After facing multiple release delays due to production challenges, the film “Mickey 17” finally debuted in theaters earlier this year in March to a surprisingly underwhelming box office response. While it’s unclear whether this response is a result of its one-year release delay or potentially misleading marketing campaigns, one undeniable truth stands: “Mickey 17” is severely underrated.
Directed by Bong Joon Ho, the Academy Award-winning director of “Parasite,” the film is a science fiction satirical comedy adapted from the 2022 novel "Mickey7” written by American author Edward Ashton. Taking place on a spaceship in the year 2050, the film is centered around Mickey Barnes, a quirky yet loveable protagonist played by Robert Pattinson, and explores themes of greed, class and capitalism. This is Pattinson’s first film since the 2022 hit “The Batman” and falls right in line with his history of playing unconventional characters.
The story follows Mickey through his journey as “an expendable,” a controversial job which requires his ability to die and be reprinted as he embarks on deadly missions and experiments administered by the scientists on board the ship in order for the space colony to find a new habitable planet. Mickey’s status on board the ship quickly becomes jeopardized once his mission becomes compromised at the beginning of the film, and the story follows his unpredictable attempts to remain alive while maintaining some semblance of his oddball personality. Mickey is accompanied on board by his best friend from Earth, Timo, played by Steven Yeun, and girlfriend, Nasha, played by Naomi Ackie. The spaceship is led by the corrupt politician Kenneth Marshall, played by Mark Ruffalo, and his wife Ylfa, played by Toni Collette. The two stand as a satirical rendition of who is assumed to be Donald and Melania Trump.
The film cost $118 million to produce and $80 million to market but severely underperformed its opening weekend, earning $19.1 million in North America and $53.3 million globally. Warner Bros. Pictures led production of the film, and director Bong has made statements discussing disagreements between his vision and the studio’s understanding of the story which potentially contributed to the film’s release delay. 2025 so far has been a major release year for Warner Bros. With films such as “A Minecraft Movie,” “Superman” and “Sinners,” it’s quite possible that “Mickey 17” simply slipped through the publicity cracks due to its unidentifiable nature.
In all, “Mickey 17” stands as a testament to Bong’s ability to blend genres in an interesting and unconventional way. From political commentary, science fiction and romance, this film has something for everyone. Even with an R rating, its phenomenal writing coupled with an incredibly star-studded cast set up an unpredictable yet enjoyable experience that I thoroughly believe will lend itself to become a cult classic in the years to come.
