Warner Bros.' next film is almost here, and it's a sci-fi epic starring Robert Pattinson (The Batman), with legendary filmmaker Bong Joon-ho (Parasite) as its producer, writer, and director.
Mickey 17 follows Robert Pattinson's Mickey Barnes, a down-on-his-luck citizen who is looking to run away from his potentially fatal debts on Earth. To do that, he joins a spaceship colonization program to a new planet named Nilfheim.
To guarantee his spot on the ship, he signs on as an "Expendable," someone whose body is cloned and repeatedly killed in order to help out in ways only an expendable person could—making outside repairs, texting deadly poisons, going into dangerous territory; the whole nine yards.
The movie is actually an adaptation of the famous novel Mickey7, written by Edward Ashton.
Here's What Critics Think About Mickey 17
As of writing, with 89 reviews in the bag, Mickey 17 sits at an 87% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Critics Consensus, which is a summation of what the critics overall think, claims that the movie proves "You can never have enough Robert Pattinsons:"
"Mickey 17 finds Bong Joon Ho returning to his forte of daffy sci-fi with a withering social critique at its core, proving along the way that you can never have too many Robert Pattisons."
Time Grierson from Screen International specifically praises Robert Pattinson's performance as Mickey 17, which he says "gives this sci-fi picture its resonance:"
"Pattinson has fun playing the Mickeys, but it’s his performance as Mickey 17 that gives this sci-fi picture its resonance. Dying over and over, our hero just wants to make sure his soul survives; Pattinson locates it from the first frame."
Clarisse Loughrey from Independent (UK) also had high praise for Robert Pattinson, proclaiming this movie to be "Pattinson at his best:"
"This is Pattinson at his best, holding his movie star charisma hostage in order to pursue loveable weirdos in all kinds of shades. He’s fully liberated here, consistently finding the most unexpected and delightful ways to deliver a line."
Jack Oller from AV Club calls the movie "wildly entertaining:"
"An unwieldy, long-winded, wildly entertaining sci-fi critique of our dehumanizing present."
Sean Boelman from FandomWire admits the movie feels long, but it remains an "audacious work of sci-fi satire."
"Even if you can feel the near 140-minute runtime, Bong’s Mickey 17 is still an entertaining, audacious work of sci-fi satire."
Tessa Smith from Mama's Geeky labels the film as "brilliant," with performances that elevate the entire experience:
"A brilliant film, but it is scary how much it relates to the world that we are living in today. Several incredible acting performances take it to the next level."
IndieWire's David Ehrlich claims that Mickey 17 is "the best and most cohesive of Bong's English-language films:"
"I’d argue that 'Mickey 17,' the best and most cohesive of Bong’s English-language films, offers such exciting proof of Bong’s genius precisely because it feels like such a clear amalgamation of his previous two, [Snowpiercer and Okja]."
Lou Thomas from Time Out thinks the movie is "unquestionably tremendous fun:"
"Mickey 17 may lack some of the political bite of his previous work, but it’s unquestionably tremendous fun: a big, strange spectacle that’s unlike most blockbuster cinema out there."
Of course, not everyone loves the movie. Richard Lawson from Vanity Fair admits that he can "appreciate the big swing," but the movie still "[tested his] patience:"
"If Pattinson doesn’t always land the joke, or if his accent falters, or if his performance (as, really, multiple Mickeys) sometimes strains legibility, we can at least appreciate the big swing. On the whole, though, Mickey 17 tests our patience."
The Daily Beast's Nick Schager was also unimpressed, finding the film "underwhelmingly unfunny," despite "a committed performance" from Robert Pattinson:
"No matter a committed performance (two, actually) from Robert Pattinson, it’s an original that plays like a rehash—and an underwhelmingly unfunny one at that."
For those still debating whether or not to see the movie, make sure to check out the film's final trailer, which just might seal the deal either way:
Mickey 17 hits theaters on March 7.
