Mickey 17 was an unexpected delight that reminded me of why I loved Starship Troopers so much as a kid. In the last couple years it feels like film has put sci-fi to the wayside. I grew up on space operas and sci-fi adventures from film and TV and books. But in the last couple years I feel like it’s dried up. And Mickey 17 made me realize that. We don’t get movies like Starship Troopers in 2025. But then walks in Mickey 17, somehow really timely despite the delays in releasing the movie, and chock full of nostalgia for why I love sci-fi so much. There’s also the fact that Robert Pattinson, I didn’t know he could act like this.
In my mind, Pattinson still is that guy from Twilight. He has tried to shed that reputation over various projects like Batman or Tenant. But I will be the first to admit that it’s still really hard to shake that image of him from Twilight. But Mickey 17 really made me take pause and admire his acting abilities. Because he didn’t just play one character. He played multiple versions of himself. And each time they were distinct. In general, his Mickey had such a distinct personality and way of moving through life, that you couldn’t help but sit up in attention. Even the voice work was unique and memorable. And it’s clear to see that Robert Pattinson is one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood. Period.
Through Mickey’s eyes we got to see a world destroyed by their own hubris and greed. We also got to see how no matter where you go, there will be a swindler who wants to make a frozen planet great again and eliminate the local population for their own gain. And I know it’s really hard to follow something as celebrated as Parasite for Bong Joon Ho, but I think he did an amazing job in Mickey 17 at hitting some staple themes of sci-fi in a timely way. In this movie we definitely saw themes of immigration, colonization, and the eradication of a native population simply because we don’t speak the same language or choose to demonize them first before even trying to understand them. Thank God they had Mickey.
The creatures of this ice planet were an unexpected but welcome aspect of Mickey 17. Like I said earlier, I loved Starship Troopers. I’ve always enjoyed a little bit of a monster element to things. But in Mickey 17, these aren’t monsters. These are the native population who have community, thoughts, and family. They aren’t the same portrayal like in Starship Troopers. And Mickey being able to communicate with them completely changed the direction that this movie was going in. Mickey didn’t intend to save an entire species from destroying another when he set off from Earth. But he did. He did something extraordinary by being himself in a world that saw him as expendable.
Another aspect that I really really enjoyed from Mickey 17 is his relationship with Nasha, played by Naomi Ackie. She wasn’t perfect by any means. And there were moments where I felt a little bit annoyed with her. But that made me like her even more. No character should be perfect. And that’s especially something we don’t see when it comes to women. So I love that Nasha was messy but absolutely came through when Mickey needed her. She was capable, already steps ahead of everyone else, and had confidence in her abilities and in Mickey. Basically he wouldn’t have survived without her.
Mickey 17 also has this theme of choice that I really enjoyed. You can choose to do the right thing even when you are chock-full of so much rage and anger. There’s a choice to be made. And that angry version of Mickey, he saw how Mickey 17 was and he chose to do the right thing. His sacrifice saved everyone. And it also put a glaring eye on Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette’s characters. Because out of everyone, they were the delusional ones. They were the ones who had no regard for life. And every choice that they made was for their image and comfort. Let me be clear about that. It wasn’t about survival for these two characters. It was about feeling good. And that really is timely commentary on a 2025 world where image and personal comfort trump the good of the people.
Mickey 17 is now in theaters.
