Fans Of Bong Joon-ho Can’t Miss His Newest Movie When It Hits Max This Friday (May 23)
In many ways, Mickey 17 feels like a "greatest hits" of acclaimed filmmaker Bong Joon-ho's most interesting themes.
By 
Chris Catt
Mickey 17 is about Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson), a kind yet naive man who signs up for an multi-year expedition to a faraway planet where humans will start a colony.
Mickey has no specific skills, so he registers for the trip as an “Expendable” without knowing the details of the work.Mickey soon finds himself dying. A lot. But each time he dies, a clone is printed out with all of Mickey’s memories up until his death remaining intact. The process is then repeated over and over again.
Mickey 17 is ultimately a story about the human condition, but it makes that point by incorporating numerous themes and plot threads that have become common to many Bong Joon-ho’s films. Listed below are some of the obvious connections which should entice any fan of Bong Joon-ho’s to make a point to watch Mickey 17 when it starts streaming on Max.
Parasite (2019)
Parasite is Bong Joon-ho’s masterpiece. It tackles capitalism by putting into conflict two families on opposite sides of a wealth gap. Similarly, the gap between the haves and have-nots in Mickey 17 is also readily apparent, with the leaders of the Mickey’s expidition living extravagantly with delicious food and sauces while the rabble dine on various sludges and nutrient bricks.
Okja (2017)
Okja includes themes involving animal rights and environmentalism. Okja, the genetically modified pig of the title, is saved from slaughter by a young girl who forms an emotional bond with the animal.
In Mickey 17, a race of bug-like alien creatures are revealed to be not only intelligent, but also emotionally sensitive. Mickey comes to understand this, and his dealings with the aliens—and saving their lives and environment from planned destruction in the name of “human progress”—is a large driver of the plot in the latter half of Mickey 17.
Snowpiercer (2013)
Snowpiercer is set in a future where human actions have exacerbated an inevitable environmental disaster. Now, humanity is confined to a train where the elite are housed in the front and the poor are crammed towards the back.
Mickey 17 is also set in a future where environmental damage is rampant, which is why so many people are willing to start life anew on another planet. Also, the abuses made by the elite aboard the spaceship create a simmering rebellion among a portion of the crew which culminates in the final act of the film.
Mother (2009)
Mother is about a woman whose intellectually challenged son is accused of murder, so she goes to great and horrible lengths to find the real killer. In Mickey 17, one of the aliens is captured by the crew of the human colony, and the leader of the aliens is the hostage’s mother. Just like in Mother, this alien mom is willing to risk everything to protect her child.
The Host (2006)
Major themes in The Host include critical reactions of citizens towards the actions of government entities, both American and South Korean. In Mickey 17, the failings of the government lead to a “cult of personality” politician, Kenneth Marshall, being able to exploit people to a horrific degree. Marshall’s entire crew is subjected to exploitation, but the lowest of the low, Mickey, deals with the worst. His job as an Expendable isn’t even legal on Earth, but Marshall somehow convinces the regulatory bodies to allow it off planet. It’s baffling, but it imitates real-life political buffoonery frighteningly well, something that The Host also touches on.
