Parasite was released in 2019 and since then he has been busy with the excellent television series Snowpiercer but now he returns to the big screen with Mickey 17 and what a return it is! Set in a dystopian future with so many elements that mirror our present-day race into the abyss, the film vividly illustrates that his imagination and craft are as fertile as ever as is his socially biting commentary.

Robert Pattinson as the title character expands his craft and delivers a manic and unforgettable performance. He is matched Crazy for Crazy by fellow cast members Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette. The story dips into relevant topics like blindly following an ego-driven narcissist leader and embracing dangerous technology with little to no applied morality. Amidst all this is also a love story from the ages.

If you need a simple description to create interest, Mickey 17 could loosely be called science fiction but that is only on the surface and the depth of the message rivals all of Bong Joon Ho’s other works. This is a man who cares deeply about the human condition and is unafraid to tear the scab off to see what caused the initial injury. That he can create social commentary this biting that is never less than entertaining is the mark of a true original.
Rob Hudson
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Written and directed by Bong Joon Ho, “Mickey 17” stars Robert Pattinson (“The Batman”, “Tenet”), Naomi Ackie (“Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker”), Steven Yeun (“Nope”), with Academy Award nominees Toni Collette (“Hereditary”), and Mark Ruffalo (“Poor Things”).

The film is produced by Dede Gardner (Oscar winner for “Moonlight”, “12 Years a Slave”), Jeremy Kleiner (Oscar winner for “Moonlight”, “12 Years a Slave”), Bong Joon Ho and Dooho Choi (“Okja”, “Snowpiercer”). It is based on the novel Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton. The executive producers are Brad Pitt, Jesse Ehrman, Peter Dodd and Marianne Jenkins. The director of photography is Darius Khondji (Oscar nomination for “Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths”, “Okja”). The production designer is Fiona Crombie (Oscar nomination for “The Favourite”, “Cruella”). It is edited by Yang Jinmo (Oscar nomination for “Parasite”, “Okja”). The visual effects supervisor is Dan Glass (“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore”, “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw”). The costume designer is Catherine George (“Okja”, Snowpiercer”).

Warner Bros. Pictures presents An Offscreen Production / A Kate Street Picture Company Production, A Film By Bong Joon Ho: “Mickey 17”. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, in Australian cinemas on March 6, 2025.
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Written and directed by Bong Joon Ho, “Mickey 17” stars Robert Pattinson (“The Batman”, “Tenet”), Naomi Ackie (“Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker”), Steven Yeun (“Nope”), with Academy Award nominees Toni Collette (“Hereditary”), and Mark Ruffalo (“Poor Things”).

The film is produced by Dede Gardner (Oscar winner for “Moonlight”, “12 Years a Slave”), Jeremy Kleiner (Oscar winner for “Moonlight”, “12 Years a Slave”), Bong Joon Ho and Dooho Choi (“Okja”, “Snowpiercer”). It is based on the novel Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton. The executive producers are Brad Pitt, Jesse Ehrman, Peter Dodd and Marianne Jenkins. The director of photography is Darius Khondji (Oscar nomination for “Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths”, “Okja”). The production designer is Fiona Crombie (Oscar nomination for “The Favourite”, “Cruella”). It is edited by Yang Jinmo (Oscar nomination for “Parasite”, “Okja”). The visual effects supervisor is Dan Glass (“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore”, “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw”). The costume designer is Catherine George (“Okja”, Snowpiercer”).

Warner Bros. Pictures presents An Offscreen Production / A Kate Street Picture Company Production, A Film By Bong Joon Ho: “Mickey 17”. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, in Australian cinemas on January 30, 2025.
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In 1982 a French graphic novel (that’s the adult term for a comic) postulated a world thrown into an ice age where the remnants of humanity are trapped on a train that never stops. Thirty years later we have an international film (Korean director Bong Joon Ho and ensemble cast) to take us on that ride.

If you thought peak hour trains were bad, wait until you see Snowpiercer. At the back of the train (1001 cars long according to the comic) are the underclass, given barely enough food to survive and used as breeders for the upper-class, who live in luxury at the front of the train, enjoying fresh food and entertainment.

The film details a revolution, where valiant souls from the rear fight their way through the train to find the engineer and the perpetual motion machine that runs the train through the lifeless world.

As viewers, we are inundated with science fiction that goes for effects (Pacific Rim) and/or style (Transcendence) over substance. The best science fiction challenges humanity by placing people in situations out of the normal. The best science fiction is not about the science, or fancy special effects, it is about people.

Snowpiercer does this by creating a post-apocalyptic dystopian future where the train is a microcosm of today’s world. It’s a ride worth taking, but remember to ignore the parts that make no sense (just like you do in the real world). I look forward to The Asylum’s inevitable mockbuster.

Fabulous Sebastian
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