We have all felt replaceable at some point, whether in a relationship or at work. That feeling of not being accepted, desired, or welcome manifests in many ways. Having only one life, we convince ourselves that we are indispensable, but if you knew that someone exactly like you would take your place once you disappear, you would become completely dispensable.
After the spectacular success of "Parasite" (2019), everyone had high expectations for the next film by South Korean director Bong Joon-ho. "Mickey 17" (2025) is an adaptation of a novel written by Edward Ashton, and the best way to describe it is as a science fiction satire that shows us a vision of humanity’s future.
It is a space journey that somehow mixes black comedy with existential drama. From my point of view, I see it as quite a gamble; I imagine the director took creative risks by working outside his usual element.
The story shows the harsh life of Mickey (Robert Pattinson), an employee labeled as "expendable" on a special expedition sent to colonize a cold and mysterious planet. His job is to undertake suicide missions. Every time he dies (which happens many times), a new clone is printed with his memories, ready to endure death over and over again. The real conflict comes when, by a twist of fate, Mickey survives an incident and ends up face to face with his own replacement.
On the ship, everyone treats Mickey as a worthless object because he is completely replaceable; no one cares how he feels as long as his life serves a purpose, whether for experiments as a lab rat or to take risks no one else wants to face. By cloning him repeatedly, they turned him into an autonomous tool. Although he remains a human being, he has been completely dehumanized by his own species.
In this film, life and technological advances come together to become a darkly humorous joke about existence: humanity became so advanced as to create genetically perfect clones, but by having control over life and death, they lost respect for these things.
Certainly, the movie has a very promising initial plot, human life is fragile, and joking about that fragility made me wonder, what will it be like?
Robert Pattinson has become that actor you occasionally see; since playing Batman, he has gained much relevance in recent years. Before, I could only see him as the Twilight vampire; now, I see him as someone very capable of taking on other roles.
Bong Joon-ho uses the premise of cloning to deliver sharp critiques of extreme capitalism and labor exploitation, questioning the value of human life when it can simply be replaced by an identical copy.
However, "Mickey 17" is not like "Parasite". The film undergoes a radical tonal shift during its second half.
Mickey 17 is probably an example that not every gem can be a diamond. Its absurd tone may frustrate some viewers (for me, it was uncomfortable at certain moments). Nevertheless, its initial premise is captivating enough to prevent it from becoming tedious.
The first hour of the film is the best and everything I hoped to see; however, when the second Mickey appears, the plot changes completely.
It is an original film. I would say it might have worked better as a short film since the second and third acts have very different approaches from the first. But it offers a fascinating spectacle that will not leave you indifferent.
Rating: 67/100
Originally posted through scrobble.life/movies.
