Mickey 17

8.4 - Had to sleep on this review because I left the theater sort of disappointed. (Sorry for the long review incoming.)

I have had this at the top of my list for a year already. Pattinson (times two) led, Bong Joon Ho directed, sci-fi, with Ruffalo in the antagonist role, & Steven Yuen in support, rescheduled 4 (?) times - how could I not be hyped? Then I blitz read Mickey7 last week & loved it so much it made my excitement for this somehow even greater.

Why was I disappointed? Adaptation faithfulness. What is a truly rich & developed sci-fi future, full of strong commentary on capitalism, environmentalism, militarism, religion & natural life initially felt so stripped down. While it does still feel that way to a point, I can start to appreciate some of the changes made, most likely in hopes of audience connection.

Robert Pattinson is incredible. He plays two very competing personalities, in essentially one character, very fluidly, giving each their own distinctive life. Though Mark Ruffalo’s “Marshall” is a complete caricature of some of today’s real world leaders, & not the complexly layered leader of the book, he’s still acting his ass off. I can’t fully forgive the way they cut Timo (Berto in the book) down to just a bully, instead of Mickey’s truest friend, but Steven Yuen is still always a positive addition to any project.

My other major gripe was the de-escalation of time & sci-fi elements. Mickey7 takes place hundreds of years post-modern Earth, & Niflheim is far from the first colony. This lends itself to some fun technology & some much stronger commentary on failures of other societal systems. But the strip down by the writing team & Bong Joon Ho probably makes this version more accessible in a film format.

Lastly, the visuals are incredible. The world given to us on screen still captures a lot of the struggle, danger, & scarcity of Niflheim & the journey there. And the writing changes to Nasha, Kai (Cat), & the med teams, as well as the addition of Toni Collette's Ylfa, help capture the humor & fun present in the story as well.

I do need to give one last bit of credit too - absolutely nailed the creepers.

While it wasn’t the instant classic I was hoping for on the heels of Parasite, after stepping back just a bit, confirms that Bong Joon Ho should have another hit on his hands & was still an a great choice for the job. We’ll see how it hits on a rewatch with a little bit more patience for the story.

Robert Pattinsons accent had me 😂, and Mark Ruffalo’s character resembled a certain President which was very fitting and accurate 😂🙈

Bong Joon-Ho strikes again with this fantastic sci-fi film that has some very amusing moments as well.

As well as this film being incredibly entertaining, it also had some very thought provoking messages behind it which I loved.

Robert Pattinson was superb as Mickey Barnes.

A great story idea, wonderful characters and cast, awesome effects. Definitely a good Watch.

7/10

I had a dream like this once