MICKEY 17 (2025) – Lost in Space: Bong Joon Ho’s Baffling Misfire

Let’s cut to the chase—who would have thought the mastermind behind the Best Picture Academy Award winning “Parasite”, Bong Joon Ho, who not only directs but also co-wrote and produced this, could tumble so spectacularly into mediocrity? “Mickey 17” is his attempt at delivering a satirical exploration of humanity, immortality, and the cost of progress. What we get instead is a perplexing mess, where lofty ambition meets juvenile execution.

The premise had potential—oh, so much potential. In a future where technology allows interplanetary travel, Robert Pattinson plays Mickey, a social pariah fleeing loan sharks who signs up as an “expendable” crew member for a mission to colonize another planet. His job? To endure all manner of dangerous experiments that inevitably result in his death, only to be regenerated as a clone and sent back for more. Intriguing, right? Unfortunately, the film squanders its premise by diving headfirst into absurdity without pausing for depth or coherence.

The behavior of the characters oscillates between outright lunacy and cringe-worthy immaturity. Dialogue lands somewhere between a shallow attempt at humor and a misguided stab at profundity. And for a satire, it’s shockingly unfunny. The target audience for this chaotic mess remains elusive—its cartoonish storyline lacks the whimsy or charm to engage children, while adults will struggle to find anything worth pondering amidst the hollow narrative.

Visually, the film is equally barren. The alien planet is a monotonous, snowy wasteland that could have been conjured up by an uninspired intern in the special effects department. The alien creatures, presumably designed to be cute or endearing, instead look like rejected props from a discount sci-fi flick. Even the technical artistry feels lifeless.

Then there’s the impressive cast: Robert Pattinson, Steven Yeun, Mark Ruffalo, Toni Collette—all immensely talented. And yet, every single one of them gives what could generously be labeled their “career-worst” performance. Watching these actors flail in a script that makes as much sense as a random page from a telephone directory is genuinely painful.

Any attempt at delivering a profound message—perhaps about capitalism’s dehumanization of workers or the existential dread of immortality—is buried under eccentric character behaviors and nonsensical plot twists. Whatever artistic or noble intentions existed at the outset of “Mickey 17” are thoroughly drowned in its chaotic execution.

In the end, “Mickey 17” is less a thought-provoking film and more a cautionary tale about what happens when ambition exceeds both logic and artistry. If this is Bong Joon Ho’s idea of satire, perhaps it’s time for a long vacation from the genre.