'Mickey 17' Review: The Future is Bleak (and Absurd)
Two Pattinsons are better than one...
Who could have guessed that the collapse of Western society would have been so incredibly stupid? Bong Joon Ho, apparently. Following the sleek class critique of Parasite, Bong Joon Ho takes a turn for the absurd in Mickey 17.
In Mickey 17, Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) hopes to escape an Earth plagued by climate disaster and, in particular, the bloodthirsty reckoning of a loan shark by joining a space colony expedition led by a failed egomaniac of a politician (played by Mark Ruffalo). The catch? Mickey joins the expedition as an ‘expendable’: one who puts his body on the line for the mission’s most dangerous jobs on the promise that his mind and memories will be printed into a new body.
Dying is hard work as Mickeys 1 through 16 fall to a hilariously montaged assortment of deaths, as the expedition’s resident lab rat. Radiation exposure. Grotesque medical testing. Dangerous exploration missions on a new planet. One after another, the Mickeys forfeit their lives to the whims of a single figurehead and his “one and only” church/company (yes, really). That is — until Mickey 17 survives a fall into an alien ice cave, with the help of some friendly residents of the strange new world.
What keeps Mickey going is his devotion to his lover, Nasha (Naomi Ackie). What stands in his way is none other than himself: Mickey 18. ‘Multiples’ are considered abominations and their existence is illegal. For the first time Mickey Barnes understands that life does not just pick up where he left off, but each new soul is full of potential and a unique spirit that cannot be duplicated.
The talents of Steven Yeun and Toni Collette round out this entirely too human story of community and the strength of each individual. Performances really are the lifeblood of Mickey 17. From Robert Pattinson’s diverse interpretation of the central figure, to the human portraits both sincere and grotesque that are fleshed out by the rest of the ensemble.
Mickey 17 feels incredibly apropos for the moment, as it takes hellish political scif-fi to the point of absurdity. Which feels right. The film is a “best of all worlds” of Bong Joon Ho’s filmography. Snowpiercer sensibilities meets Okja sentimentality (by way of some utterly adorable creature design). Bong Joon Ho is a master emotional manipulator, tugging at any and every heartstring available to ground his criticism of capitalism despite the sometimes-slapstick humor of Mickey 17.
The fact that Mickey 17 works as a farce makes its scathing takes all the more apparent.
Subtlety has never been Bong Joon Ho’s forte and never has that element been more prominent than in the Trump-ian caricature of failed politician and pursed-lipped sleazeball, Kenneth Marshall. Mark Ruffalo’s performance rivals the remarkable work done by Robert Pattinson (in his many portrayals of the titular Mickeys), stealing the show in a slurring, slack-jawed portrayal of something that feels entirely too familiar despite being so ridiculous.
Mickey 17 is dark, funny, humbling, and deeply uncomfortable to watch at the start of an already tumultuous 2025. Which perhaps makes it the experience we deserve.
Rating: 9/10
Mickey 17 opened in theaters on March 7, 2025.