Sometimes great directors miss the mark completely. That's exactly what happened with "Mickey 17," the latest film from the Oscar-winning director of "Parasite." What should have been an exciting sci-fi dark comedy starring Robert Pattinson as an "expendable" colonizing an ice planet turned out to be a tremendous disappointment.
Despite assembling an impressive cast including Pattinson, Mark Ruffalo, Toni Collette, and Steven Yeun, the film wastes their considerable talents with a script that's more bizarre than brilliant. Ruffalo's character choices feel particularly jarring—an over-the-top caricature that seems to channel Donald Trump without adding any meaningful commentary. Meanwhile, Pattinson, who has proven his acting chops in films like "The Batman," is saddled with a goofy character and strange vocal delivery that undermines his natural abilities.
The fundamental problem with "Mickey 17" isn't its weird premise—it's that the weirdness doesn't serve any purpose. A dark comedy needs humor, yet this film provides none. A sci-fi adventure needs characters worth caring about, yet not a single personality in this movie inspires emotional investment. The random elements that could make for an interesting experimental film never coalesce into anything meaningful. While some viewers may find deeper artistic value here (just as many did with "The Shape of Water," another film that left me cold), I can only give "Mickey 17" one star out of five. If you're craving this director's work, skip this disappointment and rewatch "Parasite" instead—it remains a masterclass in filmmaking that "Mickey 17" fails to approach.
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