Mickey 17 is a fun film that explores human essence through the lens of a canary in the coal mine.
Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) is your typical slacker who signs up for an intergalactic job as an “expendable.” Expendables are exactly that—disposable crew members who “test out” human living conditions on alien worlds. With each demise, Mickey is poked, prodded, dissected, injected, disposed of, and re-uploaded into a fresh replicant. As bleak as it seems, Nasha (Naomi Ackie) is the tough-as-nails, stand-by-your-man partner who makes existence bearable—despite Kenneth (Mark Ruffalo) and Ylfa (Toni Collette) Marshall.
Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette Channel Wealthy Elite Brilliantly!
My favorite celebration of an actor is when they portray a character so well that it creates a visceral reaction; Collette and Ruffalo receive my highest praise for their acting chops. The pair play the unlovable, deceitful, and soulless characters so well that I forgot how wonderful they are in nearly everything I’ve seen them in. The Marshalls are wealthy elites – Kenneth a politician, and Ylfa his Lady Macbeth hype-woman. While not hard to see where Ruffalo found his inspiration, Collette seems to channel everyone from Tammy Fay Baker to Dolores Umbridge to our current first lady to bring Ylfa to life. Also, her ability to shift mood with a look is put on full display near the end of the movie, and I found myself loving her again for her talents.
Two more notable characters are the group of scientists, led by Dorothy (Patsy Ferran), and Preston (Daniel Henshall). While the scientists focus on advancing knowledge and life itself, Preston is their opposite. Some of Mr. Marshall’s poor decisions come from Preston whispering in his ear, like a mini-Iago. A closing bit of praise, Pattinson did a great job of making individuals out of clones. Mickeys 17 and 18 are anything but carbon copies of each other or of Mickey Prime.
In the end, Mickey 17 highlights how the entitled elite will always label the masses as “savage” while committing acts of savagery themselves, all in the name of progress. Classic Bong Joon-Ho!
Mickey 17 is in theaters now.
