It takes only a few pages of Mickey 7 to see why director Bong Joon-ho was drawn to adapt it into a film. With its eerie premise of endlessly replicable human bodies—rendering human labor cheaper and more efficient than machines—the novel feels tailor-made for Bong’s cinematic universe. The protagonist, who faces repeated deaths with a biting sense of humor, is quintessentially Bong.
Bong’s latest film, Mickey 17, an adaptation of Edward Ashton’s novel, was unveiled to South Korean media on Feb. 17. It marks his first feature since Parasite, the Palme d’Or and Academy Award-winning film, six years ago.
Set in the 2050s, when space colonization has begun, the film follows protagonist Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson), a man on the run from loan sharks who volunteers as an “expendable”—a supposedly immortal worker assigned to the most dangerous tasks. On an ice planet, Mickey repeatedly dies and is regenerated, but a malfunction leads to the unthinkable—two versions of him existing simultaneously: Mickey 17 and Mickey 18.
As an expendable, Mickey endures radiation exposure, toxic gas, vaccine trials, and even incineration—only to be printed anew each time. The image of Mickey emerging from a machine, battered but reborn, evokes a sense of endless suffering. Pattinson’s portrayal, with slumped shoulders, a frail voice, and a weary smile, brings to life the exhaustion of a disposable laborer. Bong justified his decision to expand Mickey’s deaths from seven to 17, explaining, “Since dying is his job, seven times didn’t feel like enough. I wanted to portray a worker for whom death had become routine.”
The expendable program serves as an allegory for outsourcing dangerous work to low-wage laborers and treating human workers as replaceable commodities. While the novel explores the philosophical question of whether humans can be replicated, the film leans more toward a critique of capitalism, depicting how economic desperation drives people to extreme conditions.
The contrast between Mickey 17 and Mickey 18 is stark. Unlike the timid, hapless Mickey 17, Mickey 18 is rebellious and aggressive. Pattinson, effectively playing dual roles, delivers an unpredictable and dynamic performance. The volatile nature of Mickey 18 underscores the idea that human identity cannot be perfectly replicated.
The film’s antagonist, Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo), who leads the ice planet colonization, bears a striking resemblance to U.S. President Donald Trump. With disheveled hair, a flashy grin, and theatrical showmanship, he commands a fanatical following. Bong said he drew inspiration from various ‘bad politicians’ for the character, yet the resemblance to Trump is unmistakable. However, Marshall’s exaggerated, almost cartoonish portrayal risks diluting the film’s impact, making it feel more like a sketch from a political satire show.
One of the film’s standout elements is the creepers, the native creatures of the ice planet. A mix of the grotesque terror from The Host and the endearing oddity of Okja, these creatures showcase Bong’s signature flair. Resembling a cross between an armadillo and a furry larva, they become surprisingly endearing. During one pivotal moment, as the creepers rally to save their offspring, gasps of sympathy filled the press screening room—proof that these creatures, despite being non-human, evoke more empathy than some of the film’s human characters.
While Mickey 17 presents a compelling sci-fi world, it may struggle to meet the sky-high expectations set by Parasite. The film lacks the taut tension that defines Bong’s best work, and its storyline largely follows the novel’s plot without major reinvention. The added cinematic spectacle enhances the visuals, but the film’s overt satire somewhat diminishes the depth and intrigue of the source material.
Premiering at the Berlin International Film Festival on Feb. 15, the film received a divided critical reception. U.S. film outlet IndieWire called it “the best and most cohesive of Bong’s English-language films,” praising it as “exciting proof of Bong’s genius” and an amalgamation of his past two works.
In contrast, the BBC deemed it a “serious disappointment,” writing, “Bong suddenly goes for a conventional blockbuster earnestness he has hitherto rejected—and fails to make it fit. Like its hero, this is a film with a major identity crisis.”
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an 86% critic score, lower than Parasite (99%), Mother (96%), and Snowpiercer (94%). Mickey 17 is rated 15+ and is set for release in South Korea on Feb. 28.
