Popcorn Reviewss

White thumbnail popcorn reviewss
popcorn reviewss banner
White thumbnail popcorn reviewss

Mickey 17

Farhad Dalal Founder
By-
Farhad Dalal
Rating
3.5 Star popcorn reviewss

Introduction

The expectation from a Bong Joon Ho movie is always sky-high, particularly after the historic achievements of his last venture Parasite (2019). In that regard, Mickey 17, his latest venture feels an uneven amalgamation of a socio-political commentary set against the backdrop of a dystopian world. Yes, there are significant layers to the writing that wishes to present a commentary in the form of an allegory, much on the lines of Don’t Look Up (2021) which was dark and quirky with its tone too. But the emotions erupting out of Mickey 17 land only for the first two acts of the film – even as the writing has a clear-cut trade off of letting go of its turn while opting for a visual extravaganza. Yet at its very core, the concept of Mickey 17 itself is so strong that it touches upon the various concepts of capitalism, communialism and censorship with a lot of humour, something that we have witness to quite often in our daily lives! In other words, the drama here does actually work when the writing chooses to stick to this commentary, which it luckily does for two-thirds of the film!

Story & Screenplay

Based on a 2022 novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton, Mickey 17 follows the story of Mickey (Robert Pattinson) dying…and dying …and dying….interestingly, for a living. This basic premise is an allegory on the working class who literally give their blood and sweat to their jobs, in exchange for peanuts. Ironically, when you are acquainted with the ‘leader’ of the expedition Kenneth (Mark Raffalo), a failed politician who wishes to squeeze every little drop of sweat and blood from his employees, you realise that this man is crossover between Trump and Musk with the ideologies that he has. It is almost like the growing demand of longer working hours that is the talking point for Mickey here, wherein he dies everyday while getting ready for work again the next day, like most of us. Unfortunately for Mickey, he doesn’t really have a choice either. As a part of the flashback, we are told that Mickey and his friend Timo (Steven Yeun) are in a financial disarray following a failed business venture that coaxes them to register for a space-program headed by Kenneth. And the state of the economical background coupled with undertones of capitalism is what forms the socio-political fabric of storytelling here. It is almost like the failure of ‘Made In India’ startup campaign coupled with certain IT heads demanding for a 70–90-hour week that makes each of us resemble ‘Mickey’ (notice the name, it resembles people taking a mickey out of us), who doesn’t really have a choice but to give in.

One of the aspects of the drama that does work is the concept in the drama that is laced with a social commentary. At the concept level, we are witness to Mickey often being tasked with lethal assignments that results in his death. In a montage of scenes, you see him being injected with a drug almost to develop a vaccine for the pathogens of Niflheim, a planet designed for colonization. It is almost an allegory on the vaccines that were tested directly on human beings, only to later result in a side-effect. In fact, the idea of ‘rewriting’ that transpires on an ‘Expendable’, is a direct commentary on the growing nature of AI. In a scene, it is showcased that a murderer and rapist had been using the ‘rewriting’ machine to create clones of himself, thereby prompting Kenneth to utilize the machine only away from earth. Here, the underlying commentary is also about how technology if fallen in wrong hands, could lead to a disaster. This, while doubling equating on the characters of the murderer and Kenneth – both wishing to use the technology for their advantage.

The proceedings here are engaging because of the characterization of a few characters too. At a point in the drama, you are witness to two Mickeys namely Mickey 17 and Mickey 18, with the thumb rule being that two reincarnations of the same person cannot exist together, almost a loose allegory on religion (on how one person can strictly belong to only one religion). The two contrasting traits of the two Mickeys cannot be discounted either – Mickey 17 remains sedate and understated while often holding on to the angst of his path. In a sharp contrast, Mickey 18 remains hot-headed and aggressive willing to take up the route of violence when being cornered. Another way to look at these characters is from a political gaze – one Mickey represents the left, and the other the right, or alternately, both these traits exist in a single person while often being subjected to a streak of violence in the wake of capitalism and politics.

