‘Mickey 17’ Movie Review: Bong Joon-ho Delivers a Witty, Wild Sci-Fi Satire With Robert Pattinson at His Best (LatestLY Exclusive)

Mickey 17 Movie Review: What a week it’s going to be for Americans! We have Daredevil: Born Again coming out, featuring a villain who reminds us why criminals DO NOT make good leaders. In the same week, we’re also getting Bong Joon-ho’s new film, Mickey 17, which boasts a villain with political ambitions who is both pompous and megalomaniacal. Two cinematic reminders in one week of how American voters have screwed up in the previous election. 'Mickey 17': Bong Joon-ho Offers a Trump-era Black Comedy.

Election blunders aside, what an exciting time it is to have a new Bong Joon-ho movie in theatres - his first film after the Oscar-winning Korean masterpiece, Parasite. There are only a handful of filmmakers - Bong Joon-ho, Christopher Nolan, Denis Villeneuve, Jordan Peele - who bring a special kind of joy to mainstream cinema, with the vision and passion they strive for. Mickey 17 is based on the novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton and, like Parasite, is a satire - albeit in a science-fiction setting. Unlike Parasite, however, the humour here is broader - perhaps Bong’s most light-hearted film to date - even veering into borderline caricature.

‘Mickey 17’ Movie Review - The Plot

Set in a future where Earth is still a mess, interplanetary exploration is the norm and human reprinting is a reality, Mickey 17 follows the misadventures of one unlucky soul, Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson). While trying to fend off murderous loan sharks, Mickey and his selfish friend Timo (Steven Yeun) seek employment at a space-faring company that is launching an expedition to an alien planet called Nilfheim. While Timo enlists as a pilot, Mickey is the only candidate for the role of 'expendable' - a job description he should have read more carefully.

His task? To undertake life-threatening missions during the expedition. His death is no problem for his employers, though - he can simply be reprinted with the same memories and behavioural traits. As Mickey struggles to adjust to this cycle of life and death, he also finds love with Nasha (Naomi Ackie), an elite agent. He can’t quite explain why she’s so in love with him, which adds an intriguing unpredictability to her character while making her a fierce foil in the story. Also, who expected a tender love story in a film that involves a woman trying to have a threesome with two clones, and Mark Ruffalo trying to do his best Trump impression!

Watch the Trailer of ‘Mickey 17’:

While we see various iterations of Mickey, the focus is on the 17th version - Mickey 17 - who, after a near-fatal mission on Nilfheim, discovers that the company has mistakenly reprinted him as Mickey 18. Multiples are a big no-no (explained in a deliciously dark comedic scene involving a serial killer), so both Mickeys must either eliminate each other or find a way to coexist - all while not competing for Nasha’s affections. And that’s just part of the chaos.

‘Mickey 17’ Movie Review - What Wasn't Fully Convincing

Let me get to what didn’t entirely convince me about Bong Joon-ho’s new film on first viewing (which may change with a couple more watches). Firstly, I wasn’t sure why Mickey 18 acts more aggressively and bullying compared to the meeker Mickey 17. There’s a line where Mickey 17 states that Nasha claims each version of him displays different behavioural traits. But this isn’t reflected in the film beforehand - all the Mickeys seem almost identical. In fact, when the movie jumps from Mickey 1 to Mickey 9, the passage of time isn’t discernible at all until it’s explicitly stated. Also, if each Mickey has a different personality, doesn’t that mean Nasha has fallen in love with multiple different people rather than the same person?

The only reason to show this distinction seems to be to differentiate between the two versions - though it does give Robert Pattinson a chance to showcase the range of his wonderful performance.

Secondly, the villains - Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) and his wife Ylfa (Toni Collette) - are fun to watch, because of the wonderful actors playing them, but they become increasingly parodic towards the end. Kenneth, a narcissistic, pompous, religious zealot with political ambitions and an obsession with pure lineage - a clear mix of Donald Trump and Elon Musk - becomes more and more cartoonish, making his character arc frustratingly predictable.

This villain trouble was also an issue in Bong’s previous ‘American’ film, Okja - though, ultimately, I don’t mind it because there’s plenty to enjoy in both movies.

‘Mickey 17’ Movie Review - Offers So Much Fun In Its Performances and Satire

Despite these contrivances, I had a great time with Mickey 17. Standing out, of course, is Robert Pattinson, who fully loses himself in the (multiple) role of a man trying to make sense of his strange existence, where his fatal struggles are taken lightly by both the film and its characters. That is, until one poignantly performed scene where he realises that the presence of a new clone while he is still alive changes his mortal journey forever. I’ve seen Pattinson play with humour before, but this is one of his best performances. A standout moment is the dinner table sequence, where he is invited by the Marshalls as the ‘lucky winner’ - only for things to go horribly wrong.

Though the premise leans towards predictability near the end, Bong Joon-ho has plenty of fun with the peculiar setting and quirky characters. The film shines when it indulges in Mickey’s existential crises, using black humour - whether in his inner monologues contemplating his multiple mortalities or his awkward attempts to share the affections of the woman he loves with himself.

As with Bong’s previous films, Mickey 17 is rich with satirical elements, painted in broad strokes, taking jabs at the rise of fascism, the ethics of advancing technology, and colonialism - almost to the point of hammering the message into the audience. Parasite Movie Review: Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-Nominated Film Reels You In With Its Black Humour, Surprise Twists and Smart Context.

The production design and special effects are impressive, with a special mention to the creature design of Nilfheim’s inhabitants. And while Robert Pattinson is in splendid form, he’s not the only standout. Naomi Ackie is magnetic as the strong-willed Nasha, and Steven Yeun, though underutilised, delivers a slimy, opportunistic charm as Timo. Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette clearly relish their over-the-top villainous roles, while Anamaria Vartolomei stands out as a fiercely feminist employee on the expedition.

‘Mickey 17’ Movie Review - Final Thoughts

Mickey 17 may not be Bong Joon-ho’s most tightly crafted film, but it is still a wildly entertaining, snarky sci-fi political satire with an outstanding central performance from Pattinson. Packed with wit, absurdity, and biting social commentary, Mickey 17 is a film that, despite its flaws, proves once again that Bong Joon-ho is a master at blending genres to create cinema that is as provocative as it is entertaining.

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 05, 2025 02:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).