Info in Movie News | Distinguished director from South Korea Bong Joon-ho (Parasite, Snowpiercer) is back at theaters with Mickey 17, a bold and brave science fiction satire starring Robert Pattinson. Based on a novel by Edward Ashton named Mickey7, the film involves a dark and satirical perspective on the topic of identity, survival, and exploitation in a future dystopian society.
Scheduled for a global theatrical release in March 2025 — March 7 in the U.S., and a South Korean premiere on Feb. 28 — Mickey 17 draws audiences into the world of Mickey Barnes (Pattinson), an expendable human clone nicknamed an “Expendable. Assigned to high-risk missions on the frozen world Niflheim, he’s built to die again and again, his consciousness transferred to a new body with every death. But when an accidental duplication occurs, all hell breaks loose as both Mickeys fight for their lives and a sense of agency.
According to The Hollywood Reporter (February 15, 2025), Bong Joon-ho "leans into the absurdity of human nature," crafting a movie that is "as much a social critique as it is a sci-fi adventure." The review further notes, "While two Mickeys may be better than one, by the time you get to seven or eight, or even a number as unwieldy as 18, the endless cycle of Pattinson clones starts to wear on us."
Bong’s signature mix of biting satire and emotional depth is evident throughout the movie. Variety (February 16, 2025) describes it as "a wild blend of Snowpiercer’s class struggle with Okja’s dark humor," noting the movie’s scathing critique of corporate greed and human expendability.
Pattinson, who journeyed into deep space in Claire Denis’ High Life, takes on different tones here, playing a desperate man tricked into an exploitative labor system. “By means of various gags, Bong’s script telegraphs just how little the human crew think of Expendables — and by extension how little Bong thinks of human nature,” writes The Guardian (February 17, 2025).
The film also stars Mark Ruffalo as the movie’s tyrannical antagonist, Steven Yeun as Mickey’s conflicted friend, Naomi Ackie as a love interest caught up in the whole mess and Toni Collette as a manipulative player with her hands on the controls. Ruffalo is sceneshopping as a failed politician turned insecure prophet in an over-the-top performance reminiscent of Okja’s garish corporate fools, adds The Hollywood Reporter.
Mirroring its strange premise, Mickey 17 also relies on a mix of slapstick and existential dread — beneath jaw-dropping cinematography by Darius Khondji and slick production design by Fiona Crombie. The film’s instantly recognizable near-monochrome aesthetic makes for a sharp contrast to its absurdist humor, making it visually arresting and tonally disorienting in equal measure.
For those parched for a movie that flows through the Bong signature blend of socio-political critique and big-budget mind-(jerk) sci-fi, Mickey 17 is poised to become one of 2025’s most unique big-screen spectacles. With the film showing up at early festivals to pedantic arguments about its thematic heft and narrative architecture, it’s hard to know if Mickey 17 is going to hit like Parasite did — but one thing’s for sure: It’s another case of Bong Joon-ho working to double the possibilities of genre filmmaking.
Mickey 17 hits theaters worldwide on March 7, 2025. Warner Bros. is handling international distribution, with a strong IMAX release upcoming that should increase the reach of the film.
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