Film Reviews by Cliff Homewood
Two black comedies released near each other both from decent directors. The Monkey is from Osgood Perkins who scored well with Longlegs last year and Mickey 17 from Bong Joon Ho who struck glory (and an Oscar) with Parasite in 2019. The leads play more than one character in both: twin brothers in The Monkey, Christian Convery was so good I didn’t even realise it was the same actor, and clones in Mickey 17.
Now let’s see how I got on with both.
The Monkey
Based on a Stephen King short story, this had good word of mouth and I really enjoyed Longlegs previously.
It starts with our hero as a boy, this first half I really enjoyed, good emotional connection, an interesting enough but hoary plotline. The cursed item has a lovely setup with Adam Scott. Really cool and fascinating – what’s with the Union Jack, is this set in England? A bit gory for my liking but I liked the black comedy. The film is set in America with people dying in outlandish ways. This is where the black comedy comes in, if you are the type to see a gory death and think that’s hilarious you will love this film. I did not. Once Theo James took over as the adult main character, he had become insular and unlikeable, prioritising other stuff over his son all the time. As we follow him the film became dull, which it wasn’t when we watched the tension between him and his brother as children, now you are just waiting for the next kill. It became a splatter movie.
I wasn’t finding these deaths funny, the most amusing one already featured in the promotional material, just a bit gross. I love a good blackly comic death, the stairlift in Gremlins for instance. That film made you hate the lady first though so when she died it was cathartic. Stephen King must know about such things, this film however doesn’t. We don’t know the people who die and therefore don’t care about them but there was also no reason for them to die (apart from the curse). I’m theorising here, either you find it funny or you don’t. In sketches it’s funny, Kenny Everett’s bloody DIY man Reg Prescott was hilarious. But in a movie supposedly set in the real world it wasn’t working and as there wasn’t much story I was bored. Until his brother returns to the story and peps it up. The final third of the film I enjoyed but not sure I would have endured the mid-section at home. The finale was tense, although predictable at times, with a lovely depiction of the hell the cursed monkey could bring. Story also returned to the fore with the wrap up.
Ultimately not a film I’m keen on. Although better than The Mangler, its possessed item mechanic puts The Monkey more at that level than his many good films. We even had a TV series, Friday the 13th the series, where every episode revolved around a different cursed item.
Stephen King enthused about this film, “You’ve never seen anything like THE MONKEY. It’s bats*** insane. As someone who has indulged in batsh******* from time to time, I say that with admiration.”
Mickey 17
It’s guys like you Mickey
In 2019 everyone loved Parasite, I did not. The Handmaiden had done a similar storyline better. Parasite lost its way in the second half. I was a big fan of the director’s SF film The Host so looked forward to seeing what he came up with. I love Asian cinema, the fact there’s no reverence in their films and genres are jumped willingly, they make a refreshing change from the Hollywood formula.
From the beginning of the film I thought this is good Science Fiction. Like a lot of the best SF it uses SF to reflect us now. How those at the top don’t care for those at the bottom, we are expendable. China for instance during WW2 said we can’t provide much in the way of weapons, but we can provide plenty of bodies. We are all guilty of man’s inhumanity to man, how many people haven’t bought cheap clothes or a brand like Nike, unconcerned about possible children in sweatshops making them. Mickey 17 is someone who is literally expendable. He gets into a bad situation and is desperate to get out. He signs a bad contract but doesn’t care, it gets him off world, away from a very interesting take on debt collectors. I liked the SF gadget used in their chasing down of their prey. His contract says he’s expendable. Anything you want done that might kill somebody, send Mickey. I’m not sure on the idea of having a 3D printer create his replacement body when he dies, either I’m not moving with the times or this film is too rooted in it, time will tell. Just felt a bit tacky. The film finds humour in the disregard for life, when a person is expendable and can be recreated people may care less for his safety and wellbeing. There’ll be another one along in a moment. It is not a comedy although there is sharp humour. It reminded me though of Avenue 5, a series that was meant to be a comedy but not that funny. A similar harshly satiric sensibility and cold forensic analysis of those in charge, but tighter than that rambling series. Mark Ruffalo is good as the leader (some people think he’s channelling Trump but the Director denies it). All he is concerned about is how he looks and how he can profit. Mickey 17 is a great satire on those in charge being puppets as he literally turns to his wife to discuss what he’s doing during a speech! Toni Collette plays his cold-hearted bitch wife, superb as always, you really hate her, whilst Ruffalo is just full of himself, pursing his lips in a funny way and pouting like a peacock. He felt less Mark Ruffalo than usual, therefore a good performance.
The film has an extensive and enjoyable flashback, it shows you the history of the creation and exploitation of the device, explaining why it was banned on Earth. Good SF, an exploration of the idea of replicating people and its ramifications. Alas there are some plot holes in the second half and character motivation can get dubious. The callous leader declares no relationships on board ship, but its never pursued and blatantly ignored later in the film. Mickey 17 appears not to be that bright and has an attitude that his whole life is punishment for a mistake made when young. Yet another incarnation appears to be more intelligent without any explanation why.
In places it reminded me of the great Farscape. although probably not in the way you expect.
Mickey 17 has many twists and turns, like a typical Bong Joon Ho film you don’t know from one minute to the next where it is going, which helps make it fresh and forgive its less credulous moments. It’s good to see an original story come out of Hollywood. In the recent interview with Odeon he is asked, in the book Mickey dies 7 times, why did you chose to kill him 10 more times to which Bong Joon replied, “I kind of regret it. Maybe Mickey 37 would have been a better choice.”