Mickey 17 (15)

Acclaimed director Bong Joon Ho follows up his sharp, Oscar winning black comedy Parasite with another darkly humorous tale of class divide, this time set in space.

This tale, adapted by Bong from Edward Ashton’s 2022 novel, is the literalised idea of the capitalist worker: in order to escape his debtors, Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) signs up to be an “expendable” on a colony mission to the planet Niflheim. When he dies, his body is simply reprinted  and uploaded with his memories so that he can work and die again. By the time we meet him, we’ve reached Mickey 17. But 17 doesn’t quite die on his latest escapade, and returns only to find Mickey 18 in his place. He’s now a double. He’s been supplanted. If he dies, that’s it.

Mickey 17 is one of those “blank cheque” films, where a major studio allows a filmmaker to do anything they want. And Bong certainly shoots for the stars. While not everything sticks, the film is a hoot, and Pattinson is operating at his career best. It’s goofy, it’s silly, and it’s definitely not subtle, but it has a lot of heart.