“Mickey 17” has a complex story that involves multiple themes, such as what constitutes a person and the ethics of human printing. It also is a very personal story of the love between two people as well as being a satire of political power gone crazy. There are several tonal shifts between drama and comedy. The film leaves the audience with images and ideas that will resonate long after the viewing on the screen.

The movie begins with a scene on Niflheim, a wintry planet. Mickey 17 (Robert Pattinson) is trapped under ice and rubble. His old friend Timo (Steven Yeun) appears and asks Mickey what it is like to die. Rather than rescue Mickey, he saves hardware useful to the team analyzing the event.

As Timo leaves, Mickey hears a sound. A large worm-like animal, later referred to as a Creeper, approaches him. It opens its enormous maw as if it is going to make Mickey a snack.

Mickey now narrates what has led up to his possible 17th death. In the past on Earth, he and Timo wanted to start a macaron shop. To do this, they borrowed money from a loan shark. When they are brought to the lender’s lair to see the consequences of not paying what they owe, they decided to leave the planet.

Charismatic ex-Senator Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) has many devotees who worship the ground he walks on. He has decided to take a spaceship to the planet Niflheim to start a new society based on his principles.

Timo has no difficulty securing a job as a pilot. Mickey, on the other hand, volunteers to be an expendable. What this means is that he will be put in dangerous situations where the likelihood of his dying is great. His body then will be re-printed.

Each time before he dies, Mickey’s memories are uploaded to a data device. This way, he remembers all of his previous lives and is essentially the same individual, albeit reborn physically.

Mickey meets Nasha (Naomi Ackie) in the cafeteria. When Marshall comes to speak, they have sex under a table as everyone else is rapt with attention for their beloved leader. Mickey and Nasha proceed to have a regular relationship. She does not seem put out by his constant dying.

The movie shows the various tests that are conducted on Mickey which kill him. One involves being exposed to toxic nerve gas and bleeding out, for example.

The spaceship finally reaches Niflheim where Mickey is sent out on a mission, the very mission we see at the beginning of the picture. But instead of eating him, the Creeper and its brood actually have kept Mickey alive. He does not speak their language but thanks them.

When he returns to his room on the spaceship, he is shocked to find another Mickey in the room. Apparently Timo told everyone that Mickey was dead, so they printed Mickey 18! How will the two Mickeys get along and will the mistake be discovered? A showdown with Marshall is looming as events start to go sideways.

This film runs long at two hours and seventeen minutes. Yet I could see why when there is so much story to unpack. I had no sense of padding but could imagine what it is like to adapt the story from the book “Mickey7” by Edward Ashton. The printed text runs 369 pages so there was quite a bit to cut. Full disclosure: I have not read the book.

The resulting screenplay contains many themes and ideas to discuss. The first is what constitutes a human being. If indeed scientists could store one’s memories and insert them into a printed physical copy of the person, is this new body a new person or a continuation of the old?

The ethical question of using a human as an expendable also comes front and center. Yes, the person is “reborn” each time. But some of the tests on the expendable involve great pain and suffering. Is it moral to treat someone this way, even if they have signed a contract?

When multiple characters ask Mickey what it is like to die, does Mickey even remember? It is notable that Mickey never answers this question. Perhaps he can’t, since his memories are uploaded before each mission, but do not include the mission he goes on.

Other themes include what does it mean to have a relationship with multiple versions of the same person? Do different printings of Mickey have different personalities, and if so, why? How do you deal with a megalomaniac as a leader? Do the ends justify the means?

The movie handles its tonal shifts between drama and comedy well for the most part. There is an extended sequence near the end of the film where Marshall pontificates to excess and I found this to be tiresome. At times it almost seemed as if Marshall and his lackeys were playing in a farce.

The picture has good art direction as the ship seems dark and cramped. The “food” in the cafeteria is repellant to sight. The creature design for the Creepers did not break any new ground, but is satisfying. The cinematography does a good job in dark scenes and in portraying the middle of a snowstorm on Niflheim.

The acting is universally good. Pattinson carries the film in both his iterations as 17 and 18. Ackie gets ample room to grow as a character. Unfortunately, Yeun is under-utilized.

Ruffalo as Marshall and Toni Collette as his wife Yifa are very over-the-top. I could appreciate their interpretations of their characters. Yet on the other hand I found it sometimes verged into farce instead of satire.

This film is one that merits multiple viewings. I am sure that I missed many nuances as I tried to keep up with the ever-evolving storylines. Bong Joon Ho continues to succeed as a director with a singular vision as he deftly weaves a complex story to a very satisfying conclusion.

Four out of five stars

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.

Starring Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo
Directed by Bong Joon Ho
Screenplay by Bong Joon Ho
Based on Mickey7 by Edward Ashton