By George & Josh Bate
In 2025, there exists a small list of directors that have the capability to sell a movie based on their name alone. Christopher Nolan is a prime example of this, as are Quentin Tarantino and Jordan Peele. Korean filmmaker Bong Joon Ho is another who has that selling factor by name alone, with an impressive filmography that most recently included the critically acclaimed Parasite. Given the sheer quality of Joon Ho’s previous work (from the serial killer mystery Memories of Murder to the post-apocalyptic thriller Snowpiercer) and the immense success and lasting impact of Parasite, audience members have been eager to set their sights on whatever the director’s next effort entailed. Now, after several delays, Bong Joon Ho’s delightfully weird, unexpectedly touching, and downright hilarious movie Mickey 17 hits theaters.
Starring Robert Pattinson, Mickey 17 follows a man named Mickey and is set in the near future as humans attempt to colonize a faraway planet. As a member of this colony mission, Mickey is an “expendable,” someone who has volunteered to die (whether it be by testing a new neurotoxin or venturing somewhere dangerous for a mission) and is then repeatedly resurrected through a printing process. With only one version of Mickey allowed to exist at any given time, the 17th iteration of Mickey finds himself in trouble as a new iteration (termed Mickey 18) is mistakenly printed, leading to consequences for the colony mission and an unexpected fight for survival for a man who has grown accustomed to dying.
Mickey 17 begins right away with a crucial moment in the story. Robert Pattinson’s character lies in the snow, injured and unable to get up, all while being stuck below ground in a cave-like setting and surrounded by a group of seemingly aggressive alien creatures. This proves to be a bit of a jarring beginning, especially if one heads into the film without prior exposure to any promotional material. Many questions are raised and answers don’t come immediately. Thankfully, through selective non-linear storytelling at the beginning and a humorous yet informative voiceover from Pattinson, Joon Ho subverts frontending the film with dense exposition and allows the film to flow organically. This clever use of non-linear storytelling is crucial to the opening act of the film, keeping everything flowing and without delivering too much of an exposition dump all at once. There’s a lot of information to be conveyed, too; the state of Earth, Mickey’s motivation for becoming an expendable, the history of cloning, and the journey of failed congressman turned dictator Kenneth Marshall, are just some of the key points that audiences need to understand. It’s a lot of information to convey, but Bong Joon Ho is wise enough to play around with the opening’s structure as a means to keep everything as smooth and digestible as possible. And, once the film progresses past its creative opening and world-setting, the movie becomes increasingly compelling and never loosens its grip on the audience.
Sci-fi stories of clones and colonial expeditions have been done before and, in this regard, Mickey 17 doesn’t offer anything particularly novel. Where the ultimate strength lies in Joon Ho’s latest venture is with its tone, which deftly balances delightful weirdness and surprising emotionality. Regarding the former, much about Mickey 17 is odd – the dialogue is strange (especially Pattinson’s narration), and the characters are downright bizarre at time (look no further than Mark Ruffalo’s performance, his fake teeth, and some of the character’s wild lines). Amidst all this strangeness though, Mickey 17 comes together excellently (if not, beautifully) to become a wacky, thrilling sci-fi tale with unrelenting entertainment value. All of the characters have their own quirks, none more so than Mickey 17 himself, who is docile, somewhat dopey, yet somehow charming. It’s those quirks that make Mickey 17 such a compelling lead, as when Mickey 18 is introduced, the audience becomes privy to the fact that every version of Mickey has a slightly different personality. That makes the audience sympathize with Mickey 17 even more, as he stands out as someone with a good heart in a film populated with characters harboring twisted ulterior motives.
A surprise to no one, Robert Pattinson takes on the role of Mickey 17 (and, eventually, Mickey 18) with incredible craft and authenticity. He is completely believable as the mild, dopey, and endearing Mickey 17, a far cry from some of the more brutal and dark characters in his filmography and clearly distinct from his identical clone Mickey 18. The performance isn’t one that will likely run away with awards come award season, but it is certainly one worthy of commendation. The physicality Pattinson brings to the role, truly embodying Mickey 17, is incredible to witness, as are the multitude of strange mannerisms and pronunciations he has to offer.
The weirdness of Mickey 17 goes hand-in-hand with the film’s humor, which exists throughout and permeates nearly every scene. Most of the humor generates a light chuckle and, even if few jokes are gut-bustingly hilarious, creates an undeniably enjoyable viewing experience that endures even through the film’s exploration of deeper, more existential themes. Joon Ho achieves a near-perfect balance of humor and drama, using humor to create levity with surgical precision while never doing so in a manner that overshadows the film’s drama or themes.
