This week, we were privileged to sit down with one of cinema's greatest contemporary filmmakers, Bong Joon Ho. The Oscar-winning director is back in town with his wacky and irreverent sci-fi satire Mickey 17, which stars Robert Pattinson as an expendable clone who repeatedly confronts death to secure the future of his deep space colonisation mission.
With its nuanced and comic turn from Pattinson, plus scene-stealing support from the likes of Mark Ruffalo, Toni Colette, Steven Yeun and Naomie Ackie, there's no mistaking Mickey 17 as anything other than a Bong Joon Ho movie. In line with his previous films, including the triumphant Parasite (2020) and the dystopian thriller Snowpiercer (2012), the movie keeps us gloriously off-balance throughout.
Ably blending the amusing and the horrific within the course of one scene, Mickey 17 mines the issue of our mortality through an outrageous intergalactic lens. We caught up with director Bong, who was accompanied by his brilliant interpreter Sharon Choi, to discuss his ambitious and arresting new vision. We've broken down the interview into five main parts and you can watch the full clip by scrolling further down this post.
1. On the changes made to the book
Edward Ashton's source novel is called Mickey 7, so evidently the most ramps up the amount of deaths suffered by Mickey to an intentionally absurdist degree. Director Bong discusses taking the structure of the novel and infusing his personality into it.
2. On the appeal of Robert Pattinson
"Handsome, but a doofus" – could it be The Batman that director Bong is talking about? Mickey 17 demonstrates Pattinson's comedic range and willingness to take on eccentric characters, and we elaborate on this during our chat.
3. Alternate versions of characters
Mickey 17 makes a few changes to key characters, including Mark Ruffalo's perma-tanned space fascist who is very different from the straight-laced military commander in Ashton's story. We dive deeper into this.
4. Director Bong's first experience with 4DX
What happened when director Bong accidentally walked into a 4DX screening of The Batman? Find out here as he outlines his inaugural experience with the Cineworld-exclusive, multi-sensory format, and don't forget that Mickey 17 is also screening in 4DX.
5. Director Bong's favourite genres
All of Bong Joon Ho's movies mix and match genres to delirious effect and Mickey 17 is no different. Find out more in the video.
Mickey 17 is released at Cineworld cinemas on March 7th. Will you be watching it upwards of 17 times? Start your journey by booking your tickets.
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