Mickey 17

To briefly sum up my thoughts going into this movie it would be that this is one of those movies I by no means thought I’d dislike but I did not feel compelled myself to go see of my own volition. However i’m pretty glad I did, the trailers did not do this movie the justice I think it deserved but to be fair while not a movie that has the sharpest twists and turns from the trailer alone the plots and ideas you might have cooked up as to what this movie might be about are a fair bit different so before I explain the whole movie in the intro let's just get to my thoughts. I mean firstly I feel like I need to talk about the titular character. Going into the movie you know that multiples are a good chunk of the plot but what I did not expect as for how they’d be written and played so differently. Mickey 17 is the much more timid one while 18 is far more inclined to act on things. However despite this stark difference you do get the impression that both while individuals in their own right by the nature of existing at the same moment that they are fundamentally different facets of the same person. And dialogue in the movie makes the case for both perspectives. For the first, 18 tells 17 that he’s been telling him that the accident that killed his mom wasn’t his fault however at no point in the past do they discuss this, in fact the only other time we hear about this is prior to Mickey even being replicated implying that even before this process began each Mickey is still fundamentally a part of him. And given later on we hear that each Mickey is just a bit different that leads me to believe that each Mickey in a way represents an amplified part of himself, which for the story demonstrates the countless ways people who are fundamentally the same deal with the same situations which ties into the greater themes of the story which i’ll discuss later. However for the case of the second option 17 moments before dying says that even if he’s died a dozen times in the past that this time will be different as it will not be him continuing on it will be 18. This I think solidified my idea that if you could boil the central theme of this movie into one word it would be Solidarity. Throughout the movie characters are pitted against one another. Both of Mickey’s love interests happen to be law enforcement, and have to decide whether Mickey’s life is worth more than the laws they uphold. Then we have the “Creepers” and the Human Colonists both just wishing for survival. And right at the center you have Mickey 17 and 18 who are aware only one of them can live. All these conflicts of course are fabricated of course and only serve to create disunity amongst people that otherwise have no conflict of interest. I mean i’m not going to pretend like this movie isn’t uber open about this, afterall it’s a comedy and Marshall isn’t exactly played for much more than a laugh so the idea of anyone willingly following him instead of banding with their peers is a joke itself. I more so like that there are several instances of this theme across countless different characters all very unique but all tying into this idea that instead of stabbing others in the back in the name of someone who will only give you as much so you’ll still be dependent on them why not work amongst your peers for the common good.. Visually this movie looks pretty good even if there isn’t a huge focus on iconography. This movie feels very grounded despite its nature which I guess is a feat even if it doesn’t add to the spectacle of it all. Like I forget this movie is as sci-fi as it is because it fits so neatly in that “near future” aesthetic where everything regardless of whether or not it exists in our own world looks like it belongs, something I imagine a movie like Alien must’ve felt to its contemporary audience. A bit unrelated but I don’t feel the need to give this its own category but this movie did not need to be in 4DX. My money is that whoever is in charge of which movies get chosen saw the words “sci-fi” and maybe read the synopsis and thought this would be a very high-octane movie. There were long stretches of time where next to nothing happened and the only scene I felt truly improved was maybe the stampede. The scenes in the snow could’ve been the same but they cut off the snow effects way too early and they don’t pump in enough wind for it to be too noticeable. Quick lightning round but the cast is pretty solid all around, whether that be actors I was not familiar with either like Naiomi Ackie or Stephen Yeun who I'm only partially familiar with. I’m a bit split over Mark Ruffalo because he did seem to be the most exaggerated character in the movie but given Mickey is a bit too they complement one another. They did lean into the Trump thing a bit which I worried might be a bit too on the nose but I think they tread the line pretty well. The most clear cut allusion being that his followers wear red baseball hats. I don’t mind them taking a shot at him, I just hope he’s written as applicable enough to the plight of other people across the world too. This is a very cathartic movie which makes it enjoyable but I do worry that i’m the type of person that instead of being inspired like a movie such as this i’ll be satisfied by in it instead, which I do feel like is the nature of a comedy. Something more in line with drama might be more blunt with the reality of what its depicting, essentially encouraging the audience to finish what was started, meanwhile a more feel good comedy might make you more complacent as it ends off on a more optimistic note. I love a happy ending but with the way the world is today I can’t help but let a little bit pessimism show through. Mickey 17, while not a movie I think I'd watch again too soon, I can’t deny is a very well crafted movie whether that be from its message, to its cast to its writing. A good comedy that still takes its subject matter fairly seriously, won’t have you laughing up a storm but you’ll still be thoroughly engrossed in it. Rating: 9/10