Not many directors whose names are attached to a movie make you sit up and take note. Spielberg, Scorsese and Nolan all have that power. Now we have Bong Joon Ho, who gave us the masterpiece Parasite. He is a modern filmmaker who instantly draws you to his movies. Just from his past reputation and having won the Oscar, he has moved up the rankings of great directors. His latest venture is a sci-fi drama comedy that may divide audiences. Mickey 17 is a film with an interesting premise, but it’s where it ends up that could leave some not celebrating it but being largely disappointed.

Trying to escape the Earth after a dodgy deal falls flat, Mickey Barnes signs up to travel to a new life, but as an expendable, a man made to take dangerous and life-ending experiments, but who then gets a new version printed out. Mickey 17 was supposed to die on an expedition on the ice planet that failed Governor Kenneth Marshall wanted to turn into a new colony. Not dying may cause problems, especially when he returns to find a duplicate of himself.

Director Bong’s film has a strong premise, allowing him to deliver all the elements he likes to throw at audiences: discussions about capitalism, touches of satire and commentary on politics, and enough twists and turns to keep the audience interested. There are elements of his previous English-language sci-fi, Snowpiercer, where the rich live a life of luxury while the poor are crammed in a handful of carriages. The same applies to the poor doing everything in their power to escape earth, even allowing themselves to be sacrificed, only to be replaced by an almost identical copy.

The film’s first half is the most exciting as we watch Mickey being pushed to the limits, dying and then being copied. We can tick off each version, facing another death so that the rest of the people can have a perfect life. These moments also produce some of the bigger laughs, in a very dark manner. There is also the subplot of Mickey forming a relationship with a possessive security member, Nasha.

Even though director Bong has stated that certain characters are not based on real-life people, you can see in the creation of Marshall that it’s not too far removed from a certain world leader. There is an element of Macbeth in the relationship between the governor and his wife, Ylfa, who seems to be pulling all the strings in the background while worrying about sauces.

The film doesn’t quite work in the final act, when the story turns its attention to the lifeform that lives on the planet and that Marshall wants to destroy. It feels like an afterthought and a way to combine the plot strands. The creatures are an interesting bunch, and the design is fun, but it doesn’t feel like a way to complete the journey.

The film truly wins in the performances. All are committed to the cause and are well-cast. Naomi Ackie is great as Mickey’s girlfriend, who is overprotective of her man. Toni Collete is in top form as Ylfa, while Mark Ruffalo certainly gives his political opinions as he portrays Marshall. You need to see it to understand. As Mickey, Robert Pattison gives his best performance to date. A simple man with a squeezy voice, you find yourself connecting with his plight while managing to show he is more than just that vampire from Twilight. When he comes across Mickey 18, you see Pattison room to breathe with a very different creation of the same character.

Mickey 17 is a decent sci-fi film that has plenty to recommend but is let down by a weak ending. Bong Joon Ho is a terrific director with bags of great ideas. If he had a better ending to this, we would be speaking masterpiece; as you can see, it is there for the taking.

4 out of 5

Director: Bong Joon Ho

Starring: Robert Pattison, Steven Yuen, Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo, Holliday Granger, Thomas Thurgoose, Tim Key, Anamaria Vartolomei, Anna Mouglalis

Written by: Bong Joon Ho and (based on the novel Mickey 7) Edward Ashton

Running Time: 137 mins

Cert: 15

Release date: 7th March 2025