In Bong Joon Ho’s latest, Robert Pattinson plays a worker who dies repeatedly for science.
In short: Set in 2054, Mickey 17 follows a disposable space colony worker who is cloned every time he dies. When a seventeenth iteration survives a fatal accident, he discovers his replacement is already active. This black comedy explores the absurdity of corporate expendability through a chaotic, high-stakes battle for survival.
Based on Edward Ashton’s 2022 novel Mickey7, the film centers on Mickey Barnes, who joins a mission to colonize the ice planet Niflheim to escape a loan shark. As an 'Expendable,' Mickey performs high-risk tasks, with his memories uploaded into new clones upon death. The narrative shifts when the seventeenth Mickey survives a mission, only to return to the ship and find that an aggressive eighteenth version has already been printed. The expedition leader, Kenneth Marshall, maintains a strict policy: all 'Multiples' must be eliminated.
Director Bong Joon Ho, who wrote and produced the film, infused the project with his signature blend of slapstick, horror, and social satire. Robert Pattinson portrays both Mickeys, using distinct accents and physical performances to differentiate the clones. Bong’s production design, including the alien 'Creepers' created by Jang Hee-chul, emphasizes the film's scale. While critics praised the visual ambition and Pattinson’s dual performance, some reviewers found the narrative bloated, noting that the film’s critique of corporate dehumanization occasionally gets lost in its own chaotic energy.
The film’s release was marked by significant delays, including shifts caused by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Despite a global rollout in early 2025, the film struggled financially, with reports suggesting it would lose Warner Bros. between $75 and $80 million. Beyond the box office, the character of Kenneth Marshall sparked debate; while Bong insisted the character was a composite of various historical figures, critics drew parallels to contemporary political figures like Donald Trump and Elon Musk, highlighting the film's attempt to mirror modern authoritarianism through a science-fiction lens.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Mickey 17
- Also: Wikidata — Mickey 17 · CC0
- Also: Wikidata — Mickey 17 · CC0
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