{"id":375,"date":"2025-03-04T15:53:45","date_gmt":"2025-03-04T16:53:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/?p=375"},"modified":"2025-03-06T18:17:52","modified_gmt":"2025-03-06T18:17:52","slug":"weird-mickey-17-is-robert-pattinsons-role-of-a-lifetime-but-it-left-me-frustrated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/04\/weird-mickey-17-is-robert-pattinsons-role-of-a-lifetime-but-it-left-me-frustrated\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Weird\u2019 Mickey 17 is Robert Pattinson\u2019s role of a lifetime \u2013 but it left me frustrated"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\"Robert\t<\/div>
Mickey 17 teams up Robert Pattinson with Robert Pattinson – and Bong Joon Ho (Picture: Warner Bros.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mickey 17<\/a> is a film even weirder than you can anticipate, and that\u2019s saying something given the hype around director Bong Joon Ho<\/a> and lead star Robert Pattinson<\/a>\u2019s offbeat and highly anticipated teaming up.<\/p>\n

This sci-fi\u2019s bizarreness is actually one of its strongest qualities, given the glee with which the director leans into its madcap chaos and humour. <\/p>\n

The other, undoubtedly, is Pattinson, who is insanely<\/em> good in his contrasting role(s) of a lifetime.<\/p>\n

Adapted by Parasite<\/a>’s Bong Joon Ho from Edward Ashton\u2019s Mickey7 novel, Twilight actor Pattinson is Mickey Barnes, a down-on-his-luck, rather pathetic guy who signs up to become an \u2018expendable\u2019 \u2013 a disposable clone worker \u2013 after getting into a sticky situation on Earth.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the year 2054 and he\u2019s headed to a distant ice planet as part of a human colony led by failed politician Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo<\/a>, giving his best Donald Trump-inspired performance around a terrifying set of fake teeth) and his cloying but devious wife Ylfa (Toni Collette<\/a>).<\/p>\n

A hallmark of Mickey\u2019s job \u2013 we meet the 17th version \u2013 is his colleagues\u2019 obsession with asking him what death is like, despite the cheerfully off-hand way with which they deal with several of his demises. <\/p>\n

Mickey is essentially a human guinea pig, perfectly recreated each time he\u2019s \u2018printed\u2019 out of a special machine that rebuilds him identically from waste organic matter, replanting all of his memories \u2013 from toxic radiation exposure to vomiting up blood after catching lethal virus.<\/p>\n

