The following film review contains spoilers:
In his follow-up to 2019’s four-time Academy Award winning film “Parasite,” director Bong Joon Ho had audiences anticipating his science-fiction thriller based on the 2022 novel “Mickey7” by Ashton Edward.
Despite multiple delays, including an indefinite hold due to the Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists strikes of 2023, many fans of the director and lead actor, Robert Pattinson, were undeterred. However, the delays may be the reason for a box office opening weekend of $53.3 million globally, a far cry from the estimated $275 million it would need to make to at least break even, according to Variety.
Movie adaptations can be very tricky nowadays, whether the director plans to swear by the source material or loosely use its ideas and themes. In this case, it appears that Joon Ho opted to make a few changes from the original story, most prominently adding 10 more versions of the “expendable,” Mickey.
Yes, our protagonist essentially signed his body away in 2054 in hopes to start fresh on the planet Niflheim and escape Earth, where he and his acquaintance Timo ran into financial trouble.
The cloning device used to regenerate Mickey’s body while retaining all of his memories is banned on Earth, but allowed under failed politician and dictator expedition leader Kenneth Marshall, played by Mark Ruffalo.
While I enjoyed Toni Collette, who played Marshall’s wife, Ylfa, with the perfect amount of comedy and charisma, it was made painfully clear that Ruffalo was going for an over-the-top Donald Trump impression that I didn’t care for.
It takes the expedition over four years to travel from Earth to Niflheim, and in that time Mickey develops a steamy romance with feisty security agent Nasha, played by Naomi Ackie. Pattinson and Ackie have solid chemistry, and the relationship is a focal point of the story throughout the runtime.
However, I did wish for more screen time with Nasha and the different iterations of Mickey in the film’s second act, as it’s revealed in a throwaway line that each clone had a defining personality trait.
This is another contrast from the novel, where each clone kept Mickey’s true identity. This change is smart, as it’s easier to tell the difference between Mickey 17 and Mickey 18, distinguishing them and creating tension with the aggressive nature of the latter clone.
How the two “multiples” came to be is that Mickey 17 was presumed dead by Timo after falling through a fissure in the ice, allowing the planet’s inhabited creatures called “creepers” to descend upon him. Mickey’s mission had been to capture a creeper, but ultimately the creepers rescued him and kept him alive, allowing him to make his way back to the spaceship and find he had already been cloned.
Having two existing clones alive is a big no-no for Marshall, and Mickey 18 unsuccessfully attempts to assassinate the politician. Pattinson’s unique portrayal of the differing clones creates an interesting dynamic, especially when Nasha is sandwiched between the two.
This is what salvages the messy final act, as the conflict evolves multiple times at a fast pace. Despite this, each resolution was predictable, from Mickey 18’s sacrificial death to Nasha becoming a colony political leader who puts an end to the expendable program.
The switch to Mickey, Nasha and other scientists focusing on saving the creepers was a bit jarring, as it presents a not-so-subtle theme of animal cruelty, adding to the already overly convoluted plot.
What worked better was the allegory for colonization and the intriguing conversations Mickey has with the creepers via a translation device, but it’s still very in-your-face and leaves no breathing room.
Overall, the consensus is that Joon Ho overstuffs the story with satirical ideas and themes that would be more effective if there were fewer.
I really wanted to love this film, but I walked out of the theater feeling overwhelmed, a little confused and disappointed. Oh well, Pattinson continues to shine in whatever role he takes on, and I’ll just about watch anything he’s in.
