Mickey 17: Oh Mickey, You Were Just Fine You Really Didn’t Blow My Mind
Mickey 17 (2025)
Directed by Bong Joon-ho
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo
Expectations grow when we convince ourselves we want something. And what I wanted was another Bong Joon-ho film. Parasite (2019) was my favorite film of that year (read my review here), and I needed something early in 2025 to wash away the taste of mediocrity left by Wolfman, Companion, and Captain America: A Brave New World.
Don’t get me wrong—Leigh Whannell’s Wolfman, starring one of my favorite young actors, Christopher Abbott (Sanctuary [2022], Poor Things [2023]), had fully realized gruesome moments but fell short in script and tone. Drew Hancock’s directorial debut, Companion, had a refreshing concept and strong performances from Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid, but what started as two compelling acts collapsed in the third, leaving me hoping for what could have been rather than appreciating what was. And though the fourth Captain America film was entertaining—Harrison Ford put his 73-year-old heart into it—ultimately, it was a jumbled mess designed to tie up loose ends before Marvel hits reset in a few years.
So, anticipation for a Bong Joon-ho and Robert Pattinson collaboration? Through the roof. It felt like 2025 might finally break free from its mediocrity slump.
Bong Joon-ho makes two kinds of films: the fun and fantastical—The Host (2006), Snowpiercer (2013), Okja (2017)—and the highly introspective, deeply human—Memories of Murder (2003), Mother (2009), Parasite (2019). That’s not to say he doesn’t lace his serious films with wry humor, but his more overtly sci-fi films lean into slapstick. Whether it’s a monster terrorizing Seoul’s Han River, a train that literally can’t stop, won’t stop, or a multinational corporation hell-bent on turning a little girl’s best friend into dinner, Joon-ho knows how to balance tension and comedy.
Going into Mickey 17, I knew this would be the sci-fi side of his palette. And while the first act unfolded, I found myself longing for the other side. What I got was a fun mix of Snowpiercer and Okja, but nowhere near as impactful as Memories of Murder, Mother, or Oscar-winner Parasite.
Naomi Ackie shines as Nasha, holding her own alongside Pattinson. Her lead performances in Blink Twice (2024) and I Wanna Dance With Somebody (2023) had me hoping for her continued rise in stardom, and this role keeps that trajectory going. AnaMaria Vartolomei’s Kai, though limited in screen time, provides much-needed humanity to a cast full of emotional volatility. Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette savor their time on screen with diabolical brilliance. Unfortunately, Steven Yeun is underused—his aloof dirtbag character is a perfect foil to Pattinson’s, but he barely gets the chance to shine.
Speaking of Pattinson, it’s no surprise he excels at playing multiple versions of a character, especially when physical comedy is involved. But his choice of accent? Grating. And the overused voiceover in the first act doesn’t help. Couple that with mounds of exposition, and Mickey 17 becomes Joon-ho’s most tedious film—until it isn’t. By then, though, it was too late.
As much as I want to champion original IP from auteur directors, this sci-fi flick fell flat. It lacks the craftsmanship and emotional resonance of Alex Garland’s Annihilation (2018), Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival (2016), Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar (2014), or Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin (2014). Granted, none of those films were comedies—Mickey 17 is funny. Just not funny enough to make up for a first act bogged down by exposition and half-realized characters.
Looks like I’ll have to wait another month for Ryan Coogler’s Sinners to finally wash away the taste of 2025’s mediocrity.
6 out of 10.