Mickey 17: Five scary prophecies Robert Pattinson's movie makes about humankind's future

Bong Joon Ho's Mickey 17 is not your run-of-the-mill sci-fi thriller—it is a cautionary tale full of prophecies about the future of humanity.

The movie, featuring Robert Pattinson in a dual role, is set in a dystopian future where Earth is on the verge of destruction, and survival is achieved through disposable human clones. While Mickey 17 provides an immersive story replete with Bong's dark humor and sharp social commentary, it also reflects an uncomfortable mirror image of our world.

From the collapse of the environment to the morality of human replication, the film poses deeply serious questions about where we're headed.

Below, we discuss the sobering predictions Mickey 17 makes about humanity.

Mickey 17 prophecies about our not-too-distant future

1) The desperation of climate refugees mirrors our future

Perhaps the most striking aspect of Mickey 17 is how it portrays Earth as a rapidly dying planet, forcing humans to retreat to a hostile world, Niflheim.

This setup chillingly echoes the real-world crisis of climate refugees. According to the UNHCR, by 2050, global warming could potentially displace more than 200 million individuals.

Mickey’s tale—a hopeless man fleeing Earth for an uncertain destiny—could soon become a harsh reality for millions searching for habitable land.

Bong Joon Ho has long been concerned with environmental disasters, most notably in Snowpiercer (2013), and Mickey 17 follows suit. The film compels us to wonder if our world is on a similar trajectory.

2) The devaluation of human life through cloning

The central concept of Mickey 17—a human “expendable” who dies and is resurrected repeatedly—raises ethical questions regarding the value of existence in a technologically advanced society.

In the movie, clones like Mickey are treated as disposable resources rather than individuals, reflecting ongoing discussions about AI and automation replacing human labor.

This also calls to mind the contentious CRISPR gene-editing technology, which has the potential to redefine human reproduction and longevity. Some caution that such advancements could make biological humans replaceable.

If we can produce life, will individuality still matter?

3) The rise of authoritarian leaders and the suppression of dissent

Mark Ruffalo’s Kenneth Marshall embodies the dangers of unchecked authoritarianism. His pseudo-spiritual rhetoric and dominating leadership resemble real-world figures who thrive on populism and coercion.

Bong gives the colony leader “TV aspirations” and an “orange tanner”, making the allusions unmistakable.

History has shown that in times of crisis, people often rally around strongman leaders who offer stability but demand unwavering loyalty.

Mickey 17 suggests that in a world where survival is at stake, authoritarianism can flourish in the name of order and security.

4) The exploitation of workers in space colonization

Mickey 17 presents a future where interstellar colonization is driven not by scientific curiosity but by economic motives and class inequality.

Mickey, a low-skilled worker, is pushed into a perilous job because he lacks career prospects—something that resonates with modern concerns about worker exploitation in high-risk industries. The film also mirrors current debates on the privatization of space exploration.

With SpaceX and Blue Origin leading the charge for human colonization of space, the rights and working conditions of future space laborers remain a major uncertainty.

Will space colonists be pioneers, or disposable workers like Mickey?

5) The moral dilemmas of AI and memory retention

One of the most unsettling aspects of the film is that each cloned regeneration retains the memories of its predecessors, leading to severe psychological distress. This raises profound questions about how artificial consciousness could challenge human identity.

Could future technology enable us to transfer human consciousness? And what would be the ethical implications of such advancements?

Elon Musk’s Neuralink and similar brain-computer interface ventures are already paving the way for potential mind-uploading technology. If people can exist digitally after death, how will humanity redefine personhood?

Bong Joon Ho's film urges us to consider whether technological progress might ultimately undermine our very concept of what it means to be human.