Mickey 17 is a big middle finger to space-obsessed strongmen
The well-deserved hat trick that director Bong Joon Ho pulled off at the Oscars in 2020 with Parasite all but ensured that studios would fight tooth and nail to back his next cinematic project. It was always going to be difficult for Bong to top what he accomplished with Parasite a a shapeshifting masterpiece of storytelling that spoke to the the meticulousness of his creative process a but it was hard not to look forward to his follow-up after such a powerful tale.
Though Mickey 17 bears many of the narrative and stylistic hallmarks Bong has become known for, the film is shakier than much of his previous work. There is an intentional (but not always effective) sweatiness to some of the dark comedyas lead performances that takes some of the bite out of its social commentary. But considering the cartoonishly unhinged political climate weare all living through right now, Mickey 17 also feels like a film thatas meeting the moment and articulating whatas on many of our minds.
Adapted from Edward Ashtonas 2022 novel Mickey 7, Mickey 17 tells the story of Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson), a kind simpleton of a man whose iffy business dealings force him to run for his lif …