Mickey 17

Last night my nephew and I saw Mickey 17 with a large crowd at the Broadway and it is the most fun I have had at a movie this year!  Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) and his friend Timo (Steven Yeun) are on the run from a loan shark and decide that their only option is to join a crew leaving Earth to colonize the planet Niflheim under the leadership of a failed politician named Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) and his scheming wife Ylfa (Toni Collette).  Timo signs up as a pilot but, because he has no skills, Mickey signs up as an "expendable" which means that he is given lethal assignments and is reprinted with his memories intact every time he dies.  On the voyage to Niflheim, Mickey begins a relationship with a security guard named Nasha Barridge (Naomi Ackie) and is reprinted seventeen times.  Once on Niflheim, Mickey 17 is assigned to capture one of the native lifeforms, insect-like creatures dubbed "creepers."  When he falls into a crevasse and is swarmed by the creepers, he is presumed dead and is reprinted again but the creepers rescue him resulting in two iterations which is forbidden.  Mickey 17 and Mickey 18 fight each other for control but they ultimately join with Nasha to save the creepers, and the planet, from Marshall's tyranny.  This is a hilarious satire with commentary on the evils of authoritarianism, religion (one of the funniest scenes is when Marshall's religious advisor, played by Daniel Henshall, leads a group in song), and colonialism as well as the ethics of cloning, the fear of death, and the futility of guilt.  Admittedly, there is a lot going on and the narrative does become a bit unwieldy with lots of subplots and unnecessary characters but the theme that resonates the most is the economic disparity found in a post-capitalist society (which is popular with director Bong Joon Ho).  Pattinson gives an absolutely bonkers performance (with two more silly voices in his repertoire and an impressive physicality) that is both highly sympathetic and fun to watch.  Ruffalo and Collette are completely over the top but I suspect that people will either love or hate what Ruffalo does with the character.  The production design and visual effects are distinctive and add to the overall dystopian tone and I loved the ponderous score.  This will not be for everyone but the dark humor really worked for me and I had a blast watching it with a crowd who laughed out loud every time I did.