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I taste fine,\u2019 he yells in annoyance, not yet knowing this will become a major issue. For when he finally makes it back to the ship, Mickey 18 is already printed out and sleeping in his bed. However, \u2018multiples\u2019 are illegal, following an entertainingly macabre situation with one of the technology\u2019s creators, which I won\u2019t spoil.<\/p>\n<section class=\"metro-comment-cta\">\n<div class=\"metro-comment-cta__inner\"><span class=\"metro-comment-cta__text-wrap\"><title>Comment now<\/title><span class=\"metro-comment-cta__text\">What did you think of Mickey 17?<\/span><\/span><a class=\"metro-comment-cta__button\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\">Comment Now<\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>Despite his loser-like status, Mickey\u2019s security agent girlfriend Nasha (a delightfully sweary Naomi Ackie), is actually very okay with two Mickeys, even if they have to stay a secret, and here we find out that each Mickey always has a different personality. <\/p>\n<p>While Micky 17 is a bit of a wimp, played with a touch of <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2024\/09\/02\/tv-icon-66-forced-intervene-pub-fight-man-gets-punched-21534273\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Steve Buscemi<\/a> and an \u2018aw shucks\u2019 cartoon-y US accent by Pattinson, Mickey 18 is a lot meaner. A bit of a psycho in fact, one could argue \u2013 or as Nasha puts it, \u2018mild Mickey and habanero Mickey\u2019.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"349\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22666886 lazyload\" alt=\"Undated film still from Mickey 17. Pictured: Naomi Ackie as Nasha and Robert Pattinson as Mickey 17. See PA Feature SHOWBIZ Film Reviews. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature SHOWBIZ Film Reviews. PA Photo. Picture credit should read: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved. NOTE TO EDITORS: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature SHOWBIZ Film Reviews.\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/SEI_242309841-ecc1.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>Pattinson’s Mickey 17 is a triumphant performance from Pattinson, supported by fine British talent like Naomi Ackie (Picture: Warner Bros.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If anyone\u2019s still doubting that Pattinson is one of his generation\u2019s finest acting talents, Mickey 17 should silence them as <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/03\/04\/robert-pattinson-reveals-stressful-film-scene-made-inside-trousers-wet-22663648\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pattinson takes risks<\/a> and attacks not one, but two, very different characters. The film would struggle without him as its lynchpin.<\/p>\n<p>But it also left me frustrated because Mickey 17 could have been a knock-out \u2013 but it isn\u2019t. <\/p>\n<p>While a 137-minute runtime isn\u2019t particularly long nowadays, for a film as unevenly paced as this, it actually is. <\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a slow build up, with not a huge amount of character development, to get us to a riveting middle hour or so until the film gets twisted up in a drawn-out denouement.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"349\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22666891 lazyload\" alt=\"Robert Pattinson as Mickey 1 in the movie Mickey 17, floating around in outer space in a spacesuit.\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/SEI_242309826-c0fe.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>The film is a pitch dark comedy and an original sci-fi, but it sadly has frustrating pacing issues (Picture: Warner Bros.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Obviously, it was always going to be a tough ask for Bong Joon Ho to follow up the <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2020\/03\/06\/bong-joon-ho-shell-human-following-parasite-success-oscars-12361850\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ground-breaking, Oscar-winning triumph of Parasite<\/a>, but the fact it\u2019s such a tightly, perfectly packaged film almost shows up the flaws of Mickey 17 in that regard more harshly.<\/p>\n<p>When it\u2019s good, Mickey 17 is brilliant, with flashes of genius throughout thanks to its biting wit, interesting central conceit and a collection of great cast performances. <\/p>\n<p>But when it lags, it\u2019s long-winded and, dare I say, a tiny bit boring?<\/p>\n<p>However, it\u2019s hard to tire of Pattinson, or Ruffalo and Colette as a terrifyingly tanned power couple, with the actors clearly enjoying themselves immensely as vacuous, despotic maniacs \u2013 although a touch more development or backstory here could have moved them away from bordering on caricature.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"349\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22666892 lazyload\" alt=\"Undated film still from Mickey 17. Pictured: Mark Ruffalo as Kenneth Marshall and Toni Collette as Ylfa. See PA Feature SHOWBIZ Film Reviews. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature SHOWBIZ Film Reviews. PA Photo. Picture credit should read: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved. NOTE TO EDITORS: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature SHOWBIZ Film Reviews.\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/SEI_242309817-81b6.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette are entertaining as a power-hungry pair of maniacs (Picture: Warner Bros.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>There\u2019s also a fabulous bunch of British actors in support \u2013 Thomas Turgoose, Patsy Ferran, Holliday Grainger and Angus Imrie among others \u2013 which goes to show how well Bong Joon Ho\u2019s filmmaking naturally melds with a British sense of humour.<\/p>\n<p>While Mickey 17 doesn\u2019t reach the dizzying heights I hoped, it\u2019s still a mostly engaging movie \u2013 and certainly a more original concept that many a sci-fi film or TV show being pumped out right now. So see it for that, see it for Pattinson\u2019s astonishing performance(s), and see it for the fact that its quirkiness sees one actor dressed in a pigeon suit throughout.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Mickey 17 is released in cinemas on Friday, March 7.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Got a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">If you\u2019ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\">Metro.co.uk<\/a> entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/submit-stuff\/\">Submit Stuff<\/a> page – we\u2019d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mickey 17 teams up Robert Pattinson with Robert Pattinson – and Bong Joon Ho (Picture: Warner Bros.) Mickey 17 is a film even weirder than you can anticipate, and that\u2019s saying something given the hype around director Bong Joon Ho and lead star Robert Pattinson\u2019s offbeat and highly anticipated teaming up. This sci-fi\u2019s bizarreness is actually one of its strongest qualities, given the glee with which the director leans into its madcap chaos and humour. The other, undoubtedly, is Pattinson, … <a href=\"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/04\/weird-mickey-17-is-robert-pattinsons-role-of-a-lifetime-but-it-left-me-frustrated\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> “\u2018Weird\u2019 Mickey 17 is Robert Pattinson\u2019s role of a lifetime \u2013 but it left me frustrated”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":377,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=375"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":382,"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375\/revisions\/382"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}