Mickey 17: All you need to know about the sci-fi satire releasing soon in UAE

Ever since Robert Pattinson shed his pale-faced vampire avatar from the Twilight franchise, he has surprised and often thrilled audiences by starring in an eclectic range of films. 

His latest, Mickey 17, slated to release next month in the UAE, is a science fiction satire from South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho, whose fans have been eagerly awaiting a follow-up to 2020’s Oscar-winning Parasite. 

Here’s everything you need to know about Mickey 17, in a nutshell:

Genre-hopping lead star:

Despite becoming ultra-famous for the once ubiquitous Twilight films, Pattinson chose not to capitalize on the teen heartthrob image they spawned, instead expanding his repertoire with offbeat role choices, while occasionally dipping into the mainstream. 

So, while the British actor can pull off a convincing DC Comics superhero (The Batman, 2022), he can also tumble into 19th century territory as a troubled lighthouse keeper (The Lighthouse, 2019), and hauntingly portray a young lover with a tragic destiny (Remember Me, 2010). We can’t wait to see what he does in Mickey 17!

Intriguing storyline:

In his first collaboration with Bong Joon-ho, Pattinson takes on multiple roles as Mickey Barnes, an ‘expendable’ space crew member who is cloned every time he dies, in order to carry out dangerous tasks in a mission to colonize a distant ice planet. 

A-list cast:

Mickey 17 co-stars Mark Ruffalo as Kenneth Marshall, a nefarious leader who sets his sights on colonizing the ice planet Niflheim. Naomi Ackie plays Nasha, Mickey’s pilot girlfriend, while Toni Collette is Marshall’s wife Ylfa. 

Director in the spotlight:

Mickey 17’s director Bong Joon-ho expressed his admiration for the science fiction realm, saying in an interview to Hot Press, “The genre lets you transcend nationality and language, and go straight into dealing with the essence of humanity.”

Box office figures:

The film, which has already been released worldwide, opened at the top of the US box office with $17 million, but early reports indicate it may struggle with profitability as it cost a staggering $118 million to make. 

Critics approve:

Reviews of Mickey 17 have been mostly positive so far. The Guardian writes, “Bong’s peerless storytelling instincts are on display, deftly navigating a tangled nonlinear structure and making light work of the picture’s hefty two-and-a-quarter-hour running time.” 

Mickey 17 is slated to release on April 10 in the UAE cinemas