Somewhat jumbled, but also fun
Film critic Jason Evans is here to tell you about movies in
less time than it takes to sign a regrettable contract. His reviews are exactly
100 words long (99 is never enough and 101 is too much). Here is his 100-word
review of Mickey 17.
The Premise: On a future version of Earth, Mickey Barnes
(Robert Pattinson) and his sketchy friend Timo (Steven Yuen) are on the run from
loan sharks. They escape by joining a space colonization mission being led by a
smarmy failed politician (Mark Ruffalo). Mickey isn’t really qualified to do
anything, so he signs up to be an expendable, an employee who will take on dangerous
missions with the knowledge that if he dies, a new version of him (complete with
his memories) will be “printed out” the next day. Mickey dies over and over
again until the 17th version unexpectedly survives and finds himself
face to face with Mickey 18… even though the existence of “multiples” is a
capital offense that will result in both Mickeys being terminated for good. The
film is written and directed by Oscar-winner Bong Joon Ho (Parasite,
Snowpiercer). It also stars Toni Collette as Ruffalo’s wife and Naomi Ackie as
Mickey’s girlfriend.
The 100-Words: Bong always brings social commentary to the table and this film has nods to our currently political climate as well as plenty to say about identity and the treatment of the lower class. It has a cool idea at its core, includes funny moments, and looks great. But, the script is scattered and unfocused; Pattinson uses a strange accent that grates on the ear; and several of the characters are completely unnecessary. The ending is a drawn-out mess. It isn’t a bad film, but I had higher expectations for someone with Bong’s track record. This is more Okja than Parasite.
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