Why So Blu?

Mickey 17 (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)

Film fanatics have long been enjoying the feasts of Bong Joon Ho’s labors.  His films are visually striking, and his screenwriting is bitingly satirical and socially conscious.  The challenging filmmaking goes noticed in all the best ways and those who see his films eat those ideas up! Mickey 17 sat waiting for release delayed for a while and when the film finally was released, unfortunately it failed to reach the audience it might have been able to generate with more promotion or stronger word of mouth.  Now, Mickey and his 17…or is it…18??… are available to own on disc… Will you be wanting to bring him home?

Film

The unlikely hero, Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) has found himself in the extraordinary circumstance of working for an employer who demands the ultimate commitment to the job… to die, for a living.

Our first glimpse of Mickey Barnes is of him being left for dead.  He is stuck in an icy crevasse with no hope of getting out.  His flight partner Timo (Steven Yeun) doesn’t even rescue him.  He rescues his gun instead.  The sight is ghastly to put it kindly. We then learn that Mickey has been put on the ice planet of Niflheim. There, he takes a job as an “Expendable.” “Expendables” search the planet for “Creepers” which they kill to destroy the pathogens they leave behind. While they are being killed, scientists at the base can conceive a vaccine to make the inhabitants of Niflheim immune to the pathogens.

This job is controversial, as it requires Mickey to go on dangerous missions, often risking his life.  The rub is, if he dies, he has been cloned and his memories stored so his body can be regenerated and recreated to go back out for other missions. This comes as no surprise to anyone on Niflheim.  Not even Mickey’s hot-to-trot girlfriend Nasha (Naomi Ackie), a security agent. Hot-to-trot you ask? Yes, because she’s not a bit bothered by her boyfriend dying and being cloned over and over – a new version any time.  And Mickey isn’t just in a thing with Nasha, there’s other women vying for his attention too.

Besides his love life and work life, there is Mickey’s boss: Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo).  A serial egotist, he runs the planet with his wife Ylfa (Toni Collette) who may be doing more ruling than he is.  Kenneth is a bit of a Trump caricature, and regardless of what Bong may have said of this character, it’s undeniably Trump that he imbues. Ylfa is the more ruthless of the two characters.  But, back to the plot, shall we?

Mickey was supposed to have died in the icy crevasse, and his body has regenerated back at home.  Instead of dying, Mickey 17 is saved by a Creeper, who tells his creeper friends to trust Mickey. So, Mickey 17 can return to base to find himself meeting Mickey 18.  Big surprise.  To no avail, this derails the plans of the project. 17 also learns that 18 is far more aggressive. Marshall’s idea is that should a clone survive, it must be destroyed, so 18 decides he must kill 17. This is when 17 talks 18 into rotating duties and dying to both stay alive.

This doesn’t work from the get-go. 17 discovers Timo selling fuel as a drug and 18 tries to kill him as well. The pair don’t fare well dealing with Nasha or the other woman crushing on 17, Kai.  After a night out with Marshall and Ylfa where he is fed experimental “meat” and drugged with painkillers, 17 wages a plan to make peace with all Creepers and rid Niflheim of the Marshalls for good.

If any of this sounds interesting to you, I am extremely happy for you.  I was disappointed to find that Mickey 17 did nothing for me in any manner.  For entertainment’s sake, or otherwise I was flummoxed looking for any redeeming value for myself.  I was not entertained watching the film for nearly 2 and a half hours.  While I’m not as well versed in Bong Joon Ho’s work as some are, I do know his prowess and here the trademarks did not work for me.  Performance wise, I found Robert Pattinson to be generally excellent even not understanding a great deal of what’s going on. His doe-eyed Mickey has a sweetness you don’t find in most sci-fi heroes. I felt the same appreciation for Naomi Ackie who has delivered quite a few times over the last year or so in Blink Twice and was the only bright spot in the otherwise dismal Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody which did nothing but act as a scrubbed clean greatest hits re-enactment of the incredible singer’s life. Here she shines as a swaggering masculine-feminine hybrid.

Beyond the pair of leads I found the supporting cast of A-listers and beyond to be either grating or underutilized.  I have never disliked a Toni Collette performance and here, her bonkers histrionics left me more annoyed than entertained.  Mark Ruffalo’s Donald Trump impersonation feels like a rehash of YouTube reels I try to silence in my feed.  And don’t get me started on the pacing, the set and outdoor locations and the overall story. None of it worked for me.  Mickey 17 just felt like a film going around in circles, with very little purpose other than to confound and annoy.

