Following his iconic 4x Oscar-winning film Parasite (2019), South Korean writer-director Bong Joon-ho has finally made his return with Mickey 17. Or rather, its distributor, Warner Bros., has finally decided to release it. Reportedly completed in early 2023, perhaps it was wise to delay the movie in the wake of the monumental Hollywood strikes that year. But, also, pundits are debating if a better release window for its potential awards prospects and chances at box office success has already passed or not. While the technicalities behind its numerous delays can be discussed elsewhere, the arrival of Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17 hits significantly harder under today’s political climate — insane timing that no one could have predicted.
Bong Joon-ho adapts Edward Ashton‘s future-set science fiction novel Mickey7, wherein a down-on-his-luck bottom feeder named Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) volunteers to be an “expendable” as his easy ticket to join a space colony. Being an expendable is no easy job, though, as Mickey is given the most dangerous tasks of space colonization with the full intent of dying. Whenever Mickey dies, his body is “reprinted” with his full memories and personality traits intact. Moreover, mankind learns or gains something new from each of Mickey’s deaths, ensuring successful human colonization on alien planets. The biggest difference in Joon-ho’s adaptation is obviously in the name, as he comically chooses to kill Mickey 10 more times than in the book.
While he keeps the essential beats of Edward Ashton’s novel, Bong Joon-ho takes great creative liberty in crafting Mickey 17 as equal parts sci-fi drama and political satire. It’s unfair to call Joon-ho’s film a direct response to Donald Trump‘s second U.S. presidency since it was shot in 2022, though it can be seen as the next logical step in the evolution of his directorial voice. The masterful worldbuilding seen in 2013’s Snowpiecer is blown to a much larger scale in Mickey 17. With its political satire, the same brashness felt in 2017’s Okja is cranked up twice as loud. The ecological misunderstandings and human naivety seen in 2006’s The Host can even be traced at times here.
Courtesy of Warner Bros.
But, most of all, if Parasite was an essay on classism, social inequality, and how capitalism is the root of all modern exploitation, then Mickey 17 is an absurd look at a plausible future where that same kind of capitalist greed has bled people dry of all humanity. In this way, Bong Joon-ho’s script feels like a response to the current political climate, not because he foresaw the landscape (or maybe he did) but because things have only worsened globally in the years since he started working on this adaptation. Furthermore, he balances his signature taste for subtle and earnest humor with unapologetic jabs at the MAGA mindset, of course, not knowing this would debut under Trump’s second term.
After escaping his debt with ludicrously evil loan sharks on Earth with his so-called best friend Timo (Steven Yeun), Mickey Barnes quickly adjusts to life as an expendable. He’s often died by total accident while on assignments. Other times, the colony has set him up for death simply to collect data against his will. By the time Mickey No. 17 comes around, the colony has successfully stepped foot on their new home, the ice planet Niflheim, but this is far from an ideal locale. Finding himself unluckily stranded outside the colony’s ship, the poor 17th Mickey looks like he’s about to get eaten alive by the insectoid queen of Niflheim’s natural inhabitants, Rollie Pollie-like aliens referred to as “Creepers.”
However, in a surprising turn of events, Niflheim’s once-thought-to-be hostile bug aliens don’t try to eat Mickey No. 17 and even guide him back to the colony. He returns only to discover that Mickey No. 18 has already been printed, setting the stage for the film’s central conflict: the ostracization of “multiples.” Two identical expendable clones are not allowed to coexist, given the church has deemed that God only creates one soul per body. Political leader Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo), who failed to get reelected twice on Earth, is the mastermind behind the Niflheim colonization, and he’s completely controlled by the nationalist church and his deranged wife Ylfa (Toni Collette), who’s hilariously obsessed with cooking new types of sauces.
Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Robert Pattinson (The Batman, Good Time) delivers the best comedic performance of his career in Mickey 17. The fan-favorite actor’s irresistible charm and versatility are undisputed, but the story at hand also allows him to show off just how clever and subversive he can be. Although they are clones, Mickey 17 and Mickey 18 couldn’t be more different from each other. Number 17 can be a helpless goofball and pushover, whereas number 18 can often be an unforgiving anarchist. Despite their different attitudes, they come into conflict as they fight over who has a better right to live: the one who thought he was about to die or the one who was barely born into this world.
