Film Review: Mickey 17

“From the Academy Award-winning writer/director of “Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho, comes his next groundbreaking cinematic experience, “Mickey 17.” The unlikely hero, Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) has found himself in the extraordinary circumstance of working for an employer who demands the ultimate commitment to the job… to die, for a living. “- Warner Bros. Pictures.

Snapshot Review: Bong Joon-ho returns to our screens with a dystopian sci-fi work. The story is built around a cloning concept whereby memories and DNA are stored and can be used to print multiple 3D copies. The technology is banned except on space missions to new planets where it is used to perform dangerous, life threatening tasks by reprintable “expendables”. Our not very bright titular hero (17 referring to the number of times he has been reproduced), played by Robert Pattinson, signs up to this role without reading the small-print to evade some nasty debt collectors. He is placed on a space mission headed by media-obsessed, failed politician Kenneth Marshall who displays very unsubtle fascistic tendencies. Mark Ruffalo uses Trump’s voice and Mussolini’s looks to make absolutely sure we get the message in an otherwise lazy portrayal.

The crew are young, fresh-faced and one-dimensional not unlike in Paul Verhoeven’s much more entertaining Starship Troopers. The story however is more akin to Avatar’s galactic colonialist romp, but should be very flattered by this comparison. Unlike that film, there is little emotional connection with the characters or any real sense of danger for either the natives or invaders which makes for rather boring viewing. The plus points include the occasional moments of humour, mostly provided by the ever-excellent Tim Keys in full court jester mode. Unlike his previous efforts in this genre, Snowpiercer and The Host, this film is a disappointment especially for those expecting the quality levels of his previous film, the Oscar winning Parasite.

Release Date: 07/03/2025
Genre: Sci-Fi/Comedy
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo