This movie is a sci-fi movie set in the not too distant future where people can’t wait to get off planet earth and head for a supposedly better future on an ice world a long way away. The architect of this new utopia is a failed politician called Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) who’s essentially a conman. Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) is a down on his luck nobody who flees earth by agreeing to be an ‘expendable’ which means he gets to do menial and dangerous work and if he dies, which he does often, they clone him and put his memories back in his head.
As you can imagine this is quite a wacky film but it starts of with a very intriguing premise. As you can guess, Mickey has died and been reprinted 17 times. We see his backstory unfold and the chaos that ensues when he is presumed dead and an 18th version of his ‘self’ is created. There are love triangles, political intrigues and some very curious alien species that come into the mix as well.
I said it was wacky and it is and about three quarters of the way through it starts to get quite surreal. This is a very well made film with great special effects and very good acting – especially by Pattinson. Problem is the film goes a bit overboard and there are some very long and tedious romantic and interpersonal scenes that should have been much shorter.
It’s a watchable film but a little self indulgent in places and could have done with about 40 minute lopped off it’s running time.
MICKEY 17
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo
Directed by: Bong Joon Ho
Duration: 137 Minutes
Open in New Zealand 6 March 2025
