Photo courtesy of Amazon.
We are in a new age of political commentary through entertainment. Anti-war and anti-dictatorship films have always emerged in times of struggle or tension within nations, and Bong Joon-ho, director of one of the most critically acclaimed films of the 21 century, “Parasite,” may not be American, but has officially dipped his foot in the risky waters of United States political filmmaking with his sci-fi comedy “Mickey 17.” His point was made, but how has this affected his legacy?
The film stars Robert Pattinson’s Mickey, a man living in a time where he makes money working on a spaceship as a borderline test dummy for anything deadly because of his unique ability to be “printed” out again after dying, restoring his memories each time. However, the true conversation piece is Mark Ruffalo’s Kenneth Marshall, an oblivious dictator who led the interstellar expedition and is heavily based on and is a parody of President Donald Trump.
Many other socio-political issues are referenced in the film, containing themes of racism and the inherent American instinct to conquer. On their voyage, the crew stumbles upon native creatures of a foreign planet and quickly turns to violence, fearing the unknown rather than trying to understand it. While these symbolic nods add lots of meaning to the silly, comedic plot, some of the character development and individual story arcs get lost in the process. Joon-ho used too much of a mainstream lens on a topic he has had no problem staying grounded with in the past.
In a time where shows like “Saturday Night Live” and films like Ali Abbasi’s “The Apprentice” have called out right wing political leaders time and time again, there has been a heavy reevaluation of how politics should be addressed or critiqued in entertainment. While Joon-ho certainly had a clear-cut vision that resulted in remarkable visuals and camerawork, some of the battles he tried to fight regarding world issues felt too on the nose, giving mature arguments an immature feeling and giving the right ideas the wrong reputation.
Joon-ho has a history of large-scale projects like “Snowpiercer,” but where he shines in my eyes is in his grounded work, displaying his abilities best in “Parasite” and “Memories of Murder.” But “Mickey 17’s” slightly dull writing and stunning visuals gets its point across clearly, but at what cost? Joon-ho is nothing short of a modern-day visionary, consistently bringing a reliably fresh approach to such a stagnant era in the mainstream. However, mainstream stigmas are addictive, and while “Mickey 17” was an enjoyable two-hour watch, it leaves you with a lingering feeling that Joon-ho is slipping into the addiction.