Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Mickey 17’ a shaggy, ambitious satire

Multiple Robert Pattinsons, frequent tonal whiplash and an alien planet full of "creepers" highlight the latest English-language film by Bong Joon-ho, the South Korean filmmaker behind 2019’s Oscar-winning “Parasite.”

The “English-language” bit in that description serves as a warning to audiences who may be expecting a more cohesive film experience after seeing “Parasite,” the first non-English language film to ever win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. “Parasite” is a certifiable masterclass in tone, direction and screenwriting, whereas Joon-ho’s career sensibilities sometimes stretch into some absurd territory.

His other English-language films, 2013’s “Snowpiercer” and 2017’s “Okja,” illustrate the filmmaker’s tendency for audacious risk-taking. “Mickey 17,” loosely based on a novel by Edward Ashton, fits snugly alongside those efforts, mixing dense science fiction with both sentimentality and political satire.

Pattinson stars as Mickey, an “expendable” aboard a spaceship headed to establish a colony on a distant, icy planet. The mission, led by a pair of blustering, populist politicians played by Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette, requires Mickey to face the most terrifying dangers — a deadly, airborne virus, radiation poisoning, giant caterpillar creatures, etc. Upon his demise(s), Mickey is simply “reprinted” with his memories restored, grisly deaths included. You can probably now deduce what the “17” means in the movie’s title.

The premise allows Pattinson to play multiple versions of the same character, and because the “printing” process lacks precision, the latest Mickey isn’t the same as the last, to the point where Pattinson deploys different voices and mannerisms. It gives the performer, already known for his sometimes-unorthodox acting choices, room to experiment even as he provides a strong emotional foundation with the film’s “prime” Mickey.

“Mickey 17” takes multiple diversions throughout its runtime, shifting gears between screwball comedy, “Dune”-like spectacle, broad political satire and existential drama. The abrupt tonal shifts can be jarring in places, and the movie contains some flabby subplots and superfluous characters that don’t congeal well with Mickey’s journey. It includes Steven Yeun in an intriguing-but-underserved story as Mickey’s childhood friend who also works on the spaceship.

The story that involves Ruffalo and Collette contains Joon-ho’s most broadly satirical moments, though Ruffalo’s performance veers so close to a certain real-life politician that it’s difficult to picture the character as anything other than a caricature of (name omitted).

On the other end of the spectrum, Naomi Ackie portrays Mickey’s longtime girlfriend on the ship with a tenacity that compliments Pattinson’s quirkier moments. Their scenes together are the strongest material in the movie.

“Mickey 17” is by most accounts a “blank check” movie for Bong Joon-ho, meaning the studio, following the success of “Parasite,” essentially gave the director free reign to spend millions of dollars on some big ideas. Regardless, the movie experienced numerous delays, and while Joon-ho may have maintained primary creative control, there are moments in “Mickey 17” that feel disjointed from a longer cut. Maybe one day the movie will get a bulkier director’s cut at some point that takes the story in even crazier directions.

For fans of Joon-ho’s work beyond “Parasite,” this theatrical version of “Mickey 17” still effectively conveys the filmmaker’s unique sensibilities. In an age where studios rarely hand out big budgets without a familiar hook to existing IP, “Mickey 17” is a refreshing commodity. It’s a big swing, unabashedly weird experience that entertains and stimulates even as it can’t bring itself to quite come together.

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Tyler Wilson can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com.