Mubi Monday: Mickey 17 (2025)

It should be obvious to many by now, but Bong Joon Ho isn't really interested in subtlety any more. His most recent movies, as great as they are, are a long way from his superbly uneven and nuanced Memories Of Murder. I still love pretty much everything that he does, but I also know that I don't mind when the lack of subtlety is so front and centre in a way that may put off others.

Mickey 17 is all about the titular character (played by Robert Pattinson), an expendable who is used by a deep space vehicle to take on the tasks that will result in death. Whether being exposed to dangerous amounts of radiation, being placed in environments that may contain elements harmful to humans, or just exploring terrain that is unstable and could house dangerous alien creatures . . . Mickey's your man. Whenever he dies, it's not long until he is simply "printed out"again, his memories uploaded into his brain, and made available for the next dangerous task. He's ended up with this life (these lives) due to being put in a sticky situation by a bad friend, Timo (Steven Yeun), but at least he has moments of happiness with his partner, Nasha (Naomi Ackie). Things become tricky, however, when the latest Mickey is assumed dead and a new Mickey printed out. Mickey 17 and Mickey 18 are both aware that there are strict rules against multiples, but maybe they can figure out a way to take turns dying while they piece together a relatively full life.

Based on a novel, "Mickey 7", by Edward Ashton, this is darkly comedic sci-fi fare with plenty to say about the exploitation of workers, the ways in which those in power continually keep those below them pitted against one another, and the hypocrisy and arrogance of those who decide to make a life elsewhere without proper planning or consideration for the territory they are invading. As you can imagine, it feels very timely, and some may not appreciate how closely it aligns to some current world events. It doesn't help that Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette play their characters, Kenneth Marshall and Yifa, as arrogant idiots who would happily ruin lives and entire ecosystems just to keep maintaining their image of confident leadership. They're definitely doing what is asked of them, but the broad comedy of their performances is at odds with the real and awful repercussions we can see right now because of someone who works in almost exactly the same way. 

Thankfully, aside from the silliness provided by Ruffalo and Collette, everyone else is much better. Again, I don't blame those two stars, but they're apparently hampered by the direction of their performances. Pattinson has no such problems, and has a lot of fun in his multiple roles, specifically when he gets to show a marked difference between the two most recent Mickeys. Yeun is enjoyably sneaky, Ackie is a nice mix of tough and caring, and the rest of the supporting cast includes such familiar faces as Tim Key, Thomas Turgoose, Anamaria Vartolomei, and Patsy Ferran, some getting a fair amount of screentime and some just popping up for all-too-brief moments.

As expected, there's also some consistently excellent editing work and FX work throughout, as well as production design that creates a realistic world in which the building farce can unfold. It's all in service to the themes that Bong Joon Ho is exploring, and it's a shame when the tone occasionally clashes with the grime and verisimilitude of the onscreen world, but it's also loaded with little details that complement the main characters and their journey.

Not wholly satisfying, it spins so many plates that some inevitably fly off and smash before being quickly replaced, but Mickey 17 is still the kind of thing I would rather see ahead of another empty blockbuster with CGI distractions making up for a lack of any real substance.

7/10

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Parasite (2019)

It's very hard to talk about Parasite without going into details that will spoil the experience of a first time viewing. So I am going to, as ever, err on the side of caution. Nobody every got themselves upset over a review that felt a bit too vague, in my experience. So here's the very minimal plot summary. Young Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik) is told by a friend that he should apply to be an English tutor, a role he is vacating as he heads off to study abroad, for in the wealthy Park household. Once he is in there, seeing the different staff members and potential for money to be made, Ki-woo and his family come up with a plan to integrate them all as staff members. The Park family won't know they're employing a group of related individuals, and the Kim family hope to make as much money from them as possible as they amass the means to move onwards and upwards from the squalor they have been used to for so long. And that's just the start of this squirming and slippery comedy/drama/thriller.

