It’s been a long wait to see director Bong Joon Ho deliver a follow-up to his Oscar-winning film Parasite, but it was worth it. Mickey 17 may not feel like a new direction for anyone familiar with the filmmaker’s work, but that’s hardly an issue when watching one of the great modern filmmakers being handed a sizable budget to make a gleefully cynical science fiction comedy. A bit rough around the edges in terms of momentum and overall structure, the film more than makes up for it thanks to putting that budget on the screen for viewers to enjoy, doubling down on its very relevant messaging, and letting this cast run wild in a good way, headed up by an as-always committed Robert Pattinson as a well-meaning, goofy-voiced weirdo. If audiences are pining for something (relatively) original, here’s a good reason to go to the movies.
Based on the 2022 novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton, Pattinson stars as Mickey Barnes, a simple guy who has racked up a lot of debt, along with his childhood friend Timo (Steven Yeun), which leads to the obvious solution – get off the planet. The film is set in a future where a spaceship full of humans is headed to a distant planet to set up a new colony. In this future, cloning exists, but it’s been essentially outlawed except for one scenario. This is where Mickey comes in, as he has signed up to be an “expendable.” This is essentially a disposable clone worker who can be placed on various dangerous missions with no worries, as he will simply have a new body regenerated each time he dies, complete with all his previous memories. However, things become more complicated when one of Mickey’s iterations isn’t quite as dead as expected, resulting in two Mickeys existing at once, which is strictly forbidden. That said, this complication may rub up against another encroaching issue – the local occupants of the planet the humans have landed on appearing as a possible threat.
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Right off the bat, I was impressed by the film’s scope. I say that knowing the movie’s first shot is a big closeup of Mickey waking up in a snowy cave. The scale may not be as apparent as the grand things feel during the film’s hectic third act. However, when considering where these characters are, the context of the scene as we come to understand what’s taking place, and what Pattinson’s screen energy is capable of, there is something to be said about a filmmaker who knows what they are doing finding way to take advantage of working within a major American studio system.
Bong is no stranger to films with a broader scope. Be it his monster movie, The Host, or his dystopian sci-fi thriller Snowpiercer, the South Korean filmmaker has had plenty of experience in this sort of space. For Mickey 17, when not dialed into the singular antics of a Mickey (or two) on their own in the wilderness of space or otherworldly environments, we are treated to this larger world around him that is made up of troubling guidelines lorded over by a buffoonish politician (Mark Ruffalo) and his power-hungry wife (Toni Collette) who use religion and fearmongering as a means to justify actions rooted in the ugly sides of capitalism and colonialism, among other principles that should sound all too familiar.
There’s certainly more to say about what it is the film’s politicians are up to, what they stand for, etc., and while Ruffalo, in particular, is doing a terrific job of hamming it up as Kenneth Marshall, the greater treat is this whole spaceship setup that is cleverly conceived both in a practical manner, as well as one reflecting the film’s themes. While understanding the logic at play as to the basics of how this place functions (rationing meals and the recycling of wastes), there’s also the geography. Mickey’s cloning chamber is right above the ship’s “underworld,” where everything is disposed of in what resembles a molten lava pit. It’s functional, evocative, and memorable. Class-based themes are always of interest to Bong, and while Snowpiercer, for example, made it very clear how to separate classes via the location of the different train cars, Mickey 17 has plenty of its own ways to provide various signifiers.
There’s much to like here in terms of just being a comedy set in a sci-fi world. Pattinson is key to all of it. Between his running narration and choices for portraying different versions of the same person, there’s so much to admire about an actor confident enough to let himself look ridiculous. That said, there’s even more value in seeing what’s going on behind those choices in ways that strengthen the character. It’s all the more beneficial when the film settles on how we should understand the opposing Mickeys and reckon with how they approach certain obstacles during the film’s climax.
Also very good in this film is Naomi Ackie as Nasha Barridge, a security agent and Mickey’s girlfriend. She’s not only willing to play along with the fun energy of this film but allowed to lean into romance in a manner that goes against the grain of the sexless blockbusters of modern times. That’s not even saying there’s anything all that explicit in this film (it’s a pretty tame R rating, all things considered), but just seeing the difference that comes from a director like Bong who isn’t hung up on franchise demands or what has been proven favorable according to algorithms, allows for performers to not only play off solid chemistry but engage in a way that feels appropriately intimate, strengthening the characters and the core narrative.
I need to also reiterate how good this movie looks. Shot by Darius Khondji, there’s a strong grasp of what Bong is going for when it comes to the different layers of the interiors and the vast expansiveness of the greater planet these characters arrive at. Adding further to this are the terrific visual effects, which allow us to see seamless shots of cloned Mickeys moving around each other, as well as some wonderful alien creations that manage to take up a lot of screentime and often feel pretty tactile in their depiction. Coming from the studio that just gave us the now Oscar-winning visual effects of Dune: Part Two, it’s no surprise to see work this effective, but it’s impressive nonetheless.
This whole film is impressive. It’s bold in a way I can stand behind, as ambition is undoubtedly winning out, but not without considering what an audience would likely enjoy, let alone what they will walk away with. The film may be a bit too long and arrive at an ending that may feel a bit cleaner than expected (or implied), but it’s not too much of a concern. It’s an excellent showcase for all involved, particularly Pattinson, who is entirely great at bringing his offbeat indie film personality into a big-budget sci-fi flick, and Bong, who is not at all looking like he’s watered down his sensibilities for a more mainstream crowd. Instead, here’s a fun time at the movies that’s not without spreading a bleak message surrounding how those in charge may handle things and what it takes to create possible change, one dead clone at a time.
Mickey 17 opens in theaters and IMAX on March 7, 2025.
