Mickey 17 (2025): review

Mickey 17 (2025) brings Bong Joon Ho back to science fiction after Parasite. He returns with a comedy that is both entertaining and thought-provoking.

Based on Edward Ashton's novel Mickey7, the story takes place in the distant future. Mickey Barnes, played by Robert Pattinson, is an Expendable: a clone worker whose job involves carrying out dangerous missions, dying and being brought back. His memories are uploaded into a new body and the process begins again. When Mickey 17 survives and encounters his intended replacement, the story takes an absurd turn.

Bong combines science fiction, satire and social criticism with tremendous skill. The story raises questions that reach beyond genre conventions. What makes a person unique? Does an existence lose its meaning when it can be repeated endlessly? Cloning is more than a futuristic gimmick here. The interactions between the different Mickeys give the idea an intelligent examination.

Robert Pattinson delivers an outstanding performance. His Mickey 17 combines exhaustion, defiance and black humor, while Mickey 18 is increasingly assertive. The interplay between these versions of the same character creates numerous strange and funny moments. Mark Ruffalo adds a fascinating dynamic as the unscrupulous mission leader, and Toni Collette convinces as his opportunistic wife Ylfa.

Visually, the film is a pleasure. The frozen, inhospitable landscape of Niflheim contrasts atmospherically with the warmer yet oppressive interiors. The cinematography captures both the scale of this hostile environment and the claustrophobic confinement of the settlement.

Despite its serious subjects, the film remains consistently entertaining. Its humor bites, and its dialogue is sharp. The shifts between absurd comedy and existential questions give it a distinctive energy that holds my interest throughout.

Not everything works perfectly. The finale feels overloaded, trying to bring too many ideas together at once. Even when the film sprawls, though, it remains engaging, clever and original.

Bong Joon Ho again shows why he is among the most interesting filmmakers working today. Mickey 17 is more than a conventional blockbuster: it is an intelligent, enjoyable exploration of identity, free will and human nature. A must for anyone who wants science fiction to offer more than effects.