Director Bong Joon-ho, who also co-wrote the movie with Han Jin-won, is a name already familar to fans of world cinema, having helped build the reputation of South Korean cinema over the past couple of decades with acclaimed films such as Memories Of Murder, The Host, Mother, and Snowpiercer. I've seen half of those, and loved them. Yet, despite stiff competition, Parasite is right up there with his best work. It has his usual mix of genre elements, sliding from comedy to drama, and into something darker just in time for a third act that is both completely insane and also completely in line with all that has come before.

Song Kang-ho, as the father of the Kim family, will also be familiar to film fans, especially those who have enjoyed other Joon-ho movies, or the films of Park Chan-wook, and he's the strong heart of the film, even if it takes a while to realise it. His character isn't the smartest, but the family  look to him as they consider the full potential of their opportunity. Woo-shik does well, Park So-dam is quick off the mark too, as his sister, and Jang Hye-jin is the mother, arguably looking to supplant the most valuable member of staff in the Park household, the housekeeper (played by Lee Jung-eun). Lee Sun-kyun and Cho Yeo-jeong are both very good as the Park family father and mother, respectively, while everyone else does exactly what is required of them in their supporting roles. This is a film that works very much because of the ensemble cast.

About as subtle as a sledgehammer to the face, the commentary running throughout Parasite works beautifully because it IS so overt and obvious, reverberating through the material like some kind of shockwave. Attitudes are examined at both extremes, those who feel entitled and those who are more naturally servile, and it's quite audacious of Joon-ho to make his points by showing people literally locked into their roles.

Whatever you have already heard about Parasite, and I hope it is not TOO much, believe the hype. See it as soon as you can.

10/10

Shudder Saturday: The Host (2006)

The Host is a monster movie, first and foremost, but it's also yet another film from Bong Joon-ho (who co-wrote the film with Baek Chul-hyun) that allows the director to comment on a number of different societal issues.

Things start with a couple of American military people dumping chemical that will pollute the Han River. This leads to a change in that environment, as the fish die off and something else starts growing and living there. Some years later, that creature comes out of the water, attacking a crowd of people before heading off again with a couple of captured "snacks", one of them being young Hyun-seo (played by Go Ah-sung). She is the daughter of Park Gang-du, who sets out to rescue her, with help from his sister, his brother, and his own father. But that rescue plan is hampered by the fact that many people are being quarantined by the military, due to the fact that the creature is also the host of a deadly virus.

On the one hand, and in glorious fashion, The Host delivers the monster movie goods that you want to see. It isn't constant, with the set-pieces wisely spaced out throughout the 2-hour runtime, but you get enough to keep you entertained if you're just wanting to see a giant, dangerous, creature cause some mayhem. On the other hand. The Host delivers an interesting, and arguably scarier, look at how vulnerable people can be when society gets to any point that leads to military intervention. The finale not only delivers what is expected from this type of thing, it also shows the start of what could easily be described as a revolution.

Kang-ho is absolutely superb in the lead role, moving from pathetic and unmotivated sleepyhead to strong and determined fighter, but this is a film with no weak link in the chain. Ah-sung is also excellent as the brave young girl, Bae Doona and Park Hae-il are both good as Kang-ho's siblings, and Byun Hee-bong is the patriarch of the family unit. Lee Dong-ho also does well, playing a homeless boy who ends up caught in the lair of the creature alongside Ah-sung.

Although the performances help a lot, this is a film you will either love or hate thanks to the script and direction. The tonal changes may jar initially, especially in a scene that shows people seemingly desperate to display their grief more "impressively" than others alongside them, but it soon settles down, with many sequences mixing things up in a much smoother way. You get the thrills, the moments of emotion, and a lot of black comedy throughout.

This isn't a film to offer to anyone who is wanting to dip their toes into creature feature waters. If they want to dive into the whole sub-genre then it is probably worth starting back in the 1950s and working forward from there. If they want to have some kaiju fun then there are so many others to choose from. But when they have enjoyed a number of more typical entries, that is when you can drop this one on them. They may not fall in love with it initially but give it time, this is a film that has become a firm favourite for a lot of people who love creature features.

9/10

You can buy the movie here.
Americans can buy it here.