The story doesn’t just revolve around survival, it’s about the chaos it brings and the relentless fight to define one’s own fate.
Academy Award-winning director Bong Joon-ho makes his long-awaited return with Mickey 17, a daring new sci-fi film. This marks his first feature since the critically acclaimed 2019 Oscars Best Picture Parasite, and his third sci-fi film after Snowpiercer (2013) and Okja (2017).
Adapted from Edward Ashton’s 2022 novel Mickey 7, Bong takes us aboard a mysterious and unforgiving spaceship bound for the uncharted planet called Niflheim.
If you want to go in blind, stop reading now, major spoilers ahead.
Mickey 17 follows Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) and his close friend, Timo (Steven Yeun), who, after a failed investment, find themselves on the run and jump at what seems like an easy way off Earth—an off-world job promising a fresh start. Desperate and out of options, he signs up without any hesitation.
But his supposed escape quickly turns into something far more sinister. Instead of being a normal space crew, he’s branded an “expendable”—a disposable clone tasked to do deadly missions such as trying prototypes ranging from food, equipment, to vaccines, and most importantly, explore the uncharted planet Niflheim to determine if it’s habitable. And it’s all for the grand ambition of one man, Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo), to claim a world of his own and wield absolute control over its future inhabitants. Every few months, Mickey dies, only to be replaced by a freshly printed copy, forced to relive his mission and sacrifice himself all over again.
At first, everything seems to be going fine—he even forms a romantic relationship with the ship’s security agent, Nasha (Naomi Ackie). But a failed expedition leaves him stranded and presumed dead.
Except… he isn’t.
Against all odds, he fights his way back, only to discover that a duplicate of himself, Mickey 18, has already been printed and taken his place. With two Mickeys now existing on board the ship, one must be eliminated to restore order. The problem? Neither is willing to die.
Related story: REVIEW: Latvian film ‘Flow’ is a breath of fresh air in the world of animation
Related story: Springtime flicks: 8 hotly anticipated films hitting theaters soon
Stellar performances from stellar actors
The premise itself is strong, but it’s the performances that truly bring Mickey 17 to life. From the moment the cast was announced, anticipation ran high and they did not disappoint.
Robert Pattinson exquisitely channels his inner loser in Mickey 17, crafting a distinct accent that is utterly pitiful yet fascinating. His portrayal of Mickey 17 is innocent, naive, and quietly optimistic, an unusual departure from his usual performances. Yet, he seems to just as easily step into the role of the destructive, scary, and unforgiving Mickey 18, a role that feels more in line with his past portrayals. This duality highlights Pattinson’s versatility to work with himself, in what would be his best performance yet.
Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette act opposite Pattinson, whose performances are outrageously appalling and delightful at the same time.
Ruffalo, with his exaggerated accent and absurd personality, perfectly captures the unsettling qualities of Kenneth Marshall. His over-the-top performance, complete with chunky veneers and a ridiculous demeanor, elevates the character into a figure of both mockery and menace.
Toni Collette, on the other hand, perfectly blends in as Kenneth’s self-indulgent wife, who matches Ruffalo’s energy with a similarly striking performance. Her take on Ylfa is brash and overly obnoxious. Her character being completely oblivious towards the suffering and struggles of the other characters, makes her character’s lack of empathy all the more unsettling.
Together, their performances provide a darkly comic, yet deeply disturbing look at the privileged elite and their blind disregard for the lives of others, adding layers of satire and tension which helped elevate the movie more.
Related story: Down the rabbit hole we go: 10 K-drama recommendations for newbies
Related story: Got VPN? Here are streaming recommendations to make the most of your subscription
Mickey 17 feels more real than fiction
Staying true to the themes of Bong’s previous films, Mickey 17 does not shy away from tackling the societal and political issues of today. Much like his critically acclaimed work Parasite, and similar films Snowpiercer and Okja, the film unravels a deeply unsettling tale of class disparity between the privileged and less fortunate.
While Kenneth and his self-indulgent wife Ylfa enjoy the spaceship’s most luxurious quarters, feasting on the finest cuts and questionable synthetic meats prepared by the ship’s scientists, the rest of the crew is crammed into overcrowded bunks, and forced to ration meager portions of gray, flavorless protein in the name of survival.
Robert Pattinson’s lead role as Mickey Barnes’ seventeenth incarnation emphasizes the film’s core exploration of identity and struggle. As a wimpy figure with a submissive demeanor, he embodies the kind of individual often overlooked and underestimated.
In an interview sent to us by Warner Bros., Bong stated, “Even in the original novel, Mickey is quite an average person but I wanted to make him even more average, even lower class, even more of a loser.” This version of Mickey stands in direct opposition to his eighteenth incarnation, one who is fearless, ambitious, and unrestrained.
It’s a character archetype deeply reflective of modern society, mirroring those who live in fear, whether it be from public scrutiny or government oppression. Like Mickey 17, many individuals suppress their free will, choosing conformity and submission over resistance simply to survive.
Then there are those who sit at the top—like Kenneth Marshall— whose goofy yet unnervingly unhinged demeanor exudes the arrogance of a leader drunk on power (a resemblance further emphasized by Mark Ruffalo’s performance). Beside him is his wife, Ylfa, who indulges herself in excess while the rest struggle.
The filmmaker noted that audiences seeing parallels between real-world figures and the fictional character are seemingly only projections. Bong told Entertainment Weekly that the character was inspired by “a mix of many different politicians” and “dictators that we have seen throughout history.”
It’s an unsettling reflection of power struggles that have echoed throughout history, manifesting in different forms across generations.
Why you should watch it
Mickey 17 goes beyond the typical boundaries of traditional science fiction films, offering more than just transporting viewers to a different world. Instead, it presents a world that feels both otherworldly and familiar. It serves as a powerful social commentary mirroring the struggles and inequalities in our world.
In an interview with the LA Times, Bong himself emphasized this approach. “For me, that is the point of making a sci-fi film,” he stated. “It may seem like a story about the future or another planet, but it’s actually a portrait of us now and the reality around us, not of somewhere far out in space.”
