Reviews

Fans of Robert Pattinson will be thrilled by the fact that he stars in not one but two roles in Bong Joon-Ho’s quirky sci-fi Mickey 17.

The Twilight actor plays Mickey Barnes, who signs up to become an “expendable” on a mission to the ice planet Niflheim, where humans hope to make a colony.

This means he is treated less like a human and more like a crash test dummy; he is put in many dangerous situations that usually result in death because he has the privilege of being reprinted by a machine.

The film begins with the 17th clone of Mickey. When he is rescued by a native creature instead of killed, Mickey returns to the ship to discover that he has been prematurely reprinted and there’s now a Mickey 18 too.

Although they initially want to kill each other instead of sharing their girlfriend Nasha (Naomi Ackie), the Mickeys realise that they can achieve great change if they work together.

Mickey 17 sees the Parasite director returning the familiar ground of Snowpiercer and Okja, sci-fis that deal with societal issues and confront themes such as class, privilege and the way we treat animals.

Mickey 17 doesn’t delve into its themes as deeply as it could have but it’s still an unusual, absurd and surprisingly funny watch.

Mickey’s situation is incredibly bleak but they manage to make it darkly comedic, thanks to Pattinson’s bizarre accent, the tone of his narration and the way his story is edited in the beginning.

Joon-Ho blends a lot of different tones, from light-hearted to horrifying, and manages to make them all work, however, the story loses its way in the final act. It feels too long, drawn out and less focused than the rest and it loses its absurd tone in favour of a more serious action sequence.

Pattinson is hilarious as these dual characters, who are more different than you’d expect. 17 is simple and soft, while 18 is angry and vengeful. Besides slightly different teeth, Pattinson sets them apart by speaking differently and giving 18 a menacing air. His accent is a bold swing and takes you out of the film at first, but it’s not long before you get used to it.

His co-stars Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette also seem to be working with the “go big or go home” mindset. They’re OTT as Kenneth and Ylfa Marshall, egotistical politicians with nefarious plans for Niflheim. It’s hard to take Ruffalo seriously thanks to his spray tan, massive white teeth and his general Trump-like energy.

Mickey 17 doesn’t quite stick the landing but it is still a delightfully wacky and unexpectedly fun sci-fi with plenty to say about society.

In cinemas from Friday 7th March.

By Hannah Wales.

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