'Mickey 17': Bong Joon-ho Delivers a Messy, Fun Sci-fi Satire

PHOTO: Warner Bros. Pictures

After the breakthrough success of 2019’s Parasite, Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho received a letter from Martin Scorsese that said “You’ve done well. Now rest. But don’t rest for too long.” This was a sentiment shared by other filmmakers and film lovers in general, as anticipation for whatever Bong had in store next was extremely high. Now, six years after the release of Parasite comes Mickey 17, a sci-fi film set in the not too distant future. Armed with Bong’s strange sense of humor and satirical leanings, the film is one of his more ambitious projects to date, and will please fans of his work. Those expecting something akin to Parasite, however, will likely be disappointed. If anything, this film has more of a resemblance to Bong’s 2017 film Okja than anything, and is certainly on the more bombastic end of his filmography. It certainly is a wilder ride than most may expect, and though it may be messy, it still manages to be one of the first great films of 2025.

Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) needs to get off of Earth immediately. He and his friend, Timo (Steven Yeun) are being hunted down by a ruthless loan shark, and decide to sign up to join a crew on a spaceship that seeks to colonize the planet of Niflheim. Timo is able to become a shuttle pilot, but Mickey ends up signing on to be an “Expendable”. In this position, Mickey is put in dangerous situations where he dies repeatedly, only to be regenerated each time. Now on his 17th go-round, Mickey falls through a hole in the ice while on a mission, and is left for dead. However, Mickey miraculously survives and makes it back to the spaceship and meets Mickey 18, the newly generated version of him. The two clash and struggle to get along, but soon find themselves banding together to save the ship from the rule of Kenneth Marshall, a failed politician who is leading the colonization mission. 

As someone who has seen all of Bong Joon-ho’s films, I have noticed a bit of a difference between his Korean language films and his English language ones. His Korean films tend to be a little more serious and feel a bit closer to reality even with his stylistic flourishes, while all of his English films to date have elements of sci-fi and fantasy in them and lean more into the spectacle of things. Throughout all of his films, he has a penchant for social commentary and satire, which is certainly true for Mickey 17. The film also follows suit with his other English language films, as it takes elements of sci-fi and blends it with his humor and distinctive lens. 

The one other thing that his English language films share in common is that they are all flawed, yet interesting works, and the same can certainly be said for Mickey 17. Bong adapted this film from the novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he tried to cram in as many of the book’s plot threads into the film as possible. The film feels a bit overstuffed, with some storylines feeling a bit underdeveloped. Not to mention that there is a ton of exposition that gets fed to us at the beginning, which introduces some elements that feel a bit extraneous in the grand scheme of things. Once the film gets to the meat of things, it works really well, but there are some elements and characters that could have been refined or simply thrown out. For example, there is a character named Kai who is interesting and the film tees her up to seem like she will have a much larger bearing on the story, but the film kind of abandons her storyline during the second act. There is also the matter of the loan shark that is after Mickey and Timo, which has a weird presence in the film, ultimately feeling inconsequential aside from being the reason why they end up on the ship. This gets brought up a couple of times later on, and had me going “Oh yeah, I forgot about that” in both instances. It’s things like this that make the film a bit of a mess, but everything else is so good, that it more than makes up for it.

Bong has such an incredible cinematic eye, and is able to create unique, fully realized imagery that stands apart from his contemporaries. This is especially true here and in all of his more fantastical works, as it gives him plenty of room to embrace his weirder side and allows him to flex his creative muscles. The world he creates in this film may not be vibrant, but it has a sleekness that feels in line with his visual style. I am also a sucker for a good creature, and I loved the design for the creepers, as they are unnerving, yet strangely lovable. The sillier tone of the film might put off those expecting this to be a bit more serious, but I was all for it. It feels perfectly in line with Bong’s oeuvre, and helps make the film fun. There are a number of moments and sequences that show his skill, and shows off his more comedic side as well. But what really impressed me is that at the film’s core, there is a clear message of humanity, warning about the rampant discrimination and mistreatment towards marginalized groups that is present in much of the world today. This is seen in the storytelling and is blatantly stated throughout the film, but it is made all the more stronger due to the humanity that flows through it. This is thanks to the characterization and the performances from the film’s cast, but also the core ideas that Bong explores throughout the film. It may not be the most nuanced way to handle such weighty topics, but I must say it worked quite well for me. 

Robert Pattinson has proven himself to be one of our most fascinating and more versatile actors, and this film continues to show his range. For much of the film, he plays the dual roles of Mickey 17 and Mickey 18, both of whom have different personalities. 17 is more innocent and is in an almost constant state of anxiety and bewilderment, while 18 is brave and volatile. Pattinson differentiates between them effortlessly, even down to the vocal choices he makes for them. His performances in this film are impressive on a technical level, yet he feels so natural at the same time. He and Bong truly are a match made in Heaven, and I hope that the two will collaborate again in the future.

When I saw Naomi Ackie in Blink Twice last year, I found myself liking her as a performer, but felt like she was capable of more than what that film gave her. As it turns out, I was correct, as this film acts as a great showcase of her talents, and positions her as one of its most driving forces. Ackie plays Nasha, a security agent on the spaceship and Mickey’s love interest. Ackie comes into this film with such an alluring energy, and is so engaging all throughout. She makes a sizable impression on the film, and has such good chemistry with Pattinson. She especially shines in the film’s third act, where she really gets the chance to let loose. If this film is any indication, Ackie has the potential to be one of our next great stars, and this is easily her best performance yet in my book.

The main cast is rounded out by Steven Yeun, Mark Ruffalo, and Toni Collette, all of whom I have varying opinions on. Yeun is pretty good, playing a bit of a slimy character. I feel that he isn’t given all that much to work as his character’s plotline is one of the weakest of the film, but Yeun still makes the most of it all the same. Ruffalo’s performance is sure to be a divisive element of the film, as it is rather hammy and might be off-putting to some. I actually liked it for the most part, although it does come off a touch annoying at times. The performance will have most people drawing comparisons to Donald Trump, as there are certain mannerisms and details that are obviously inspired by him. However, Ruffalo’s performance feels more like an amalgam of multiple people, and likely wasn’t inspired wholly by Trump. He does feel cartoonish, but it largely works for what Bong is trying to accomplish with the character and the film at large. It isn’t Ruffalo’s best work, nor is it 100 percent successful, but it is an aspect that hits far more than it misses. Collette’s performance is unfortunately the only one that didn’t work for me. It’s not terrible necessarily, but it is rather grating and quite disappointing given how much I enjoy her as an actor. Much like Ruffalo, she’s giving a big performance, but it feels a bit one-dimensional (largely due to how the character is written) and like she’s doing way too much as a whole. Thankfully, she’s used sparingly, but it still didn’t work for me very well.

Mickey 17 will probably not connect as well with those who go into it expecting something like Parasite, but those looking for a good, albeit messy, sci-fi film with good performances, great spectacle, and a healthy dose of comedy will be in for a treat. As someone who greatly appreciates Bong Joon-ho and his films, I had a great time with this one. It could have benefitted from trimming some of the fat off of it, but everything else in this film is done so well that it isn’t too much of an issue. Mickey 17 may not be perfect, but it is still a pretty great genre exercise from one of our finest living filmmakers.

Rating: 4/5