mostly bloodless—ways. A man has his hand cut off (the severed appendage is shown floating through space). A character is chopped up with a chainsaw (off screen).
Sexuality: There are two explicit sex scenes that feature nude or semi-nude characters, although all the crucial bits remain covered. A man cups a woman’s breast and puts his head behind her legs to perform oral sex. A woman and two clones of the same man (all clothed) begin to engage in a threesome, featuring foreplay and a woman putting her hand down the front of one man’s pants. Mickey is nude when “reprinted,” and he falls out of the printer in one scene, exposing his bare buttocks. The space-colonizing mission involves a planned “breeding” program to populate the new planet, which leads to crude talk about sex. A romantic couple brainstorm, using stick-figure diagrams, various sexual positions to try with each other.
Other: The film offers a cynical critique of religion, which appears to be a mix of American evangelicalism and scientology (the church is sometimes spoken of as “the company”). Characters pray and sing praises to God, although they are clearly using religious rhetoric merely as part of a manufactured public persona.
Engage The Film
Choosing Dehumanizing Misery
Arguably the main message of the film is that “Donald Trump is bad.” But that pointed critique unfolds under the umbrella of a more interesting theme about power and oppression. In most Sci-Fi narratives, oppression comes from external forces or tyrannical empires. In Mickey 17, everyone willingly signs up for their oppressive circumstances. Mickey enrolls himself in the “expendables” program (although external circumstances play a large part in leading him to that point). The crew on the colonizing mission are not being coerced; they zealously follow the domineering politician of their own free will. When it comes to our real-world cultural circumstances, the film suggests, “We’ve done this to ourselves.” It asks viewers to examine their personal culpability in the division, anger, and dehumanization that permeates today’s culture.
Fear or Peace Toward Death
Another interesting subtext throughout the film is the way characters approach death. For most of the characters, death is a fearful, uncertain experience. While he doesn’t enjoy dying, only Mickey seems to have peace about death since, as another character notes, he “has hope of being reborn.” In a film that frequently criticizes religion, it is interesting that peace is clearly shown to be found only in the assurance of life after death.