In a continually funny movie, Mark Ruffalo proves to be the funniest element. Ruffalo delivers an over-the-top and, at times, completely absurd performance as Kenneth Marshall that makes his performance in Poor Things seem grounded and normal. There are obvious shades of Trump embedded in Ruffalo’s performance, which uniquely fosters a character that is simultaneously detestable and hilarious.
Many of the film’s other jokes derive from Pattinson’s Mickey 17 and his oddness, making unusually noble decisions or behaving somewhat erratically in an endearing way. His reaction to Steven Yeun’s shady character, for example, is one of sympathy and compassion, despite the fact that Mickey has been deeply wronged as a result of his “friend’s” actions. That gullible nature, contrasted with Mickey 18’s darkness balances out nicely to create an interesting duo act throughout.
Mickey 17’s kind heart contributes significantly to how surprisingly touching the film is. Mickey develops a romance with Nasha (brilliantly played by Naomi Ackie), a security agent and fellow member of the colony mission, and their relationship becomes increasingly touching as the story progresses. In many narratively similar sci-fi films, romance subplots are all too often added in as a generic personal character arc for the lead, but Mickey and Nasha’s relationship is far from generic. His attachment to Nasha is a driving force behind his actions, and it’s especially compelling when both Mickey 17 and 18 display the same unconditional love for her in decidedly unique ways. The love story is so effective that one would not be mistaken if they characterized Mickey 17 as a romance film. And, like any great romance film, there is something touching about seeing love portrayed so authentically and endearingly.
Heartwarming, yet in a different manner by tapping into different themes, is Mickey 17’s exploration of motherhood amidst a plotline of colonial expedition and the humans’ interactions with a native species. This thread, much like the romance, slowly builds in prominence throughout the film before emotionally landing in the final act with resounding success. Joon Ho masterfully weaves an exploration of the ethical implications of colonization into this thread, elevating Mickey 17 far beyond a movie that makes one laugh to a film that makes one think and feel emotions deeply.
Such emotions are also elicited through an exploration of survival, what it means to be alive, and the clarity fostered by impending death in the film. The entire film revolves around a character who experiences death – the ultimate fear of everyone – repeatedly. While this concept affords plenty of laughs, it also allows for deeper contemplation of death and what it means to be alive in a singular manner only Joon Ho could craft.
Ensuring that the array of unique themes, tones, arcs, and plots are presented in an effective manner is crucial for Mickey 17 to succeed and, in less capable hands, this array would have likely been unwieldy and resulted in a messy film. There’s a lot going on, with many characters, world-building, lore, and scientific questions regarding the cloning that emerge throughout. The romance plot, for example, is just one of many facets to the overarching storyline being told, and the proceedings very easily could have gotten out of hand to the point where the story is a scattered, unconnected mess. That doesn’t happen, thankfully, as all the seemingly disparate pieces and themes fit so nicely with one another come the end of the film. There may be a couple questions about the core concept that are raised and not fully addressed (such as why the Mickeys have such different personalities, or more information about this colonial expedition). However, the movie is so compelling that any contemplation of these questions is fleeting. If there’s any fault to be identified in Mickey 17 (beyond a jarring opening few minutes), it is that the film runs a bit too long and would have likely benefited from tighter editing to trim 10-15 minutes or so off its runtime.
VERDICT: 8/10
The renowned Bong Joon Ho follows up the excellent Parasite with the hilarious, delightfully weird, and unexpectedly touching Mickey 17. After overcoming a somewhat jarring start, Joon Ho’s film progressively grows into a thematically powerful film, perfectly striking the balance between humor and drama. Tapping into themes of romance, colonization, and motherhood with incredible emotional intelligence and a heartwarming touch, Mickey 17 leaves a lasting impression that elevates the film far beyond its familiar sci-fi elements. Robert Pattinson shines as two characters, showcasing his range and comedic timing more than ever, while Naomi Ackie delivers a powerful supporting performance and Mark Ruffalo generates the most laughs as a simultaneously detestable and hilarious villain. With Mickey 17, Bong Joon Ho follows up the award-winning Parasite with a completely different cinematic odyssey, one unafraid to be weird and surprising in the emotions it evokes. Joon Ho is now a quarter of a century and eight films into his career as a feature film director and, unbelievably, he has yet to disappoint. Mickey 17 is yet another example of the director’s craft and how you never know what to expect and what emotions will arise when seeing one of his films.