When I first saw the trailer for Mickey 17, I wasn’t immediately drawn in. The visuals looked impressive, but the premise didn’t initially grab me. However, on a quiet evening at home, I saw it available on HBO and decided to give it a try. While there are some interesting ideas in the film, I walked away feeling underwhelmed overall.
Directed by Bong Joon-ho (Parasite, Snowpiercer), Mickey 17 is based on Edward Ashton’s novel Mickey7. It stars Robert Pattinson in the dual role of Mickey Barnes—a disposable human employee known as an “Expendable”—who is sent to colonize the frozen planet Niflheim. In this futuristic world, Mickey is part of a process where his body is sacrificed for dangerous missions, then regenerated with memories intact through advanced cloning technology.
Plot Summary:
The story follows Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson), a man who escapes a mounting debt on Earth by volunteering for the Expendable program. Alongside his partner, Nasha (played by Naomi Ackie), Mickey joins a mission to settle a new planet. Things quickly take a turn when Mickey dies during one of his assignments—only to be resurrected via cloning, as is standard procedure.
However, complications arise when one iteration of Mickey becomes stranded in an icy crevasse, only to be rescued by a mysterious native alien species. Meanwhile, the colonists unknowingly create a new Mickey clone, assuming the original is dead. Now with two Mickeys alive at once, tensions escalate, especially with the colony’s authoritarian leader, Marshall (played by Steven Yeun), whose character is portrayed with strong religious undertones.
Themes and Concerns:
One point of discomfort for me was how religious themes were handled. While it’s valid to critique zealotry in speculative fiction, I felt the portrayal of Marshall as a stereotypically fanatical leader leaned into some overly simplified and potentially harmful caricatures of religious belief. As a person of faith, I would have appreciated more nuance and care in how those elements were presented.
In addition, the film includes several scenes of intimacy that didn’t feel necessary to the plot. Instead of enhancing character development, these moments seemed inserted more for style than substance and contributed to the film’s uneven pacing.
Characterization and Pacing:
While Pattinson gives a solid performance, juggling the complexity of playing multiple versions of himself, I found many of the side characters underdeveloped. Characters like Nasha and other crew members felt like one-note archetypes, written to fill a function rather than feel like fully realized individuals. The script could have benefited from stronger dialogue and more emotional depth, especially in exploring what it truly means to be replaceable or “expendable.”
Visuals and Direction:
That said, the film is visually stunning. Bong Joon-ho’s signature world-building and imaginative settings are on full display, with striking shots of Niflheim’s icy terrain and the eerie interiors of the colony ship. The alien design is also notable—mysterious and otherworldly without being overly cliché.
Final Thoughts:
Mickey 17 isn’t a bad film, but it wasn’t for me. I appreciate its ambition and the original concept behind it, but I found the storytelling lacking in coherence and emotional payoff. With stronger character arcs and a tighter script, it could have been something special. Still, if you’re a fan of cerebral sci-fi and enjoy Bong Joon-ho’s experimental approach, this may be worth a watch for you.
This is just my personal and honest review—if Mickey 17 resonated with you, that’s perfectly valid too. Film, like all art, is subjective.
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