Mickey 17

Written and Directed by Bong Joon Ho

Based on the Novel “Mickey7” by Edward Ashton

Cast: Robert Pattinson, Naomie Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo

***1/2 out of ****

March 14, 2025

Now here’s a film that gets a lot of mileage out of its premise, characters, performances, and ideas about humanity and does with humor and a rare intelligence that is unfortunately uncommon in most mainstream cinema. “Mickey 17” is the kind of film that dignifies and elevates its subjects even while at the same placing them in situations that may be degrading to their nature. It also finds empathy in the most unexpected places. The movie knows when to intrigue us and when to aim for the funny bone and it frequently succeeds at both.

The story concerns Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) who, in a desperate attempt to flee Earth, applies to be an “expendable” on a colonizing mission to the far off Planet Niflheim. His newfound existence enables his memories and physical to be stored in a device that can reprint him in the event of his death. This means that whenever his cohorts need to experiment or expose someone to significant dangers that could prove fatal Mickey always gets the job because he can die and be reprinted. This experience prompts an existential yet ironically condescending question from his fellow travelers: “What’s it like to die?”.

Mickey is reprinted multiple after being exposed to radiation and repeatedly used as a test case for a vaccine to name a couple of things. It’s when his 17th reprint doesn’t die that creates one of the central dilemmas. Mickey falls into a deep crevice, out of reach and freezing, and is left for dead. When encounters a race of creatures known as the Creepers, not only do they not eat him, but they save him instead. When Mickey 17 makes his way back to base he finds that his death has been reported and Mickey 18 has been reprinted.

This creates a number of interesting possibilities. When he meets his opposite, the sensitive Mickey 17 is surprised to find that Mickey 18 is far removed him in personality as 18 is psychotic and aggressive. The double dilemma makes his girlfriend Nasha (Naomie Ackie) excited at the prospect of immediately going to bed with both of them. Of course, doubles are forbidden by law which creates further troubles for the Mickeys to navigate as they both continue to exist. Mickey 17, the more understanding of the two, is frequently the one who is subjected to the inhumane treatment. While 18 is in bed with Nasha, 17 is being subjected to a form of experimental meat that causes him to be sick and his skin to turn orange from an infection. He is spared again thanks to an empirical injection which immediately cures his illness.

Ironic would be the word to describe much of this film and its treatment of the character and its premise. What’s interesting is the way it handles the Creepers who are portrayed as having more empathy than the incompetent and barbaric former politician (Mark Ruffalo) and his vain wife (Toni Collette). He wishes to exterminate the lot of them so he can claim the planet for the humans while she wants to make a new sauce out of each of their tales. The creepers wish to live in peace and share their planet with the humans whom they see as potential allies. The movie smartly points out that we are the aliens, not them.

Performances are generally all quite good, but this is Pattinson’s movie. He portrays all of the differences in the all of Mickey reprints effortlessly. He understands that this may be the same guy but it can’t played in a straight line. The Mickeys might have the same memories and physical appearance they contains subtle and literal differences in traits, behavior, body language, and physical prowess and Pattinson nails the contrast between 17 and 18. It is sometimes thrilling and sometimes humorous to see him acting opposite himself. He nails the role(s).

Most of the other performances are there to provide a satirical counterpoint to the dignity of Mickey 17. Ruffalo and Collette are both appropriately inept. Steven Yeun turns up as a garbage collector who sneaks an illegal drug onboard and then pleas for compassion when he gets in over his head.

Writer/Director Bong Joon Ho, who became a four-time Academy Award Winner on his last film, 2019’s “Parasite”, has been down these roads before with another of his previous films, 2017’s “Okja”. In that film a Superpig is oppressed by cruel and arrogant humans for corporate interests. But this time he has a much wider span of ideas with which to tell the story. He tells the story cleanly and with a sure hand that guarantees the film never feels overstuffed, overlong, and overwrought. He also infuses an efficient visual style within the proceeding often shooting with soft whites and metallic greys. He paces the film smoothly, never boring the viewers, and always keeping them engaged with the various turns of the plot. He’s been down this road before but not with this much intelligence.

Kevin A. Wilson