Since the day it was released in theaters on March 7, I have been dying to see the new Mickey 17. I’m not a huge fan of sci-fi movies, and haven’t watched any that caught my attention, until this one.
Mickey 17 is the newest movie by producer Bong Joon Ho, director of award-winning film Parasite (2019), which just so happens to be one of my all time favorite movies. When I heard Joon Ho was producing another film, I was on the edge of my seat, eager to watch, and I was not left disappointed.
Mickey Barnes is hired at a space colony to be an “expendable”, or a person who is expected to do difficult and dangerous tasks, usually resulting in death, and then being cloned to be reborn. Something goes wrong on a mission, where they are under the impression Mickey 17 has died and they print a new one, Mickey 18, however, Mickey 17 never dies, and makes it back to the ship. Now, there are two clones of Mickey at once, which is forbidden.
The casting of this movie is absolutely insane to me, in the best way. Starring Robert Pattinson as Mickey and Naomi Ackie as Nasha, it was already off to the best start. Pattinson has such a variety when it comes to acting roles. From The Twilight Saga to The Lighthouse (2019), he has excelled in any role he has been given, and Mickey 17 is no different. Playing, quite literally, two characters at once and having them be so distinct from each other is such a talent, and is really respectable. I knew of Pattinsons skills, but with Ackie, it was different. Before Mickey 17, the only film I had seen of her was Blink Twice (2024), which was an okay movie, but more importantly I feel like her acting didn’t seem all that. However, in Mickey 17, she was such an outstanding actor, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off her. I was in awe. She’s definitely a new favorite of mine.
My favorite casting choice of this movie nonetheless, was Steven Yeun as Timo. I practically screamed when I saw him in the first couple of minutes into the movie. I loved his performance in Nope (2022), and more recognizably, his voice acting in the television show Invincible (to be honest, throughout the entire movie I could only hear him as Mark Grayson). His whiny and somewhat annoying personality fit the character so unbelievably well.
We can’t talk about the cast without mentioning Toni Collete though, and what an actress she is. Her most notable role in Hereditary (2018) made me fall in love with her work, and seeing her in Mickey 17 was such a joy, overall a great cast.
I’ve never read the original novel, Mickey7, by Edward Ashton, so I had no idea what to expect going into this movie. Whether I’ll read the book or not, I’m not sure. I’m kind of content with the movie as my only perspective of this story.
Overall, I 100% recommend you watch Mickey 17, especially in theaters if you can. It was such an incredible experience seeing it on the big screen for how cool all of the effects are. (In better words, seeing two Robert Pattinson’s on a giant screen is amazing, to say the least).
