Mickey 17

Based on a novel titled Mickey7 by Edward Ashton, this movie is a trip. It’s set in the future when humanity has struck out to create new colonies on other planets and has no qualms at all about cloning.

‍

There are so many scenes that make a strong visual impression and the story is a satire about power-hungry rulers that use religion and ideas of white supremacy to control people. But what makes this movie worth watching is the performance by Robert Pattinson. He uses his body and his voice to affect various iterations of himself, some goofy, some aggressive. Pattinson gives an amazing performance as the various Mickeys.

‍

One of the major themes is exploitation: of the working class (of Mickey, in particular), of nature, and of a species that humanity sees no immediate need or use for and assumes the worst about. That species, the native fauna of the planet they’ve chosen to colonize, is a sentient animal that looks like a giant tardigrade.

‍

This film is absurd, violent, dark, and in some places, upsetting. It’s political commentary that hits directly on the nose, there is no subtlety, but Pattinson’s acting is phenomenal.

‍