Science fiction is often considered to be as expansive and limitless as the universe itself might well be. The genre has touched areas that no other has been able to. With stories spanning alien invasions, time travel and even intergalactic civil wars, many fans of this genre have been left wondering if there is any frontier yet to be explored by science fiction.
Now while many may think that Star Wars: The Clone Wars covers it pretty expansively, the actual concept of cloning multiple human beings isn’t quite expanded upon in the way that Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17 did. Referred to as expendables, the clones of this world exist as an experimental discovery as a way to attempt to test for diseases as humanity expands from Earth to new, exciting territories.
The main character of the film, Mickey, chooses to volunteer for the program and ends up experiencing death 16 times. Through studies conducted on his corpse, the scientists on the ship on which he is traveling can treat the pathogens and other environmentally unfriendly factors that harm him to leave the rest of the guests unharmed on the ship.
Despite this compelling storyline, many viewers were taken aback by the subtle political commentary that takes place. The main villain of the film, Kenneth Marshal, portrayed by Mark Ruffalo, bears remarkably similar speaking mannerisms and radical tendencies often associated with President Donald Trump. To top it off, Marshall is inflicted with a gunshot wound that resembles the wounds the United States president suffered during a recent assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Although this choice was likely intended as nothing more than a satirical metaphor for the audience to enjoy, several Cubs who viewed the film had various comments regarding this choice.
Conrad Mills ’26 lauded, “I was enjoying the film, but the Trump reference killed my immersion into the universe I was in.”
Conversely, Matthew Seagers ’26 commented, “That was a creative touch. I didn’t even notice it until it was explicitly pointed out to me.”
Although this choice was likely intended as nothing more than a slick parallel for the audience to enjoy, some may have viewed it as too controversial. Despite this choice, the film received a solid 77% on Rotten Tomatoes and 73% audience score.
Personally, I quite enjoyed the film for its mixture of slick political undertones and sci-fi overtones, and would rate it an 8/10.
