[WGH]

Mickey Barnes was having a bad day, a business investment went bad and he doesn't have the money to pay back the loan sharks who explain they will follow him to the ends of the earth to get their revenge. Mickey's solution was to leave Earth. The only problem is Mickey doesn't have any skills to contribute to a planetary mission except one - to sign on as an "Expendable."

Expendables are used for the most dangerous missions and are re-printed when the missions fail, over and over again. Mickey realizes a little too late he should have read the contract.





So starts Bong Joon Ho's latest satire about class and economic disparities, humanity’s destruction of the planet and the dangers of authoritarianism. Note: Mickey 17 was filmed in 2022, long before today's current events. Bong Joon Ho said in an interview: “There’s no one-on-one match with someone in real life. I was wondering, What are the common characteristics of all these crazy leaders across history?”

Mickey 17 stars Robert Pattinson, Mark Ruffalo, Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie and Toni Collette. Bong Joon Ho is a South Korean film maker with Mickey 17 as has eighth film. I have watched and enjoyed all of Bong Joon Ho's films with Mickey 17 only his second English language film. All his films are well worth the search. I'm a big fan.

Bong Joon Ho's films are:

Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000) is a dark comedy
Memories of Murder (2003) a murder mystery
The Host (2006) is a very funny monster movie
Mother (2009) is a suspenseful murder mystery
Snowpiercer (2013) - class struggles on a perpetual motion train after an apocalypse
Okja (2017) - a heartwarming tale of a girl, a giant mutant pig and a corporation's desire to make a revolutionary line of meat products.
Parasite (2020) Academy Award for Best Picture
Mickey 17 (2025)


After a 4 year journey the colony ship arrives at cold, snowy Niflheim. The native creatures are called "Creepers." From one angle they resemble fleshy, nubby, writhing centipedes. From others they resemble majestic buffalo or woolly mammoths. In their squeaking infancy, they call to mind Tardigrades crossed with Baby Yoda. “In the very early stage of creature design, we shared many images of armadillo,” Bong noted. “Also croissant.”




Watch the trailer:
https://youtu.be/osYpGSz_0i4

An interview with Bong Joon Ho
The ‘Parasite’ Director Brings Class Warfare to Outer Space
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/04/magazine/bong-joon-ho-mickey-17.html

‘Mickey 17’ Review: This Job Is Killing Him
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/movies/mickey-17-review.html


 

[Stercom]

I saw it last night. The first thing to note is Robert Pattinson's excellent acting. I won't give away a major plot twist but Pattinson is really the only reason it works so well. Mark Ruffalo, on the other hand, had an over-the-top character which seemed too forced. If he had dialed it back a bit it would have been funnier. The movie is about 2 hours 15 minutes long. The director should have found a way to cut those extra 15 minutes out. The humor and plot seemed a little repetitive at times. Overall I enjoyed it, a solid B+.

[newzooreview]

A less sanguine review (with some salty language):

"Mickey 17 - A Clumsy, Pandering Clown Show"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLze1JuaaqM

[Stercom]

Haha, that YouTube reviewer and I basically agree about Pattison, Ruffalo, the plot and the length. He seems rather pissed-off about the politics in the movie which I guess I'm used to at this point. 

[WGH]

A less sanguine review (with some salty language)

Have you seen "Mickey 17" or just posting that review to make me feel bad (for the reviewer)? "Too clever by half" describes The Critical Drinker's reviewing style.

The reviewer is obviously drunk and hasn't watched any of Bong Joon Ho's previous films, if he had he wouldn't have wasted his time with this one. Or he just posts over-the-top negative reviews of popular films (check out his other reviews) to collect clicks. Whatever works I guess.

Okja and Snowpiercer are also political, environmental satires with a little (or a lot) over acting which is why I like Bong's films, it's his personal style. I grew up watching "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends" TV show from 1959 to 1964 so my viewing preferences tend to be absurd.

I suggest not watching any of Bong Joon Ho's films if your movie preferences are more conservative, deeper or thoughtful.

[Holygeezer]

I loved The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle as a kid (I am 70 now) though most of the puns went over my head back then. I do however have the complete series on DVD and need to rewatch it again. I will keep an eye out for Mickey 17 when it comes to a streaming platform I can access. I agree totally on Bong Jon Ho’s films, I love that they deal with actual issues in a satirical style. But then I love dark humor.

[viggen]

i've seen snow piercer and host and likem quite a bit.  that said the two reviewers on kpcc, public radio station in LA, didn't like it much.  they said director trying too hard to get a political message across or something to that effect.

[Tyson]

i've seen snow piercer and host and likem quite a bit.  that said the two reviewers on kpcc, public radio station in LA, didn't like it much.  they said director trying too hard to get a political message across or something to that effect.

What political message?  The director is Korean, lol.  Maybe he is mad at the Korean government?

[WGH]

What political message?  The director is Korean, lol.  Maybe he is mad at the Korean government?

Yea, reviewers in the US think it's always about them. "Mickey 17" opened in South Korea on February 28, 2025, a week before its global rollout.

"Mickey 17" is based on the novel "Mickey 7" by Edward Ashton published in 2022. Plan B Entertainment (Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner) and Warner Bros acquired Mickey7 in 2020, two years before it was published.

[Tyson]

A less sanguine review (with some salty language):

"The Critical Drinker - A Clumsy, Pandering Clown Reviewer"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLze1JuaaqM

Fixed that for you.

[bkatbamna]

Fixed that for you.

The Critical Drinker is one of the few youtube reviewers I trust.  He's written novels(and made an indy film) and his points regarding story, character, and what works and doesn't work are typically spot on. 
Search "The Critical Drinker Recommends" on youtube and realize that he doesn't just make videos crapping on movies.
One of his best reviews was of Dredd.

I thought it was quite funny that the villain was going on the trip after losing two elections.  Except that Hollywood isn't real life.
I suspect there's not going to be a sequel as this movie lost more than $70 million but the people involved may fail upward like a lot of people in Hollywood seem to do.

[Mike B.]

I agree with a good part of what the Critical Drinker reports in his review

[JCarney]

A less sanguine review (with some salty language):

"Mickey 17 - A Clumsy, Pandering Clown Show"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLze1JuaaqM

I watched that review and laughed. The guy really did not like the movie. I will wait to watch it when it hits the services and make my own decision, but the reviewer was funny.

JCarney