Warning: Major spoilers for “Mickey 17” (the movie) and “Mickey7” (the book) ahead.
Not only did Robert Pattinson put on one of the best leading performances of the year (so far), but he also put on the best supporting role performance. With a fair share of both laugh-out-loud and nail-biting moments, Bong Joon Ho’s sci-fi thriller, “Mickey 17,” delivered far beyond expectations.
It is hard to choose just a few stand-out cast members to praise because every actor had their moments. However, Pattinson takes the cake for his ability to play not just one or two roles but 18.
Pattinson’s uncanny ability to portray the different personalities of the Mickey’s is a unique skill. Everything from body language to facial expressions and voice changes between Mickeys; this role was a testament to Pattinson’s acting skills.
Naomi Ackie portrayed Nasha, Mickey’s uninhibited love interest and outspoken security agent of the ship. Ackie is best known for her role as Bonnie in “The End of the F***ing World*” (2017), which won her a BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Ackie’s portrayal of Nasha was brutal, and her presence jumped off the screen. In a moment toward the end of the movie, her character has an outburst that has been on the tip of every character’s tongue. Nasha’s dynamic presence is simultaneously refreshing and shocking, a part perfectly portrayed by Ackie.
Another notable performance was Toni Collette’s portrayal of Ylfa. Collette’s movie-exclusive character was gagworthy, both literally and metaphorically. Ylfa’s presence accentuated the ridiculousness of Kenneth Marshall’s actions and enforced the unfathomable prospect of being stranded in space with a corrupt politician and his wife.
Much like the Mickey we meet in the movie, “Mickey 17” was not the first iteration of this story.
“Mickey7,” written by Edward Ashton, was published in February 2022. The book follows Mickey Barnes, an Expendable, a human clone, on his seventh iteration, who is part of an expedition to create a new colonization on Niflheim, an ice planet.
Throughout the book, Mickey is put through harsh experiments, left for dead and sacrificed for “the greater good” of the planet. Yet, he always comes back. When a mishap results in two clones being alive at once, Mickey7 and the just-born Mickey8 are forced to resolve their situation or risk being executed.
The film adaptation of “Mickey7” was in development even before the book’s release. Bong Joon-Ho was announced as director, with Robert Pattinson expected to star, in January 2022 — a month before the book’s release.
The film is Joon-Ho’s first movie since “Parasite” (2019) won the Academy Award for Best Picture. “Mickey 17,” was released in theaters March 7, 2025. One of the major changes from book to screen was the number of times Mickey died, hence the title change.
“It’s not that I wanted to kill him more for excitement,” Joon-Ho said at the 2025 Golden Globes. “It’s an extreme job, and I thought more deaths would emphasize the grueling, repetitive nature of his work.”
The ten additional reiterations of Mickey is just one of the changes Joon-Ho made. Cat Chen was renamed to Kai Katz, played by Anamaria Vartolomei and Berto was renamed to Timo, played by Steven Yeun. Ylfa — and her obsession with sauce — was a new character created for the movie.
Perhaps the biggest plot change was the death of Marshall (Mark Ruffalo), the eccentric leader of the expedition, at the end of the movie. In the book, Marshall lives to see another day. This sets up Ashton’s sequel, “Antimatter Blues.” The movie also destroys the human printing machine — another diversion from the book.
Sitting at a tight two hours and 17 minutes, “Mickey 17” did not waste a minute. Apart from a couple of longer scenes and a slightly drawn-out ending, the story and action were concise. However, the movie lacked one crucial world-building element from the book: mentioning other settlements.
In the book, Mickey acts as a narrator to explain the history of space exploration, expendables and the religious and ethical dilemmas of both. This aspect was used in the movie but could have been implemented more frequently.
The movie only off-handedly mentions other colonized planets. This lack of outside information creates a feeling of isolation for the colonists of Niflheim. Perhaps this was done on purpose, to mirror the lonely nature of being an Expendable. However, the lack of world-building in the movie makes some key plot points fall flat.
While the movie veered from the book in crucial moments, it did not lose its ability to keep the audience engaged.
“Mickey 17” is a great movie, though it verges drastically from the source material. Whether this was a metaphor for the nature of Expendables, different from one form to another, or a simple choice made by Joon-Ho, “Mickey 17” is a must-watch for every sci-fi and thriller fan.
