Dying 16 times is not an easy task, mentally or physically. So, when Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) realizes that if he dies one more time, his memory will not transfer over to his next body, he must do the impossible to stay alive. 

“Mickey 17,” directed by Bong Joon-ho, follows the titular character as he navigates an incompetent spatial government led by Trump-like figure Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) and his now fully realized fear of dying when he accidentally gets cloned before his scheduled death. The action-comedy offers glaring political commentary as well as a strong lead performance by Pattison and the supporting cast.

The film begins with Mickey trapped inside an ice cap on a foreign planet, wherein we see strange creatures known as “creepers” come over and “eat” Mickey, but they saved him instead. When the overtly inept leaders find out about them, their minds automatically aim toward shooting them. 

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Red hats, white supremacy and ignorance are some of the few blatant similarities between Marshall’s government and Trump’s administration, which could have been interesting to dissect. However, the topics of fanaticism and fascism are only half-baked, not offering much to analyze. 

In terms of environmentalism, the film emphasizes the human instinct to destroy instead of trying to understand the unknown. Subtlety could have been appreciated in moments like when Nasha (Naomi Ackie) passionately screams at Marshall to get it through his head that the creepers are the true natives to the planet. If it was not so in your face, the satire would have worked better.

While Mickey 17 is an entertaining character to watch, his arc feels emotionless and empty. Key moments, such as when he remembers the smell of his mother’s hair because a scientist has a similar fragrance, are forgotten by viewers. The concept of cloning people and experimenting with their death and reprinting them is so interesting, but the writing only scratches the surface of its potential depth.

The story dismisses minor characters like Timo (Steven Yeun) and Kai (Anamaria Vartolomei) for the sake of saving the creepers. Yeun, especially, brings so much charisma for a one-noted character, and his story is obliterated by everything else happening in the film. 

The scene with Kai and Mickey 17 being invited to Marshall and his wife’s (Toni Collette) fancy dinner amuses the audience with hilarious lines about the “perfect race,” but the dialogue means nothing in the grand scheme of things and is never talked about again. 

Bong struggles to tie up loose ends in his screenplay, but he adds hilarious moments like the dinner scene to make up for their writing flaws. In one scene, Nasha discovers that there are now two living Mickeys, so she decides to have a “Challengers” (2024)-esque moment. The difference in reactions between Mickey 17 and Mickey 18 made the audience erupt in laughter, as they were opposite to this weird scenario.

Playing two versions of a character is difficult, yet Pattinson makes it look seamless. His renditions of Mickey 17 and Mickey 18 present the nuances between the two versions of himself: Mickey 17 is kind and shy, while Mickey 18 is more aggressive and extroverted. The role is one of the best performances of his career and showcases his character actor skills. 

In the supporting cast, some of the standouts were Collette, Ackie and Yeun — all offering equally funny and emotional performances. Collette plays the secondary villain who wants the creepers to make a sauce with their tails, but her over-the-top persona and perfect comedic timing adds a sense of absurdity that the film truly needed.

Ackie gives a more passionately-driven and caring performance, guided by her character’s compassion and tenacity, which makes her the true heart of the story. Yeun, on the other hand, has few lines, but he delivers them with such wit and sarcasm that his presence is felt throughout the film.

Technically speaking, the score by Jung Jae-il dug into the core emotional moments of the film and squeezed out the satire from the script. When millions of creepers gather to save one of their babies, the score comes in and makes this powerful moment more grand. 

The cinematographer’s dynamism accentuates the tumultuous situations that the characters go through, like both Mickeys arguing with each other over which one gets to live. Every scene is full of life and movement because the camera works together with the performance to encapsulate the characters’ feelings.

While Bong’s eighth feature-length film as a director may have significant flaws, it is still a great movie to see with family and friends at the movie theater. It concisely wraps up the plot, even if Mickey’s arc is not fully explored, and is perfect for people who are just there to have a good time.