This post was originally published on Audible.com
Soon to hit the big screen is Mickey 17, the science fiction adventure directed by Academy Award winner Bong Joon-ho (Parasite, Snowpiercer) and starring Robert Pattinson (Twilight, The Batman). But you don't need to wait until you’re seated in the theater to dig into this fun film—you can dive in to the story that inspired the blockbuster right now.
So, what is Mickey 17 about?
Mickey 17 is based on the novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton, which follows the misadventures of Expendable Mickey Barnes on a distant ice world called Niflheim. What’s an Expendable, you ask? Well, whenever there's a mission too dangerous, borderline suicidal, Expendables are sent in. They go in, probably die, and are then regenerated with most of their memories intact. After six regenerations, the seventh iteration of Mickey is starting to figure out why nobody else wanted the role of Expendable.
As if the near-constant terror of the missions that Mickey is sent on isn't enough, Niflheim is a place that actively wants to kill the humans trying to colonize it. The atmosphere isn't hospitable for humans, the natives of Niflheim are none too happy about the influx of human residents, and food is scarce. As all these external forces are threatening the colonists, tempers are rising between them.
On a particularly dangerous mission, Mickey7 finds himself stranded and cut off from the colony. Facing death over and over has its benefits, though, and Mickey has learned to survive against unlikely odds. He eventually finds his way back to the other colonists. The only problem is, they thought he was dead, so now Mickey8 is wandering around. And there can only be one Expendable at a time.
That's where the intrigue really unfolds. Imagine stumbling upon your clone, one who has most of your memories and emotions. Neither of you wants to die, and neither wants to kill the other. Now, they're sneaking around, pretending to be the same iteration, but that balance can only last so long.
What are the major themes of Mickey7?
Mickey7 isn't just a fun science fiction adventure set on a remote planet. Like so much great science fiction, it explores deeper themes. Identity is one of the central themes: Are we defined by our physical existence? By our memories? What does it mean when our physical existence is so flexible? When someone else has our face and memories, who are we?
And like many great sci-fi tales before it, Mickey7 also explores the value of life when death is ephemeral. We value life so much because we know it is temporary. We fear death and spend much of our time and resources trying to avoid it. When death is just a painful blip in our existence, what value does life have? The unique question that Mickey7 asks in this conversation is: What value does a life have when there are two of them at the same time?
What can we expect from Mickey 17?
Joon-ho's upcoming film adaptation advances the iterations from 7 to 17, with Mickey17 coming back to find Mickey18 wandering around the colony, likely to provide more death-inspired antics to build out the film world. Ten more deaths mean 10 more ways to die horribly, after all.
The film also stars Naomi Ackie (Master of None, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) and Steven Yeun (Invincible, The Walking Dead) as Mickey's love interest and friend, respectively. On the villainous side, the film brings in Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things, Avengers) and Toni Collette (Knives Out, Hereditary).
Whether it's the enthralling narration of Katharine Chin and John Pirhalla or the masterful direction of Bong Joon-ho, Mickey7 (or Mickey 17) is a fun ride that also dives into deep themes like only science fiction can.