The two Mickeys are personified with opposing types of comedy, with Robert Pattinson leaning into physical slapstick (The Lighthouse was just a taste) for Mickey 17 and unique facial twitches and minor ticks for Mickey 18. Yet, they both can be effortlessly endearing, thanks to Pattinson’s quirky American accent and tender first-person narration. This is especially seen when the Mickey duo share scenes with their romantic partner Nasha Adjaya, played by the fierce Naomi Ackie (The End of the F***ing World, Blink Twice), who’s the voice of reason that stops them from ripping each other apart. She’s, unironically, extremely excited about living with two Mickey clones as well, leading to the funniest (and steamiest) scene of the entire film.
Mark Ruffalo’s hysterical performance will probably be the most divisive element of Mickey 17 solely because of his similarities to Donald Trump. The Hulk and Poor Things star crafts a wholly unique character, one whose fake teeth and theatrical grandeur add tons of distinct personality. By no means is Ruffalo doing an impression of any specific real-life politician. However, when the villain is a fascist dictator masquerading as a politician for the working class, whose colonization/ethnic cleansing policies are decided by a hypocritic religious group, and is worshipped by a cult-like mob who wear red hats with a questionable logo that reads “One and Only” in big letters… it’s admittedly pretty hard not to think of Trump!
Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Bong Joon-ho builds a fascinating dichotomy between Mark Ruffalo’s Kenneth Marshall and Robert Pattinson’s Mickeys. Both clones have a strong will and are willing to do whatever it takes to stay alive, yet are persecuted by a fascist puppet being pulled by multiple strings because they are the ones who apparently don’t have a soul. In the future, blind mob mentalities and devotion to capitalism are what will strip us of our basic humanity. Joon-ho utilizes hints of absurdism and brash political satire to get this point across, evoking the brilliantly sharp works of iconic filmmaker Paul Verhoeven, specifically Starship Troopers and RoboCop. This would fail without the impressive comedic timing and sheer commitment shared throughout the cast.
For all that works in its favor, the narrative starts to buckle under its own weight in the third act. Kenneth Marshall forces the two Mickeys into the snowy tundra to face off against a massive herd of Creepers who threaten the colony’s safety, but this conflict is clearly not what it seems. The subplot with the Creepers — which can be equally adorable and appropriately disgusting via stunning VFX work — is relatively straightforward. That’s not really the problem, as it’s still effective. The real issue comes with the plot continuously introducing new elements for the Mickeys to deal with when building up to this confrontation with the creepers, losing the necessary narrative momentum to cross the finish line smoothly.
When Parasite premiered in 2019, people praised it as being timely. Fast forward 6 years later, and Mickey 17 is bound to get the same acclaim. But when the political landscape has grown more toxic, and capitalism seems only to be dividing people further away from one another, both socially and economically, at what point does it stop being timely? Mickey 17 suggests the future we are headed in, filled with the awe and wonder of magnificent sci-fi set pieces and technological advancements… used to further suppress those who made them possible in the first place. Funny enough, Bong Joon-ho’s 3 English-language features now form a dystopian pseudo-trilogy where capitalist greed runs throughout, each movie building upon the last.
Judging by its incredibly hilarious use of the famous Wilhelm scream, Bong Joon-hoo knew precisely what kind of satire he was making. We should be so lucky that Mickey 17 is seeing the light of day in its untampered form, even with its minor flaws. Moviegoers and fans of Joon-ho’s movies solely focusing on its awards potential or box office numbers will be missing the point, as such a cinematic achievement will be long remembered beyond those parameters.
Mickey 17 hits theaters on March 7!
Release Date: March 7, 2025.
Directed by Bong Joon-ho.
Screenplay by Bong Joon-ho.
Based on Mickey7 by Edward Ashton.
Produced by Bong Joon-ho, Dooho Choi, Dede Gardner & Jeremy Kleiner.
Executive Producers: Brad Pitt, Andrew Lary, Jesse Ehrman, Marianne Jenkins, Pete Chiappetta, Peter Dodd, & Anthony Tittanegro.
Main Cast: Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo, Holliday Grainger, Anamaria Vartolomei, Thomas Turgoose, Angus Imrie, Cameron Britton, Patsy Ferran, Daniel Henshall, Steve Park, & Tim Key.
Cinematographer: Darius Khondji.
Composer: Jung Jae-il.
Production Companies: Plan B Entertainment, Offscreen, & Kate Street Picture Company.
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Runtime: 137 minutes.
Rated R.
