'Mickey 17' draws positive reviews at Berlinale

International critics give film a 74 out of 100

By KTimes

Director Bong Joon-ho's latest film, "Mickey 17," premiered at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival to widespread acclaim from international media. This marks Bong's first new project in six years since his 2019 film "Parasite," which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Award for Best Picture.

"Mickey 17," based on Edward Ashton's novel "Mickey 7," held its first official screening in London on Thursday, followed by a screening at the Berlin festival on Saturday.

The sci-fi film tells the story of Mickey (played by Robert Pattinson), a human clone assigned to a space colonization mission. The narrative unfolds when the 17th version of Mickey is not yet dead, but the 18th clone is already created.

During a press conference in Berlin, Bong said, "Although the story takes place in space, I wanted to depict the realities of human nature. The charm and purpose of making a sci-fi movie lie in showing that it's ultimately about us."

He added, "I was fascinated by the concept of human printing. It's inherently inhumane yet holds both sadness and comedy, which inspired me to adapt the story."

International critics have responded positively to "Mickey 17." According to Metacritic, the film holds a score of 74 out of 100 as of Feb. 16.

Out of 15 critics, 10 gave it positive reviews (scores ranging from 75 to 100), while five provided mixed reviews (scores between 40 and 74). No negative reviews have been recorded.

The UK daily The Independent awarded the film a perfect 100, describing it as a biting yet oddly life-affirming anti-capitalist sci-fi film and calling it "one of the last honest pieces of art" to cross the threshold amid Hollywood studios' rapid surrender to political pressures.

The U.S. film media outlet IndieWire praised the film as a combination of Bong's previous English-language films, "Snowpiercer" (2013) and "Okja" (2017), calling it "the best and most cohesive of Bong’s English-language films." The review also highlighted how the film showcases Bong's love for humanity.

However, not all feedback was glowing. The Hollywood Reporter said the film's thematic consistency is somewhat muddled despite Bong's trademark bold storytelling, suggesting the film's yearlong release delay might explain its lighter tone.

The BBC gave the film its lowest score of 40, describing it as "a serious disappointment" from director Bong.

"Mickey 17" will hit theaters in Korea on Feb. 28 and North America on March 7.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.