6 Movies To Watch Before Mickey 17

Bong Joon-ho’s upcoming movie Mickey 17 is a darkly comedic adaptation of Ashton Edward’s novel “Mickey7”, which follows the titular character as he signs up for a dangerous program that sees him killed over and over again in the name of scientific progress. The story takes place on the deadly ice planet of Niflheim, where Mickey’s role is to undertake the missions deemed too dangerous for the other soldiers, as he can be cloned and reprinted over and over again. Mickey 17 opened to strong reviews, marking a well-timed comeback for director Bong Joon-ho.

Through its comedic storytelling and pointed character work, Mickey 17 offers some powerful commentary on today’s volatile political climate and the way capitalist greed often exploits the working class. It’s just as fierce and socially charged as the rest of Bong Joon-ho’s projects, but this feels much looser and more free-flowing in its exploration of the themes. It touches on countless ideas that have already been explored in Bong’s filmography, but through a much funnier lens that’s easier to digest. Mickey 17 is one of 2025’s most anticipated movies, and it certainly won’t disappoint.

6

Okja (2017)

Directed By Bong Joon-ho

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Okja

15+

Drama

Action

Adventure

8.3/10

Release Date

June 28, 2017

Runtime

120minutes

Director

Bong Joon Ho

Writers

Jon Ronson, Bong Joon Ho

Cast

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  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Hee-Bong Byun

  • Headshot Of Steven Yeun IN The 35th Annual Producers Guild Awards

    Steven Yeun

Okja is a 2017 sci-fi fantasy movie that tells the story of a genetically modified super pig and a young girl who goes on a mission to rescue her from the evil meat industry. The movie was written and directed by Academy Award winner Bong Joon-ho, who is best known for his 2019 movie Parasite.

Studio(s)

Netflix

Distributor(s)

Netflix

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Out of Bong Joon-ho’s entire filmography, Okja feels like the most relevant and similar project to his work on Mickey 17. The movie centers around a young girl named Mija who develops a strong friendship with a genetically mutated “superpig” named Okja, who is captured by a dangerous company looking to slaughter her for meat. It features much of the same commentary about animal rights, corporate greed, and interpersonal relationships while maintaining a sharp sense of humor throughout.

5

Parasite (2019)

Directed By Bong Joon-ho

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Parasite

R

Comedy

Thriller

Drama

ScreenRant logo

9/10

12

9.5/10

Release Date

November 8, 2019

Runtime

132 minutes

Director

Bong Joon Ho

Writers

Jin Won Han, Bong Joon Ho

Cast

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  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Yeo-Jeong Jo

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Myeong-hoon Park

Best Picture Oscar winner Parasite follows the impoverished Kim family, who live in a small apartment and consistently struggle to make ends meet. After they chance across the gullible and wealthy Park family, the Kims ingratiate themselves through lies and deceit, earning themselves jobs taking care of the household. However, their newfound luck is built on an ever-growing foundation of mistruths – one that threatens to fall down around them at any moment.

Main Genre

Drama

Studio(s)

Barunson E&A

Distributor(s)

CJ Entertainment

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Very few directors can make a film in the same style as Bong Joon-ho, which is why Mickey 17 feels so comfortingly familiar compared with the rest of his work. Parasite is the director’s most acclaimed film to date, following a working-class family in South Korea who look after a wealthy family’s home and discover dark secrets hidden within. The film won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director, but it’s yet to be seen whether Mickey 17 will have the same awards success.

4

High Life (2018)

Directed By Claire Denis

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High Life

R

Science Fiction

Drama

Mystery

ScreenRant logo

5/10

Release Date

September 26, 2018

Runtime

113 Minutes

Director

Claire Denis

Writers

Claire Denis, Jean-Pol Fargeau, Geoff Cox

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Robert Pattinson In The Dior Homme Menswear Spring/Summer 2025 show

    Robert Pattinson

  • Headshot Of Juliette Binoche

    Juliette Binoche

High Life, directed by Claire Denis, stars Robert Pattinson and Juliette Binoche in a science fiction story about a group of criminals sent on a mission to extract energy from a black hole. As the journey unfolds, the crew confronts the isolation of deep space while struggling with their pasts and the manipulative intentions of those in charge.

Main Genre

Science Fiction

Studio(s)

Wild Bunch, Arte France Cinéma, Pandora Film, Andrew Lauren Productions, Alcatraz Films, The Apocalypse Films, Madants, ZDF, BFI

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Robert Pattinson’s lead performance(s) in Mickey 17 is arguably the film’s strongest asset, but it shouldn’t be surprising given the versatility that he’s displayed previously. High Life is a perfect example of this; while the film received mixed reviews from critics and general audiences alike, it marked a huge turning point in Pattinson’s career that cemented him among the most adaptable actors of his generation. The story follows an astronaut who’s forced to look after his daughter when the crew’s mission goes fatally wrong.

