Mickey 17 | 2025

Main Plot

Mickey 17 is a science fiction film set in a future where humans have begun colonizing other planets. The story follows Mickey, a disposable worker known as an "expendable," who is sent on a mission to colonize the ice planet Niflheim. These expendables can be regenerated with their memories intact after dying, making them ideal for dangerous tasks. However, Mickey begins to question his purpose and the ethics of his existence when he discovers that he is not the first version of himself. As he navigates the challenges of the harsh environment and the complexities of his own identity, Mickey must confront the moral implications of his role and the true nature of the mission. The film explores themes of identity, survival, and the value of life in a world where human lives can be easily replaced.

Characters

• Robert Pattinson plays Mickey, a disposable worker on a colonization mission, whose survival instincts and rebellious nature challenge the mission's ethical boundaries.
• Steven Yeun plays Mickey, a disposable worker on a colonization mission, whose repeated resurrections lead him to question his role and purpose.
• Michael Monroe, played by Steven Yeun, is a disposable worker clone whose repeated deaths and resurrections challenge his identity and purpose, driving the narrative forward.

Ending Explained

In Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17, the story’s conclusion centers on the resolution of the existential and ethical dilemmas faced by Mickey Barnes, a disposable “expendable” whose consciousness is repeatedly uploaded into new bodies after each death. As the central conflict reaches its climax, Mickey discovers that multiple versions of himself exist simultaneously, challenging both his sense of identity and the colony’s strict rules about expendables. In the final act, Mickey and his duplicate must confront the colony’s leadership, exposing the moral bankruptcy of treating expendables as mere tools. Their actions force a reckoning among the colonists, leading to a shift in how expendables are perceived and treated. Ultimately, Mickey chooses self-determination over blind obedience, forging a path toward autonomy for himself and future expendables. The film closes with the surviving Mickeys finding a tentative peace, having secured a measure of agency and dignity. The ending underscores themes of individuality, the value of life, and the possibility of change within rigid systems, leaving the fate of the colony open but hopeful.