The Her Campus National Editors write about products we love and think you’ll love too. Her Campus has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase. All products are in stock and all prices are accurate as of publication.
I finally got to see Mickey 17 last week! So let’s talk about it :3
Mickey 17 is a sci-fi, comedy, borderline dystopian film just over two hours long. I didn’t know anything about the movie going into it (that’s how I like to experience movies). It stars Robert Pattinson as Mickey, an “expendable” who’s job is basically to die. Humanity has developed a new technology to download and print out exact replicas of people, so Mickey as an expendable is tasked to test different substances and environments as he and a cult of people leave Earth to colonize a new planet. Each time Mickey dies during these tests, he gets reprinted and becomes the next Mickey with a somewhat new personality. The movie of course takes place in the lifetime of the 16th reprint of Mickey after the original, or Mickey 17.
The tone of the movie was comedic despite covering quite dark topics like corrupt politicians and occupation and colonization of native land/species. I did enjoy the comedic tone of the movie and there were several scenes I did find funny (as someone who never laughs at movies). My main problem with the movie is the pacing. There were lots of subplots that felt excessive, unnecessary, or convoluted which dragged the plot out and never reached anything substantial. When I talk about this, I’m specifically thinking of the Kai subplot which didn’t really amount to anything in the end, which was disappointing because it was set up to seem interesting or at least influential. Additionally, the ending of the movie felt simultaneously rushed and dragged out, like it was rushed but I was still just waiting for it end.
The antagonists are a commentary on fascist and corrupt politicians, which I definitely applaud seeing in movies, but this time it felt a bit too on-the-nose with the most undeniable ties to Trump. While I no doubt encourage the criticism, it feels too specific and makes the movie feel kind of dated? They also just made me mad every time they were on screen.
The pacing and writing took away from the core plot, which was truly unique and very compelling. However, Pattinson did a stellar job in his role and really sold his character. I LOVE the little creatures they meet on the planet. There were genuinely a lot of great aspects to the movie, and I would still recommend that seeing it, especially for fans of the book it’s based off of (Mickey 7) or fans of director Bong Joon-ho. Even though it’s not for me, my boyfriend absolutely loved it.
So yeah it’s not a movie I would see again, but I do recommend watching the movie when it’s released for streaming soon!