🍿 'Mickey 17': Dying Over and Over for a Paycheck

📆 Release: March 7, 2025

🎭 Genre: #ScienceFiction · #Thriller

It's hard to accept that 'Mickey 17' is becoming one of those puzzling cases where quality and box-office success don’t align. It marks Bong Joon Ho's highly anticipated return after his monumental success with 'Parasite', which catapulted him into cinematic history with four Oscars and a Palme d’Or. This time, the South Korean maestro combines the dark satire of 'Snowpiercer' with the sharp social and environmental critique he explored in 'Okja', delivering a futuristic dystopia as hilarious as it is disturbing. 🚀🎬

Robert Pattinson ('The Lighthouse', 'Tenet') brilliantly and movingly portrays Mickey, an "expendable" space worker whose sole purpose is to repeatedly die on risky missions, only to be cloned again and again. The film is especially effective in exploring this extreme exploitation of labor, turning Mickey into a kind of tragicomic martyr reminiscent of Terry Gilliam’s desperate antiheroes or Duncan Jones's protagonist in the remarkable 'Moon'. 🌀🧬

The film never hides its biting wit: Mark Ruffalo ('Poor Things') masterfully portrays Kenneth Marshall, a grotesque tyrant leading a colonial expedition with messianic delusions. Alongside him, Toni Collette shines as Ylfa, a twisted first lady who completes a merciless portrait of absolute power with unmistakably Trumpian vibes. Bong himself wrote the script, adapting Edward Ashton's novel 'Mickey7', cleverly combining dark humor, sharp critique, and existential dilemmas about identity and what truly makes us human. 🌌🤔

Visually, 'Mickey 17' is delightful. Bong employs a futuristic aesthetic palette reminiscent of Ridley Scott's universe in 'Alien', but with a warmth and humanity that are hallmarks of the Korean director. The alien creatures inhabiting the colonized planet—giant insects—are expertly crafted, as terrifying as they are endearing. These touches of tenderness amid brutal chaos add emotional depth, showcasing Bong’s unique ability to shift tone seamlessly without ever losing narrative balance. 🦗✨

Yet, the film isn't without its imperfections. There are moments, particularly in the second half, where Bong overuses voice-over narration, as if he were doubting the power of his own visuals. Furthermore, at nearly 150 minutes, the runtime can feel excessive; tighter editing could have enhanced its pacing. Nevertheless, the conceptual strength of the film and its characters more than compensate for these minor flaws.

'Mickey 17' firmly establishes itself as a bold film that fearlessly critiques the ruthless nature of capitalism, extreme labor exploitation, and the frivolity of the powerful, without ever sacrificing entertainment or emotional impact. Pattinson delivers one of his most remarkable performances yet, fluidly navigating physical comedy, existential drama, and surprising tenderness. Bong Joon Ho does not disappoint, presenting a daring, audacious, and profoundly human film with an extravagant premise disturbingly close to our own reality.

All the more reason it’s baffling that such an original and commendable proposal is failing in theaters while spin-offs, hollow sequels, or algorithm-driven content succeed. If we continue to overlook films like this, we risk permanently losing intelligent, fresh, and authentic cinema. Undoubtedly one of the most recommendable and insightful films of the year. 🍿🌟