3

Moon (2009)

Directed By Duncan Jones

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Moon

R

Mystery

Drama

Sci-Fi

ScreenRant logo

8/10

Release Date

July 10, 2009

Runtime

97 minutes

Director

Duncan Jones

Writers

Nathan Parker

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Sam Rockwell

    Sam Rockwell

  • Headshot Of Kevin Spacey In The Orange British Academy Film

    Kevin Spacey

Duncan Jones presents Moon, a sci-fi mystery drama that follows Astronaut Sam Bell, who has spent the last three years working at a lunar mine in isolation and is coming up at the end of his shift. However, as Sam prepares to return home to his family and meet his daughter for the first time, he begins to experience vivid hallucinations of a younger version of himself and begins to experience hazardous events. Before Lunar Industries arrives to relieve him of duty, he must uncover the reason for his recent psychosis and free himself of his mental prison.

Studio(s)

Sony

Distributor(s)

Sony

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Moon feels like an obvious film to compare with Mickey 17 because of their narrative similarities, but they also have many differences. The plot twist in Moon’s ending is that protagonist Sam is actually a clone of the real Sam, who remains on Earth while his double is left stranded in a research station on the moon. The film offers some intricate commentary on what it means to be a person and have an identity, and where clones fit into this philosophy. While Mickey 17 doesn’t go into much detail on these ideas, it’s a thematic thread that connects them.

2

Dual (2022)

Directed By Riley Stearns

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Dual

R

Thriller

Sci-Fi

ScreenRant logo

4/10

Release Date

April 15, 2022

Runtime

95 minutes

Director

Riley Stearns

Writers

Riley Stearns

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Theo James

    Theo James

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Beulah Koale

Upon receiving a terminal diagnosis, Sarah opts for a cloning procedure to ease her loss on her friends and family. When she makes a sudden and miraculous recovery, her attempts to have her clone decommissioned fail and lead to a court-mandated duel to the death. Now she has one year to train her body and mind for the fight of her life.

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Dual is another movie that wasn’t overwhelmingly praised by critics, but many of its key themes and narrative ideas are still being explored several years later. The film centers around a terminally ill woman named Sarah, who creates a clone of herself to help her family come to terms with her death. But when she overcomes her sickness, the two Sarahs are forced to duel for the right to exist. It’s a fascinating movie that features an excellent dual performance from Karen Gillan – and Mickey 17 touches on many of the same ideas through its two versions of Pattinson’s protagonist.

1

District 9 (2009)

Directed By Neill Blomkamp

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District 9

R

Action

Sci-Fi

Thriller

ScreenRant logo

9/10

10/10

Release Date

August 5, 2009

Runtime

112 minutes

Director

Neill Blomkamp

Writers

Terri Tatchell, Neill Blomkamp

Franchise(s)

District 9

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Sharlto Copley In The Los Angeles Premiere Of Universal Pictures 'Monkey Man'

    Sharlto Copley

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Jason Cope

Neill Blomkamp’s District 9 combines sci-fi with social commentary in an alternate history in which humans and aliens eke out a tentative coexistence. When a large alien ship appears outside of Johannesburg, humans find it full of sickly and malnourished extraterrestrials they name “Prawns”. After housing the aliens in a slum named District 9, one human finds himself far closer to the Prawn community than he bargained for.

Studio(s)

Sony

Distributor(s)

Sony

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District 9 is a post-apocalyptic comedy that follows a government agent who’s responsible for relocating an alien species to the slums of South Africa, whose professional conduct quickly causes problems for interspecies relations. While Mickey 17’s story deals with very different ideas, their comedic approach to these gritty concepts is very similar. They both use slapstick comedy and wacky performances to suck audiences into these stories which, at their core, are extremely dark. Despite Mickey 17’s many delays, the film is a perfect follow-up for anybody who enjoyed District 9’s distinct style and tone.

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Mickey 17

Not Yet Rated

Sci-Fi

Release Date

March 25, 2025

Director

Bong Joon-ho

Writers

Bong Joon-ho

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Robert Pattinson In The Dior Homme Menswear Spring/Summer 2025 show

    Robert Pattinson

  • Headshot Of Naomi Ackie

    Naomi Ackie

  • Headshot Of Steven Yeun IN The 35th Annual Producers Guild Awards

    Steven Yeun

  • Headshot Of Toni Collette

    Toni Collette

Adapted from the novel by Edward Ashton, Mickey 7 is a Sci-Fi film that follows Mickey 17 (Robert Pattinson) and his journey to the ice world Niflheim to colonize the planet. Mickey 17 is an “expendable” employee to be used and thrown away after completing their task – often a dangerous one – but when one iteration of Mickey dies, he is reborn in a new body with a large portion of his memories still intact. After six deaths, however, Mickey finally begins to understand the job and why it was always an unfilled position.

Main Genre

Sci-Fi

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