Rating: 10/10
The king is back.
Five years after Bong Joon Ho’s film “Parasite” became the first non-English language film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards and set a precedent for the future of the film industry, he’s landed back bigger than ever with his new film “Mickey 17.”
Based on the novel by Edward Ashton, Warner Brothers decided to go all in with Bong Joon Ho, throwing $118 million at him to make whatever he wanted.
That was the greatest decision they could have made.
“Mickey 17” revolves around a down-and-out Mickey Barnes — Robert Pattinson — who decides to become an “expendable” for an expedition to a planet named Niflheim.
But this job Barnes has signed up for isn’t for the weak. An “expendable” is sent on missions with the sole purpose of dying in the name of research, later being printed out and replacing the previous copy of the individual.
This comes with great responsibility but a total lack of freedom. All of his decisions are made by Kenneth Marshall — Mark Ruffalo — the cult leader of this expedition to find a new habitable planet for humankind.
Mickey is printed out 17 times over the course of four years to aid research and development, each copy a little different than the last, but it’s nonetheless Mickey. When Mickey 17, the Mickey iteration we follow through the film, gets lost during a mission, he finds his way back to base only to find another copy of himself assuming his position, Mickey 18.
In a world where multiples are not only frowned upon but punishable by death, both Mickeys have to examine what should be done and if both of them can live simultaneously.
The greatness that Bong possesses is his ability to balance all genres at once. This movie is thrilling, suspenseful, hilarious, romantic and comforting all at the same time. I can only count on one hand the number of active directors that have achieved this, and none have mastered it like Bong.
This mastery is in part thanks to the cast that’s been assembled. Pattinson is incredible in portraying all the Mickeys. Having to make distinct versions of the same character is challenging, but Pattinson does it easily. The viewer knows which Mickey is which even though they’re standing next to each other, and this really makes the film work.
The supporting cast is also fantastic. Ruffalo plays a prominent world leader who has to come to terms with his failure superbly — remind you of anyone? Rounded out by Naomi Ackie as Mickey’s lover, Steven Yeun and Toni Collette, watching this film is just so much fun because everyone is performing to their highest ability.
The film’s score also deserves a shout-out. Jung Jae-il, who composed “Parasite,” “Okja” and “Squid Games,” has such a recognizable tone in his composition that works effectively across these productions. The quiet parts are soft and contemplative, but the extravagant sequences are loud and chaotic, working in tandem with the themes that Bong wants to emphasize.
But most of all, the greatest feature of this film is its commentary on society.
You don’t go into a Russo Brothers film expecting a narrative on the proletariat and bourgeoisie — if you do, you’ll be very disappointed. On the other hand, every film Bong has made is viewed through the lens of class conflict, and his ability to critique capitalism within the framework of a sci-fi movie is powerful.
Marshall is clearly an allegory for President Donald Trump — red hats and distinctive dance moves symbolizing the cult-like following that has earned Trump another term in the White House. Mickey as an expendable is a representation of the working class and the replaceable, completely disposable nature of workers in the eyes of corporations.
These little metaphors, combined with all of Bong’s narrative tools, build a structured attack against this system he’s critiquing. We feel for Mickey, someone who would be considered very low and unimportant in our society, by the end of the movie. Bong has never failed to recreate this theme across all of his movies, and it shows why he’s one of our greatest living directors.
Don’t walk, run to the biggest screen you can find and give this film a watch. We should be thankful to be alive during the same time as Bong. Don’t take it for granted.
The king is back. Take in all his glory.
Joshua Abraham is a kinesiology junior and opinion writer for The Battalion.
