TRASH IN MY EYE No. 24 of 2025 (No. 2030) by Leroy Douresseaux
Mickey 17 (2025)
Running time: 137 minutes (2 hours, 17 minutes)
MPA – R for violent content, language throughout, sexual content and drug material
DIRECTOR: Bong Joon Ho
WRITER: Bong Joon Ho (based on the novel by Edward Ashton)
PRODUCERS: Bong Joon Ho, Dooho Choi, Dede Gardner, and Jeremy Kleiner
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Darius Khondji (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Jinmo Yang
COMPOSER: Jung Jae-il
SCI-FI/DRAMA/COMEDY
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Mark Ruffalo, Toni Collette, Steven Yeun, Daniel Henshall, Anamaria Vartolomei, Ellen Robertson, Michael Monroe, Patsy Ferran, Cameron Britton, Ian Hanmore, Jude Mack, and Stephen Park
SUMMARY OF REVIEW:
-- Mickey 17 is an imaginative science fiction film and futuristic drama that is also a savage social critique of modern times. It is one of the best films of 2025
-- The film has the aesthetics of the European science fiction films of French director, Luc Besson, and of the work of the late French comic book author, Jean “Moebius” Giraud, but it movies like an American political comedy
-- The film has some standout performances from Naomie Ackie, Mark Ruffalo, and Toni Collette, but in a dual role, Robert Pattinson, in some ways, turns Mickey 17 into his own star vehicle
Mickey 17 is a 2025 satirical science fiction drama film from director Bong Joon Ho. The film is a U.
S. and South Korean production. It is based on the 2022 novel, Mickey7, written by author Edward Ashton. Mickey 17 follows a man who joins a space colony as a “disposable worker,” which means that he is reprinted every time he dies or is killed.
Mickey 17 opens in the year 2054 AD. Down on his luck young businessman, Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson), and his partner, Timo (Steven Yeun), borrow money from Darius Blank (Ian Hanmore), a murderous loan shark. Unable to pay back the loan and needing to get away, Mickey and Timo join a spaceship crew headed to Plant Niflheim as space colonists. Mickey gets the worse of the deal when he signs on an “Expendable.” It is a job filled with extremely dangerous tasks that often lead to death.
Every time Mickey dies or is killed, his body is thrown into a fiery pit. Various biological meat matter is run through a “cycler,” and Mickey is essentially cloned in a process called “Bodyprinting.” Mickey's memories, having been digitized, are inserted into the newly reprinted Mickey. During the voyage, Mickey falls in love with Nasha Barridge (Naomie Ackie), an all-in-one elite security agent on the ship. Each time, one Mickey is killed, Nasha loyally loves the next Mickey.
After arriving on Niflheim, more experimentation leads to more dead Mickey's until there is “Mickey 17.” During some reconnaissance, there is an accident, and Mickey 17 is believed to be dead. However, he is miraculously rescued in the most unexpected way. Now, returning to the ship, Mickey must face off with Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo), the head of the expedition, who has sinister designs on Niflheim, and his boorish wife, Ilfa (Toni Collette). He must also solve the mystery of the planet's inhabitants, which the humans call “creepers.” Oh, and Mickey 17 has to deal with a surprising yet familiar newcomer.
I thought director Bong Joon Ho's 2013 South Korean film, Snowpiercer, was one of the best films released in the U.S. in 2014. I have yet to see his Oscar-winning film, Parasite (2019), but I was determined to see Mickey 17. Like Snowpiercer, Mickey 17 is a black comedy, but make no mistake. Mikey 17 is also a withering social critique of our modern world. From a society of have-nothings and have-everythings to a technocracy that uses people as disposable commodities, Mickey 17 skewers the current plutocracy and oligarchies. Mickey 17 holds a mirror to our modern world in which people are dehumanized on the alter of the material and technological pursuits of the powerful.
Mickey 17 reminds me of the European science fiction films of French director, Luc Besson (1997's The Fifth Element), and of the art of the late French comic book artist, Jean “Moebius” Giraud. Still, its breezy character drama and witty comedy feel like American entertainment, especially the way it skewers the film's villain, the thoroughly American Kenneth Marshall. As Marshall, Mark Ruffalo delivers a scathing send-up of whom else – our lumbering, drug-addled, egomaniac President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. I don't know if Bong Joon Ho wanted Ruffalo to play the character that way, but Ruffalo portrayal of a power-mad, racist, religious fake is both breathtaking and also a testament to his skills as an actor.
I don't want to skimp on praising the film's other stars. Naomie Ackie is a ball of energy as Nasha, and she grabs her time in the spotlight. Toni Collette is an acting treasure, and she delivers another great character performance – of course.
Still, let's be honest. Robert Pattinson – handsome Robert Pattinson – is a very talented actor, and he is a true movie star. The more I watched this film, the more I realized that Mickey 17 is essentially a Robert Pattinson star vehicle. There is nothing wrong with that, but Pattinson also delivers a performance that defines the film's themes of identity, independence, and empathy, as well as bring the story along as it delves into the nature of self and consciousness.
I can see why Mickey 17 did not perform well with theatrical audiences and with some critics. The film requires the viewer to wait almost an hour as it establishes its characters and settings before delivering the hook in the plot that reels the viewer into the heart of this daring and sometimes absurd film. Its mix of social sci-fi, black comedy, and satire is another example of Bong Joon Ho showing how he deftly blends genres and sub-genres into incomparable cinematic art. Mickey 17 is one of 2025's best films, and it rewards audience patience without an outstanding entertainment experience.
9 of 10
A+
★★★★+ out of 4 stars
Tuesday, June 3, 2025
The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.
---------------
---------------
