Mickey 17

Hopefully the future working-class employment outlook never reaches the desperate levels of Mickey 17, a science-fiction thriller man who dies for a living before being suddenly forced to fight for survival.

More successful as a breezy intergalactic adventure than a provocative sociopolitical allegory, this high-minded dystopian satire from acclaimed Korean filmmaker Bong Joon Ho (Parasite) is slick and stylish, often prompting you to laugh and think simultaneously.

In 2054, Mickey (Robert Pattinson) is struggling to stay afloat when he and a buddy (Steven Yeun) sign up for a space mission organized by a scowling messianic figure (Mark Ruffalo) and his doting wife (Toni Collette), who aim to colonize a distant planet.

Mickey’s thankless role is an “expendable,” or a guinea pig for anything from atmospheric testing to alien interactions. “From now on you need to get used to dying,” he’s told before liftoff. “This is your job.”

Every time he meets his demise, a new version of him is essentially manufactured using technology to start over. Even as this cycle continues, he finds support in Nisha (Naomi Ackie) a security agent and confidant.

Things go haywire, however, when the 17th iteration of Mickey accidentally — and illegally — meets his successor (also played by Pattinson), who becomes a rival for Nisha’s affections, but also a potential ally in an uprising against their oppressor.

Mickey’s pervasive narration yields a window into this strange futuristic world while also providing him a sympathetic humanity and offbeat charm.

Pattinson’s fully committed performance involves balancing duplicate roles with significant physical dexterity and emotional depth. Ruffalo’s delightfully villainous turn as the dim-witted, ego-driven, power-hungry tycoon channels a certain contemporary world leader.

As you’d expect, the sharply crafted film is rich in visual detail, with ambitious world-building and innovative creature designs.

Bong’s screenplay, adapted from an Edward Ashton novel, is more muddled in exploring some of its broader themes, such as genetic experimentation, class division, spiritual corruption, colonialism, and capitalist greed.

At least it has a playfully sardonic sense of humor to lighten the mood amid the bleakness. The film doesn’t take itself too seriously — not dwelling on its moral complexities or inherent ethical dilemmas — which helps withstand logical scrutiny and squelch its heavy-handed tendencies.

Depicting a struggle for acceptance that resonates across physical and chronological boundaries, Mickey 17 is a wild ride that avoids becoming lost in the cosmos.

Rated R, 137 minutes.