Mickey 17 [4K Ultra HD]

Director: Bong Joon Ho

Cast: Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun

Release Date: May 13, 2025

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 8/10
Disc Rating: 7.5/10

Synopsis:

From the Academy Award-winning writer/director of “Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho, comes his next groundbreaking cinematic experience, “Mickey 17.” The unlikely hero, Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) has found himself in the extraordinary circumstance of working for an employer who demands the ultimate commitment to the job… to die, for a living.

‘Mickey 17’ joins Mickey Barnes, an average man in the not-too-distant future who is trying to escape a debt along with his friend and due to a lack of talents signs up for an exploratory mission applying to be an “expendable” without fully realizing everything that comes along with the job. As the mission gets underway Mickey discovers that his job is to be killed time and again and reprinted in order to help protect the others onboard from unknown threats. But when the seventeenth version of Mickey isn’t killed as expected it begins a whole new set of problems once an eighteenth version is printed resulting in two Mickeys existing simultaneously.

Written and directed by talented filmmaker Bong Joon Ho (Parasite, Snowpiercer) and based on the novel “Mickey 7” by Edward Ashton, Bong Joon Ho does a tremendous job at the helm of ‘Mickey 17’ for the most part guiding along the somewhat uneven tale yet never failing to keep the fun and absurdity coming at full speed, and with plenty of style. The film’s noteworthy cast includes Robert Pattinson (The Batman), Naomi Ackie (Blink Twice), Steven Yeun (Nope), Toni Collette (Juror No. 2), and Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things) along with more and the majority each offer largely fitting and capable performances in their respective roles.

‘Mickey 17’ is a wildly strange, offbeat and curious ride that’s filled with laughs, goofy characters and turns, not to mention an eerie similarity to aspects of our own reality as is often the case with Bong Joon Ho’s offerings. It’s a clever sci-fi outing that largely stays in the satire lane while showcasing the talents of the cast, particularly Robert Pattinson who absolutely shines as the various iterations of Mickey and does a tremendous job of finding a unique personality, dialect and other specific traits for the different versions of the character and watching Pattinson basically bounce off another version of himself and make it work so smoothly is a treat to behold all its own.

There’s no question that ‘Mickey 17’ is an intentionally goofy film and Bong Joon Ho never hesitates to go wild with it all, repeatedly eliciting a laugh with the randomness of how various situations play out along the way and while it may retain a tongue in cheek style throughout, it never allows that vibe to detract from the visually spectacular look and design of the film which always looks marvelous and unique, with plenty of care put into every element, creature and other various tidbits throughout. It may not quite reach the level of remarkable or flawless that ‘Parasite’ or even ‘Snowpiercer’ managed to attain, yet it’s still a remarkably entertaining and thoroughly unique film that even when occasionally becoming a bit convoluted or jumbled still manages to always keep the fun consistent.

Overall, ‘Mickey 17’ delivers a massively entertaining, humorous and strange futuristic sci-fi satire that’s as ridiculous as it is gorgeous and relevant. It does a wonderful job of showcasing filmmaker Bong Joon Ho’s unique style and tone which is delivered in spades and with a snarky twist, while much of the onscreen fun tends to be greatly boosted by Robert Pattinson’s impressive performance(s) once again proving that he’s one of the more talented actors of the generation. ‘Mickey 17’ is highly recommended for anyone that appreciates a well-crafted, yet offbeat and strange sci-fi adventure, along with anyone that’s a fan of filmmaker Bong Joon Ho’s work or of talented actor Robert Pattinson who should all find something to appreciate about this clever and odd good time of a film. If you’re already even mildly interested in this one but didn’t have the chance to catch it during its fairly short theatrical run, then it should be worth a rental and a couple hours of your time.

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Mickey 17’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR-10, presented in its original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks outstanding and provides a clean, sharp and immaculately detailed presentation that shines from start to finish and never suffers from any unexpected troubles to be uncovered along the way. Detail is marvelous across the board and everything from characters, creatures and surroundings both on the planet and inside the ship look spectacular, while the Dolby Vision HDR enhances much of it including the rich, vibrant white of the snowy planet and bits of clothing, plus more and it’s all perfectly boosted by deep, rich and problem free black levels. Overall, this is a magnificent Ultra High Definition presentation that should have no trouble thrilling fans and first time viewers alike.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 channel compatible) soundtrack. Please note that this review pertains solely to the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio presentation. This multichannel soundtrack is a blast itself and it offers a clean, crisp and hard hitting audio presentation throughout that throws you directly in the middle of the goofy chaos. It repeatedly takes full advantage of all seven available channels in order to send action and nature effects, creature noises, music and plenty more consistently whipping throughout the various speakers, while never allowing any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously to become distorted or negatively impacted along the way. Overall, this is a wonderful Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) soundtrack that sounds stellar throughout and shouldn’t disappoint in the slightest.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Mickey 17’ features a few enjoyable extras in the way of Behind the Scenes Featurettes that feature interviews/comments with the cast and crew, plus behind the scenes footage and more. They include ‘Behind the Lens: Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17’ (running approximately 11 minutes in length), ‘Mickey 17: A World Reimagined’ (running approximately 10 minutes) and ‘The Faces of Niflheim’ (8 minutes). ‘2 Theatrical Trailers’ for the film (approximately 5 minutes combined) are also included.

*Please note: The above images were provided by Warner Bros. and are not reflective of the actual 4K Ultra HD release or its quality. A standard Blu-ray copy of the film was not included in the release that could be used for screenshots therefore the above publicity stills were utilized. They are all the property of Warner Bros. Discovery and any other respective owners.

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Film Rating: 8/10
Disc Rating: 7.5/10

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‘Mickey 17’ Arrives on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray & DVD May 13, 2025 & is Now Available on Digital from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment

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You can purchase ‘Mickey 17’ on 4K UHD at Amazon HERE!

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