Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Raucous, violent, darkly comic sci-fi movie about humanity.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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Mickey 17
What's the Story?
In MICKEY 17, Mickey (Robert Pattinson) and his business partner, Timo (Steven Yeun), find themselves in debt to a dangerous gangster. In order to get out of town, Mickey unwittingly volunteers to be an "expendable" on a four-year mission to colonize a distant planet. This means that he'll perform dangerous tasks, with his body being "re-printed" if/when he dies. On the ship, Mickey meets his soulmate, Nasha (Naomi Ackie), and has moments of happiness. But when the 17th version of him gets into an accident and comes face-to-face with the new planet's crawly, toothy inhabitants (dubbed the "Creepers"), he's presumed dead—and "Mickey 18" is printed. Chaos ensues as the mission's buffoonish leader (Mark Ruffalo) and his conniving wife (Toni Collette) decide to destroy all of the Creepers, even as Mickey 17 discovers that they're actually intelligent beings. One wrong move could wipe out everyone.
Is It Any Good?
Oscar-winning filmmaker Bong Joon Ho's (Parasite) raucous, wildly entertaining sci-fi comedy is a high-pitched, high-concept combo of slapstick and social commentary. Mickey 17 fits in nicely with Bong's previous work: Not only is it a tale of humans' push-pull relationships with monsters (The Host, Okja), but it's also about how humans have inherent monstrosity within, which can come out in the most innocuous and unexpected ways (as in Mother and Parasite). Mickey 17 even recalls the dystopian sci-fi of Snowpiercer, albeit much funnier.
Pattinson is the key here, giving a wonderful performance as the various Mickeys. His "17" speaks in a squeaky, big-city accent that recalls Joe Pesci, Steve Buscemi, and Jerry Lewis, while "18" is tougher, like Dean Martin. (Pattinson and himself make a great comedy team.) He also proves adept at physical comedy, drawing laughs with his precise movements and pratfalls. But, really, the whole cast is pitch perfect. Ruffalo is a scarily familiar, over-the-top villain (he yearns for a "pure race" to occupy the new planet). And Ackie is the soul of the piece, fully and wholly loving Mickey in spite of everything. Truthfully, Mickey 17 is a whirlwind and doesn't offer viewers much in the way of rest breaks or casual getting-to-know-you moments. And, at 137 minutes, it lingers, but it still hits dead-on. The 17th Mickey is all about kindness and gratitude, even if it takes him a little while to figure things out. Occasionally, we all need a little time to do that.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Mickey 17's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
The printing/cloning technology demonstrated in the movie comes in handy (e.g., using clones to develop a vaccine for humans). How do you feel about this idea/practice? Is it ethical? Moral? Why, or why not?
Did you notice any parallels between the movie's characters, ideology, and events and real events from history and/or current events? Do you think that was intentional?
Movie Details
- In theaters : March 7, 2025
- On DVD or streaming : April 8, 2025
- Cast : Robert Pattinson , Naomi Ackie , Steven Yeun
- Director : Bong Joon Ho
- Inclusion Information : Asian Movie Director(s) , Korean Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s) , Asian Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Warner Bros. Pictures
- Genre : Science Fiction
- Topics : Book Characters , STEM
- Run time : 137 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : violent content, language throughout, sexual content and drug material
- Last updated : September 19, 2025
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