In that sense, the character of Kenneth remains an important cog as well. You see him to be a sexist wherein he chooses to look at women, as mere objects with a uterus. In a scene, you see him claiming how a particular character could lead the way for the establishment of a colony, wherein only the purest souls of a race exist. Hence, it can also be implied that he is a racist in the purest sense. But what the writing explicitly highlights is the fact that Kenneth is a colonizer, or even a dictator who is conscious of maintaining his public image. You often spot him directing orders to capture particular moments on camera, even while ordering the capture and kill of creatures on Niflheim, called the ‘Creepers’. And while you witness Mickey and the crew blindly following orders, the more the characters are acquainted with the Creepers, they get to know that they are gentle creatures known for empathy. In fact in a scene, you see them rescuing Mickey from a fissure, that tells you a story. The dynamics between Kenneth and the creepers is similar to Israel-Gaza in terms of countries, Hitler to Jews in terms of its historical relevance, and a political leader differentiating his people based on race, caste and religion (sounds familiar, eh?).

These socio-political commentaries often play out beneath the surface while resulting in a dark and quirky comedy, at various instances in the screenplay. But the part where the writing falters, is in the final act. At a point, it made me wonder on why did the writing let go of its quirkiness at the end, while completely transforming the drama into a dystopian survival thriller. The issue lay in letting go of the detailing that were working wonderfully upto this point. The fight between good versus evil became more obvious and pronounced with broader strokes on show. This did take away the simmering commentary that the drama stood for earlier. There was a definite sense of disconnect with the characters and emotions at the end, that didn’t quite have a soft landing. The finale was hopeful wherein you are witness to Mickey destroying the ‘Rewriting’ machine after a nightmare, for a greater good of humanity. So, the messaging definitely did land but I wished that there was a little more spunk to the concluding moments in the drama, in an otherwise well-written screenplay that represents a dark future for humanity, as an allegory.


Dialogues, Music & Direction

The dialogues are quirky while being laced with a socio-political commentary that seems uncomfortably relatable, and prompting you to break into a smile. The BGM is terrific while elevating the levels of tension in the drama. The cinematography comprises of frames that are top-class with the clever use of lighting that enhances the viewing experience. In fact, the snowy capped landscape of Niflheim allows it to act as a futuristic mirror while playing an important character in the setup. Also, the VFX remains pretty solid as well. The editing is pretty crisp as well for most parts of the runtime barring the final act that felt a little choppy and less impactful. Clearly, the levels of tension were diluted at the end due to choppy editing that failed to retain the emotions in store previously. But largely, the editing is pretty good in the first two acts. Director Boon Joon-ho does a good job here although he doesn’t exactly replicate the sky-high levels of brilliance from his previous outing, Parasite (2019). He scores with his world-building and characterization, while lacing a socio-political commentary around both of them. This, while the final act remains his stumbling block given the inconsistent tone that never allows the emotions to land. But on the whole, the direction remains pretty good.

Performances

The performances are pretty good by the members of the cast. Anamaria Vartolomei as Kai looks pretty and has her moments to shine. Toni Collette as Ylfa, the controlling wife of Kenneth Marshall, is wonderful to witness. Her high-society gaze of the world is shown to dilute her empathy for folks around her, and this trait of hers is nicely highlighted through her performance. Steven Yeun as Timo does a good job in a character that is woefully underwritten. Naomi Ackie as Nasha is assertive while scoring wonderfully with her solid screen presence. Mark Ruffalo as Kenneth Marshall is absolutely outstanding here. This is a character wherein he could so easily have gone overboard. Yet, his understated approach touches upon the quirkiness of his character while ensuring that the socio-political commentary around his character remains intact. Robert Pattinson as Mickey (17 and 18) is a joy to watch. There are many shades to Mickey, while having a definite character arc to play with. And Robert brings in a range of emotions while also scoring with the inherent sense of humour with his characters, that makes for a sincere and earnest performance.

Conclusion

Mickey 17 is a socio-political mixtape that works because of its inherent commentary and performances, despite hosting a generic final act that is stumbling in many ways. Nevertheless, the drama still makes for a pretty solid watch. Available in a theatre near you.

Latest Posts

error: Content is protected !!