After director Bong Joon Ho won multiple Oscars for Parasite, he could’ve done anything. Made any movie he wanted. And the movie he chose was about a man who continues to die and be cloned, finding himself in the middle of a socio-political firestorm about cuddly alien slugs. Mickey 17 was released earlier this year and kind of tanked at the box office, which is a shame. It’s incredibly unique, weird, and infinitely watchable. A fact pretty much the entire world who didn’t see it in theaters can find out very very soon. It’s coming to HBO Max May 23.
It’s also got an incredible cast. Robert Pattinson is the title character, Mickey, a man who has gone through 17 iterations of himself and finally meets another version. Mark Ruffalo is an all-too-recognizable right-wing political leader. Toni Collette is his creepily cheerful wife. Star Wars star Naomi Ackie is Mickey’s kick-ass partner, and Steven Yeun is his questionable friend. It’s a who’s who of people you’d pay to see in almost anything.
But people did not pay. Because Mickey 17 is incredibly hard to put in a single box. Even my review of it admitted there are some issues there, especially in how the film handles its politics. That’s just one opinion, though. Now it’s on a streaming service that you might already pay for and we predict people are going to fall for it.
Because it’s Bong Joon Ho. He’s amazing. And Mickey 17 is wild. It’s funny, gross, and unforgettable, even if you don’t love it. People will love it, though, thanks to all of those things, the incredible performances, and the crazy places the story goes. So, this Memorial Day week, you can definitely go to the theaters and see the new Mission: Impossible, or you can stay home and see another big-screen banger you probably missed earlier this year: Mickey 17.
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