? After a year-long delay, Bong Joon-ho’s eagerly anticipated follow-up to his Oscar-winning masterpiece Parasite has finally arrived. Set in 2054, Mickey 17 follows the titular Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson), an “Expendable” on a space colonization mission.

His job? To die repeatedly in service of the mission, with his body and memories reprinted each time. When his 17th iteration surprisingly survives a fall into an ice ravine and a new Mickey is printed, it triggers an unexpected and chaotic chain of events that threatens not just Mickey’s survival, but the mission’s.

Pattinson delivers a tour de force performance in the dual role. With remarkable physicality and vocal control, he creates two distinct personalities: Mickey 17 is vulnerable and good-natured, while Mickey 18 is harder-edged and combative. Despite the film’s outlandish sci-fi elements, Mickey 17 has a surprising emotional core that grounds the plot.

Mark Ruffalo portrays Kenneth Marshall, a disgraced politician-turned-space colonizer, whose unusual hair, red-capped devotees, and obsession with genetic “purity” is overt (and at times heavy-handed) satire of US politics and general commentary on colonialism. His cunning wife Ylfa (Toni Collette) complements and enables his antics, though both performances occasionally tip into cartoonish territory.

Mickey 17 may not possess the refined commentary of Parasite that made the latter an emotionally profound (read: devastating) watch, but Bong’s signature blend of humor, horror, and humanity shines through even the messiest sequences. The film’s embrace of creative chaos makes it a distinctly memorable and enjoyable watch.

WHERE TO WATCH- Mickey 17 is screening at VOX Cinemas at City Center Almaza and Mall of Egypt, Citystars, Cairo Festival City, Cima Arkan, and Zawya Cinema. You can watch the trailer on YouTube (runtime: 2:17).

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