Now, if you are a person who enjoyed Mickey 17, I know you are certainly not alone.  The film did not do well in theaters, but a good majority of people who saw the film liked it.  I had a few friends and colleagues who especially enjoyed the film.  I’ve even had some discussions that shed some light on the things I couldn’t wrap my head around.  I appreciate the point of views, and I will always listen to someone’s different opinion of something I don’t enjoy.  This film however will likely always be a one-time watch for me.

I give the film it’s due for effort. If nothing more, I do see there was some ambition and thought put into what was committed to film.  I think in the end Mickey 17 feels like a gigantic budget arthouse film.  There is a definite audience for Mickey 17, but at the end of the day, that audience doesn’t have me in it.  I will say that I am glad that there is a major deficit of negative reviews compared to the more positive ones. That means hopefully more people will take the time to actually see the film instead of taking my own grumpy words for it.  Now, onto the technical stuff!

Video

Encoding: HEVC / H.265

Resolution: 2160p

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

HDR: Dolby Vision

Layers: BD-66

Clarity/Detail: Visually speaking, Mickey 17 was made for the 4K format. The film has many dense set pieces and “outdoor” scenes on Niflheim. The base set piece is a typical ugly, dingy place and it’s full of things to take in.  From the reproduction pods to the living quarters to the bunker style home of the Marshalls.  Everything is in full focus with the wide-open frame on screen.

Depth: Vast wintery landscapes and claustrophobic living quarters both benefit from competent lensing and focus work. Details are evident with snowy textures, and nothing looks overly smoothed out during movement moments.

Black Levels:  Darkness abounds for much of Mickey 17, and nothing is lost in the shadows. Thankfully, black crush is also not invited to this odd party, so you’ll never lose sight of what’s going on.

Color Reproduction: Colors are muted per artist intent, and it suits the film perfectly.  Reds are more burgundy, and blues are more teal… you get the picture.

Skin Tones: Flesh tones are natural to a cold climate.  Pale.  With no make-up gaffes, the overall look appears as it should for where the film takes place.

Noise/Artifacts: Not an issue in sight.

Audio

Audio Format(s): English Dolby Atmos, English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish

Dynamics: Dolby Atmos enhances not only the claustrophobia of the main base and quarters of Niflheim and simultaneously the desolation of the ice planet outside of the base. Echoes and wind both share subtle space in the height speakers while LFE booms when it presents itself in the spare moments of action.

Height: Height channels work wonders in making the spaces within scenes small or large depending on the locations.  Within the sound field, these speakers are complimentary regardless, but their usage is subtle and mild compared to some of the more bombastic mixes you might be used to, however the efforts to deliver the goods for atmospherics are still very noticeable.

Low Frequency Extension: Bass is delivered in heavy doses during the few heavier moments of action.  There are also a few instances where low end rumble comes via “creepers” and some aircrafts as well.

Surround Sound Presentation: Surround activity is busy in moments where the base is the location.  Constant incoherent chatter along with machine noise and even Mickey’s inner monologue surround you at times.

Dialogue: Dialogue is always intelligible regardless of which speaker it may be coming from.

Extras

Mickey 17 comes to 4K with a single-disc slipcover edition that has artwork similar to the poster.  This release comes with a digital code. A separate Steelbook release includes a bundled Blu-ray, and its artwork isn’t far off from the slipcover art. Bonuses for the film are standard fare, but worth at least one watch.

• Behind the Lens: Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17 (11:35) – Cast and crew take a little over 10 minutes to discuss the journey of bringing Bong’s bizarre new vision to the screen.

• Mickey 17: A World Reimagined (9:47) – Not unlike the first feature, this one goes further by discussing the design of the film.

• The Faces of Niflheim (8:03) – This piece goes into the casting of the film.

• Trailers (2 trailers, 4:44 approx. for both)

Summary

Mickey 17 will without doubt delight many film fans.  The responses I’ve noticed in my own readings and research has been skewed across the board.  Some good, some bad.  I wouldn’t say that’s a bad thing.  The good thing about this, is that films are and will always be subjective and as such, they’re always a choose your own adventure situation.  So go into it how you choose, and remember, just because I didn’t like it, doesn’t mean you won’t! The presentation here is beautiful and that same spirit put into other Bong Joon Ho films like Okja and Parasite is somewhere in Mickey 17. So, check it out for yourself, and see if this is your kind of Sci-fi/Satire.

Get a copy of Mickey 17 HERE

Get the Mickey 17 Steelbook HERE