Mickey 17

I saw Mickey 17 last week. I would’ve written about it much sooner but I’ve been struggling to articulate my thoughts on it.

All things considered, I found it very enjoyable. It’s a Bong Joon Ho film, so there’s obviously plenty of social commentary and dark humour with how it grapples with its existentialist themes but it’s also surprisingly sweet and moving.

The performances all across the board were great. Robert Pattinson has long since proven himself to be more than just a sparkly vampire, but as the two Mickeys running amuck, he makes for a terrific double act and I’m glad to see him finally get an opportunity to show off his comedic chops. I also enjoyed Naomi Ackle as Nasha, his tough-as-nails love interest and the only person who sees Mickey's true worth. Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette were also a blast as the villains. Ruffalo, in particular, really seems to be relishing the prospect of playing such a vile character and making him entertaining.

Truth be told, I’m amazed that a mainstream Hollywood studio took a chance on this film. Bong Joon Ho might have gained a ton of clout after Parasite’s success, but even still, this is an unabashedly wacky blockbuster with very little in the way of set pieces or big money shots. I’m glad it got made but even if Hollywood wasn’t as risk-averse as it currently is, this was always gonna be a tough sell to general audiences. Sadly, the film doesn’t seem to be moving the needle financially, but I do think it has the potential to find a cult following later on in life.

Here’s hoping it does. I know not everybody is feeling the love for this, especially compared to Parasite. Yeah, it’s quite not good as Parasite but I still enjoyed it in all it’s earnestly goofy glory.