For those who saw the title of this review and don’t have a clue as to what Mickey 17 is about, don’t worry. It’s not the 17^th film in an ongoing franchise, so you don’t have to worry about trying to catch up with a series of films. It is, however, the latest film from Korean director Bong Joon-Ho, which is one filmmaker that I have been paying attention to for quite some time now. Despite being active since the 1990s, I only started watching Bong Joon-Ho’s film in 2014 when his critically acclaimed film Snowpiercer was released to North American audiences. Since then, I always made sure to look out for his work. In 2017, he released the Netflix film Okja. Then, in 2019 he gave us the Best Picture Oscar winning film Parasite, my favorite of his. Several years later, Bong Joon-Ho has finally completed his next film, Mickey 17, which is a bit different given that it has been released by a major studio (in this case Warner Bros.) which is the film I mentioned earlier.

Something I didn’t know until recently about Mickey 17 is that this was initially planned to be released in 2024, more specifically, March 2024, but was delayed for ten months due to the 2023 Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strike. It then got a January 31st release date, however, it was pushed back again to April 18th (which would’ve been Easter weekend), but for some reason it swapped release dates for another Warner Bros. film, Sinners. I would say these multiple changes to this film’s release do not make sense, but given that it’s Warner Bros., it’s par for the course. Now that Mickey 17 has finally come to theaters and I have seen it, I ask whether it is as great as Bong Joon-Ho’s previous work? As usual, let’s find out.

Set in the distant future, but still within the 21st century, Mickey 17 follows Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson), a down on his luck guy who, with his friend Timo (Steven Yeun), get in a bit of trouble with a loan shark. If they don’t pay back the money they owe, the consequences could be fatal. Hoping to escape, Mickey and Timo sign up as crew members for a space colonization trip led by two-time failed politician Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) and his wife Ylfa Marshall (Tony Colette). They are to colonize an ice planet called Niflheim, though it’ll take four years to get to it. Timo is able to secure a job as a pilot, however Mickey had a bit of trouble finding a position due to his lack of skills. So, he signs up to be an expendable, though he didn’t read the manual for the position. At this point in life, he is desperate. The role of an expendable in the expedition is that he would potentially die performing tasks, but with the use of a human printer, they would bring them back to life in less than 24 hours with a device implanting memories of the pervious person, which transfer to the newly printed person. This printer is controversial due to the ethics of cloning, which led it to being banned on Earth, which is why the program is using it on the shuttle and on the new planet of Niflheim. While traveling to the ice planet, Mickey falls in love with a security guard called named Nasha Barridge (Naomi Ackie), and they start a relationship. Throughout the journey, Mickey dies multiple times and he gets reprinted again and again, and when they land on the ice planet, he once more perishes repeatedly. This is mostly due to airborne viruses on the planet and the scientists on board use him to create a vaccine in order to explore the planet helmet free. After making the vaccine, Mickey and a few crew members start traversing the planet, where they encounter caterpillar like creatures (which Kenneth dubs “creepers”) in a cave, ranging from size to a small dog to a giant cow or large quadruped. After a misfired gun leads to a cave that kills a crew member, Kenneth berates Mickey as it should have been him that died instead. As punishment, Mickey is tasked to find a creeper so the scientists can study it, but when traveling across tin ice, he falls into an underground cavern. Timo spots him but can’t reach Mickey to save him and when multiple creepers gather around Mickey as if they are going to eat him, Timo abandons him and reports him dead. Thinking the creepers are going to eat him, Mickey accepts his fate, however, not only do the creepers not eat him, but they also push him out of the cavern and he walks back to the spaceship. When Mickey returns to his quarters, he finds a newly generated Mickey because Mickey had been reported dead. This Mickey is not like the previous ones but more aggressive, willing to kill Mickey (17) because of the “multiples” violation. This violation is one of the reasons why the cloning machine is banned on Earth because copies lead to complicated legal issues. This is why Kenneth vows to do away with any multiples if necessary. Because of this, Mickey (17) must now find a way to not only stay alive but stop Mickey (18) from any actions that could cost them their lives. 

