For years after Bong Joon-Ho’s modern classic “Parasite” released, fans wondered what direction the acclaimed director would take his next film. Now, after years of delays and a messy release schedule, they have their answer. Released on March 7, 2025, “Mickey 17” sees Joon-Ho return to some of his familiar themes – only this time in space. While I don’t think that the film is flawless, it has an intriguing story, compelling themes, and great acting.

“Mickey 17” follows Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson), an “expendable” on a colonizing voyage to the ice-world of Niflheim in the year 2054. These “expendables” have signed up to do dangerous, often fatal tasks on the ship, and have agreed to be cloned and “reprinted” once they die, so that they can continue their work. However, this goes wrong when the 17th iteration of Mickey is thought to be dead, and the 18th version is printed and alive at the same time as the 17th. The two (both played by Robert Pattinson) have to work through their differences while trying to stop the cult leader Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo).

The film’s tone is more lighthearted than its description makes it seem. The film blends a science-fiction adventure with comedic elements, which makes for an incredibly interesting premise. While I think that sometimes the film is trying to do too much comedically – leading to jokes that can fall flat – the humor isn’t distracting from the plot in any major way.  

The film is definitely thought-provoking, to say the least. “Mickey 17” raises so many questions in so many different areas – questions about human nature, what it means to truly live, the insanity that capitalism can drive someone to, and many more. As I walked out of the theater, I needed time to collect my thoughts on it, and I’m honestly still mulling over a lot of what the film was trying to say.

As for the acting, it’s really good. I wasn’t initially sold on Robert Pattinson’s performance, and thought that the tone he was setting for the 17th Mickey was a little grating. However, once the 18th Mickey comes into play, you understand why he portrays the 17th Mickey the way he does, and it becomes incredibly impressive to watch an actor play two separate characters at the same time. Mark Ruffalo plays up the “funny cult leader” angle in his role as Marshall, and while his mannerisms and jokes don’t always land, he still does a good job in his role. 

Though it’s not perfect, “Mickey 17” is an enjoyable watch, and kept me thinking about its themes long after the credits rolled. Because of this, I give the film a solid 8 out of 10.