Mickey 17 Review
Geek Tyrant
Mickey 17 is a movie with a premise that could get convoluted and messy very quickly. It’s essentially a cloning issue where clones are given all the memories of the past version, but what happens if 2 versions occur at once? Obviously this could get into some pretty muddy waters about the concepts of life and time. Instead Mickey 17 skirts around that issue and instead focus itself on a character driven story using this concept as a vehicle instead of as the main issue. It’s a brilliant way to have a sci-fi concept without losing a lot of viewers in the weeds of science fiction.
Bloody Disgusting
Robert Pattinson does an excellent job at playing multiple versions of himself. There are nuanced differences in the different versions of himself that are played out. However, there is a scene in the movie where Mickey 18 was verbally noted as a much angrier version of previous Mickeys. We as the audience didn’t need this verbal note as we could clearly infer that from previous encounters with this Mickey. It came off a little insulting as if Bong Joon Ho didn’t think we as the audience would catch the nuances unless slapped in the face with it.
Screen Rant
Mark Ruffalo played an excellent villain albeit extremely over the top. He was a caricature of the times that was made in a statement about a political figure. I found him to be a fun watch, while not really being a fearful villain, or in actuality, much of a villain at all until the very last 40 minutes of the movie. He was the figurehead of the ship, but until late into the movie you hardly ever see him interact with any of our other characters in a meaningful way.
Apart from these 2 characters, there were no real standouts in the film. In fact, one of the major weaknesses of the movie is the lack of character development to any of the side characters. At times it feels like there are very few stakes in this movie, with the main character being able to be reprinted and side characters that are not worth investing in.
The plot itself follows an interesting path that is easy to follow yet hard to predict. It keeps your attention throughout the movie. But, there isn’t any giant plot twists making it an easy, if at times boring watch. It isn’t a movie that you will want to revisit multiple times in succession but it is a fun sci-fi story that does it’s own thing and doesn’t try to imitate anything else.
Overall, it’s a movie that should be seen by sci-fi fans, Robert Pattinson enthusiasts, and anyone who wants to see Mark Ruffalo with a very punchable face. In seriousness, it’s good but not great. Entertaining but forgettable. Enjoyable yet a little disappointing.