Something I forgot to mention earlier is that Mickey 17 is an adaptation of a novel released in 2022 by author Edward Ashton with the original title being Mickey 7. I haven’t read the original source material, but I reckon it’s a pretty well written book for it to get a Hollywood adaptation in less than three years. Despite not reading it, I have a strong feeling that this is one of those cases where the book is better than the movie. I bring this up because the film introduces ideas and characters that don’t feel 100% utilized.

Before elaborating on why I think the book maybe better, I want to point out that I did enjoy Mickey 17quite a bit. With a budget exceeding $100 million and being released by a major studio, director Bong Joon-Ho was able to create an interesting science fiction film with a touch of dark comedy. There’s stuff in the film that feels like it should be in a smaller production company (more specifically A24) rather than a major studio like Warner Bros., but Bong Joon-Ho was able to keep his unique vision, and Robert Pattinson continues to prove that he’s a leading man. Mickey 17 is another film to add to the list of films that showcases their talents. What helps here is Pattinson playing the two characters, Mickey 17 and Mickey 18, despite being the same person. They have different personalities, which could be challenging, but Pattinson managed to pull off.

Now that I highlighted the positives of Mickey 17, let me go back to why I believe the novel feels a bit superior even though I haven’t read it. For starters, Mickey 17 brings up a lot of ideas and philosophical viewpoints, and feels a bit too complex for a big budget studio blockbuster. This primarily has to do with the ethics of cloning. Being a Catholic also means I’m pro life and the way certain characters treat Mickey in the film, well let’s just say it’s anything but. Aside from Nasha, who generally has deep feelings for Mickey, everyone just sees Mickey as an expendable and don’t care for him even when he’s not being used. While I guess you can say that the movie is a cautionary tale, telling us that even though life can be replicated somewhat easily in the world of Mickey 17, we should still value the gift of life even when there is a controversial that can bring someone back via a machine. While this was something I noticed in the film, it doesn’t dwell on those ideas. While I would be fine with that as a nod to being subtle, it introduces those ideas in the beginning and towards the end of the film. This is where I feel the book explores these themes more broadly and in a deeper manner. I now want to read the book to find out how they are treated. Maybe one day I’ll get around to it.

Another aspect of the film that I feel was more fleshed out in the book was the characters themselves. Aside from the Mickeys in Mickey 17, most of the characters are either a caricature or not a fully developed in general. One that comes to mind is Kenneth, the failed politician. He comes across as a sleezy, over-the-top-crooked politician that seemed like a parody more than an actual person that would fit the tone of the film. It appeared that Ruffalo wanted to portray him like Donald Trump, and while I do enjoy seeing a politician parodied in a humorous way no matter who is it, it did feel a bit a little too on the nose, and quite frankly, a bit tiresome. On the other end, one character that I feel got the short end of the stick when it comes to development is Nasha. She plays the role of security, but throughout her main characteristic is being in love with Mickey, both Mickey (17) and Mickey (18), to where a threesome almost occurs. If you’re unaware of that term, then God bless you. There are moments that I forgot that she had a job on board the spaceship because of how little she was given to do. While she does make progress, it feels a bit too little too late.

While the overall tone of my review of Mickey 17 feels like a negative one, I do once again want to point out that I did enjoy it quite a bit, though it was more from the perspective of watching an IMAX blockbuster film with humorous dark comedy featuring an entertaining Robert Pattinson. I just wish they would have expanded on the characters and certain ideas presented. Not doing so makes it feel like the novel was able to (presumably) get more in depth with the world and the dangers of cloning in a complex manner. Honestly, it feels like a combination of Snowpiercer and Okja with much more money. If you have seen either of those and enjoyed them, then most likely you’ll like Mickey 17 as I did. If you haven’t, chances are you could still be entertained by the film as a blockbuster.