Mickey 17 (2025)

 

Mickey 17 (2025)

 

7/10

Starring

Robert Pattinson

Naomi Ackie

Steven Yeun

Toni Collette

Mark Ruffalo

 

 

Directed by Bong Joon Ho

 

 

The movie has an exciting premise and the idea of Mickey (Robert Pattinson) being just a disposable human, cloned again and again each time he dies, is very captivating. This is one thing the movie does so absolutely well. We are introduced to Mickey 17, and we see him wishing to be killed once, swallowed by this creature. But then, things didn’t happen like that.

He explains to us that we are in space, on a planet colonized by Earth in the year 2054. He tells us how he is used as a disposable human lab rat, based on Earth-banned technology that clones Mickey and restores his memories after he dies from the lethal assignments he is sent on.

The movie then shifts to how he got here, here as in Mickey 17 wishing to be killed by the creature. We are taken on about a thirty-minute journey showing how Mickey Barnes did not fully read or understand the application form he signed when he applied to be an “Expendable” just to get off Earth and escape his problems. At this point, the pacing slows down a bit. The explanation of how he got to Mickey 17 and how he met Nasha felt like it could have been summarized. It’s not just here, the movie has uneven pacing in certain areas, where you either wish they’d get through a moment quicker or feel like they rushed past something before you fully grasp it.

Before I dive into other parts of the plot, I need to let you know that you are about to experience acting on a masterclass level from Robert Pattinson. He delivered such an amazing, standout performance that I couldn’t help but acknowledge and appreciate it. The other cast members, too, delivered A-level performances, but Pattinson went above the rest.

The movie is based on Mickey7, a 2022 science fiction novel by Edward Ashton. And so as not to drop any spoilers, let’s just say that the moment the creature didn’t eat Mickey but instead dragged him out to the surface and abandoned him there, everything took a turn. That’s the magic of this movie—the way everything flipped when Mickey 17 got back to base and saw that there was now a Mickey 18. The problem? Mickey 18 is a bit of a psycho and very violent.

Now, both Mickeys want to live and have to find a way to navigate this problem—because by law, there cannot be multiples. But Mickey 18, as I said, is unstable, and he made sure nothing went as you’d expect. This shift happens fast, as the movie picks up pace the moment Mickey 17 returns to base.

Fantastic movie and I recommend that you should see it.

Bong Joon Ho directed and adapted this book, and he did a wonderful job. I do hope many get the opportunity to see and appreciate this movie for the masterful work it is.