Mickey 17 will be released in the UK on March 7, 2025 by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Synopsis
The unlikely hero, Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) has found himself in the extraordinary circumstance of working for an employer who demands the ultimate commitment to the job… to die, for a living.
Review
Bong Joon-ho is bringing his distinctive film style back to our screens after his hugely successful and award-winning Parasite in 2019. Adapting the novel of the same name by Edward Ashton, the story drops us into a bleak future where humanity is divided: those wanting to fix Earth’s issues and those desperately trying to escape to a new planet. Our protagonist, Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson), isn’t your typical space pioneer; he’s what they call an “expendable,” essentially a willing volunteer whose consciousness is uploaded into a new cloned body whenever he “kicks the bucket.” But instead of treating his life with respect, he is often experimented on or left to perform pointlessly dangerous tasks until he dies and is reprinted.
The core of the movie revolves around Mickey’s unique and, frankly, unsettling predicament. He’s not just dying and coming back; he’s accumulating a strange sort of “existential debt.” Each death chips away at his sense of self, blurring the lines between the original Mickey and his subsequent iterations, who seem to have distinctly different dominant traits each time. This explores the idea that, while he is a simple copy-and-paste job, the human consciousness produces a different personality regardless of the same experiences.
Meanwhile, the colony itself is a hotbed of political tension. Mark Ruffalo’s character, a self-appointed high-ranking official, is clearly a “moron in a suit,” a very obvious nod to modern political leaders, which he embodies with focused aim. He’s trying to maintain order and push forward with the colonization effort, but his methods are idiotic at best. He seems to operate under the assumption that everyone on the ship will hang on his every word, which many seem to do! Mark Ruffalo clearly has a ball playing this character and laps up his over-the-top performance.
As for Mickey, his 17th self does not die as expected and ends up accidentally becoming a “multiple,” the term used when more than one “expendable” exists at any one time. Hilariously, his 18th self has a mean streak and is much more decisive and angry than his 17th self, who is passive and accepting of his low social status.
This is where Robert Pattinson really stands out. His acting history shows he has a solid range, and this was another great example. He effortlessly plays these various Mickeys with either subtle or excessive changes, a genuine treat to watch and not something a lot of actors can pull off. Having the Mickeys effortlessly play off each other was pure cinematic gold.
While Mickey 17 is not the peak of his talents, it’s certainly near the top. Bong Joon-ho has shown time and time again that he has a serious talent for filmmaking and has crafted a distinctive style. He manages to bring a small-scale perspective to a much larger situation, and despite being on a giant spaceship or an unknown alien planet, the focus is squarely on these core characters, who are more or less entirely huddled together.
The film cleverly blends sci-fi tropes with modern and quite current social commentary, exploring themes of identity and mortality, while also incorporating shades of black comedy in how two different versions of oneself would interact.
Verdict
While it doesn’t quite reach its peak potential, it certainly provides an absolutely entertaining experience. With a standout multi-performance from Robert Pattinson, Mickey 17 is a fantastic watch.
⭐⭐⭐
