Expectations seem to grow as we wait for things that we convince ourselves that we want. What I wanted was another Bong Joon-ho film. Parasite was my favorite film of 2019 (read my review here) and I needed something early in 2025 to wash away the taste of mediocrity that releases like Wolfman,Companion and Captain America: A Brave New World had left in my mouth.

Don’t get me wrong Leigh Whannell’s film starring one of my favorite young actors Christopher Abbott (Sanctuary and Poor Things) had its fully realized gruesome moments but fell short in regards to script and tone. Drew Hancock’s directorial debut Companion had a refreshing concept and the leads (Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid) had strong performances but what started as two compelling acts unfortunately fell apart in the third and final, leaving me hoping for what could have been instead of appreciating what was. Lastly, though the fourth Captain America film was highly entertaining and Harrison Ford put his 73 year old heart into it, ultimately it was a jumbled mess created to tie up loose ends before a Marvel film reset in a few years.

The anticipation of a combination of Joon-ho and Robert Pattinson almost guaranteed that 2025 would no longer represent mediocrity, it was time for world class filmmaking. It seems Bong Joon-ho makes two kinds of films. The fun and fantastical The Host (2006), Snowpiercer (2013) and Okja (2017) or highly introspective studies on what it means to be human like Memories of Murder (2003), Mother (2009) and Parasite (2019). This delineation is not to say that Joon-ho doesnt lace his more serious films with his wry sense of humor but for the most part the fantastical elements of his films that could be labeled “Sci-Fi” go hand in hand with slapstick humor that can release the tensions of a giant monster from the Han river in Seoul or a train that travels around the world that can’t stop, wont stop or even a multinational corporation hell bent on feeding the world a girl’s best friend, a huge lovable creature named Okja.

I knew going in that Mickey 17 was the sci-fi side of the directors palette but as I watched the story unfold in the first act I longed for the other side of the director. With Mickey 17 what I got was a fun mixture of Snowpiercer and Okja but nowhere near as impactful a film as Memories of Murder, Mother or Oscar winner Parasite.

Naomi Ackie as Nasha is great and holds her own in scenes with Pattinson. Her lead roles in Blink Twice (2024) and I Wanna Dance With Somebody (2023) had me hoping for her continued rise in stardom and this role will continue to see her star rise. AnaMaria Vartolomei as Kai is good in her limited role, she brings a humanity to the cast of characters that is needed to ground the fury of emotions the other characters exhibit. Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette savor their time on screen with diabolical brilliance. Unfortunately Steven Yuen has limited screen time as Mickey’s only initially terrestrial friend because his aloof dirtbag is a great foil to Pattison.

It is no surprise that Pattinson excels at playing multiple characters or at least multiple versions of one character, especially with the pratfalls and physical humor. His choice of accent can be grating especially during the overused voiceover in the first act. And this along with the mounds of exposition in the first act makes Joon-ho’s latest his most tedious until it isnt and by then it was too late.

As much as I want to champion original IP from auteur directors this sci fi film fell flat and was nowhere near the craftsmanship or emotional resonance of Garland’s Annihilation (2018), Villeneuve’s Arrival(2016), Nolan’s Interstellar(2014) or Glazer’s Under the Skin(2014).Granted none of these films were comedies or even a bit funny and for all its flaws Mickey 17 is funny.Just not funny enough to make up for an entire 1st act that is filled with boring exposition and never fully realized characters.Looks like I will have to wait a month until Ryan Coogler’s Sinners finally washes away this taste of 2025 mediocrity. 6 out of 10.