After a landmark Oscar win, Bong Joon Ho has returned to the silver screen with an action-packed Sci-Fi satire starring Robert Pattinson in not one but two (or maybe 17?) roles. Set in 2056 Mickey Barnes is down on his luck, owing more money than he could ever produce to a loan shark, and he applies to become an ‘expandable’, an experimental pawn in the labour force who is routinely killed and cloned again. On his 17th incarnation, Mickey falls down an ice ravine on a planet set to be colonised and is presumed dead, but upon his miraculous return to his living quarters he finds another version of himself in his bed. Mickey 17 deals with themes of identity and self, while delivering Bong Joon Ho’s patented impactful, in-your-face criticism of classism via Mark Ruffalo’s character, a blatant Trump allegory, and his wife played by Australia’s own Toni Colette.
Robert Pattinson delivers an excellently silly performance as Mickeys 17 and 18, and will likely be in the running for a Best Actor nomination at the Oscars, I only hope he doesn’t suffer the same fate as Timothée Chalamet for Dune 2, since it was released so early this year. The voice he uses for Mickey 17 is reminiscent of his voice in Studio Ghibli’s The Boy and the Heron, in the sense that without a face he is entirely unrecognisable. Mark Ruffalo adds a notch to his belt as he gives a wonderfully outlandish performance as Kenneth Marshall, a buffoonish politician taking the few that will still vote for him into space like cattle. Cartoonish veneers and comically stupid line deliveries sell Marshall as a character on par in silliness with Duncan Wedderburn, his character in Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things. With such a talented ensemble cast, including Steven Yeun and Naomi Ackie who’ve yet to be mentioned, Mickey 17 deals out more laughs than there are clones of Robert Pattinson.
Mickey 17, 2025. Directed by Bong Joon Ho.
Various subplots populate Mickey 17 which dilute the main story and they rarely meet a satisfying conclusion, for example, the loan shark hunting Mickey and Steven Yeun’s character Timo. Precious little runtime is dedicated to the story and it distracts from the compelling main plot and makes for a rougher script compared to Parasite or Snowpiercer. The Mickeys’ struggle against Mark Ruffalo as a clownish fascist is such a fun, farcical story and it is a shame the lack of focus let down what could be such a tightly scripted film.
Mickey 17 is to be experienced in cinemas, especially since it is projected to be a major box office bomb. Post-Oscar blank check movies are common, and it is unfortunate that a movie like this has gone under-marketed and may affect the future of such an accomplished director’s career. Hollywood is more corporate than ever, with both Maya and Ethan Hawke recently speaking about studios being hesitant to hire them due to a lack of social media presence. If established industry talents are treated like this then a box office bomb for Mickey 17 could give Bong Joon Ho trouble with continuing Hollywood releases even after Parasite won 4 Oscars.
Despite a disappointing box office performance and a murky focus, Mickey 17 serves as a suitably fun entry into 2025’s cinematic calendar.