Bong Joon-ho is back after his Oscar-winning movie Mickey 17, and it’s great that it looks nothing like Parasite. South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho has earned the praise and respect of viewers and fellow filmmakers thanks to his narrative style and the topics addressed in his works. Bong Joon-ho’s career began in the 1990s with short films, and he made his feature directorial debut in 2000 with the dark comedy Barking Dogs Never Bite, which he also wrote. Barking Dogs Never Bite was a hit with critics, as was Bong’s second movie, Memories of Murder.

Bong earned international attention and praise with his third movie, The Host, and in 2013, he made his first English-language film: Snowpiercer, based on the 1982 graphic novel Le Transperceneige, by Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette. Snowpiercer was followed by Okja in 2017 and Parasite in 2019, the latter being Bong’s biggest hit to date. Parasite gave Bong the Oscar for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay, and was acclaimed by critics and general audiences. Bong is now back with a new project, Mickey 17, which is completely different from Parasite – and that’s great.

Mickey 17's Tone Is Completely Different From Parasite's

Mickey 17 Is Far From What Parasite Is

Despite being a dark comedy, Parasite leaned more on its thriller and drama elements than the comedic ones, and that was a large part of its success. Parasite follows the Kim family, who live in a semi-basement flat in Seoul. The family has low-income jobs and constantly struggles financially, until the son, Ki-woo, poses as a university student to take over his friend’s job as an English tutor for the daughter of the rich Park family. Once Ki-woo gets the job, the family schemes to get each of them a job with the Parks without them knowing they’re related.

The Kims succeed, but they discover a dark secret inside the Parks’ home and everything begins to spiral into chaos. Parasite was praised for its story, Bong’s direction, editing, production design, cast performances, and more. Due to Parasite’s success, many expected Bong’s next project, Mickey 17, to be similar to it in tone, themes, and/or other elements, but as it turns out, Mickey 17 is entirely different from Parasite.

Mickey 17 is a sci-fi black comedy movie based on the 2022 novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton. Mickey 17 is the story of Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson), who, wanting to get out of Earth, agrees to become an “expendable”. This means he’s a disposable employee and every time he dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact.

However, one of his “multiples”, named Mickey 17, ends up surviving an expedition and meets his next multiple, Mickey 18, but they don’t get along. Unlike Parasite, Mickey 17 fully leans on its comedic side and has different themes, and the first trailer shows it's sillier at its core, making it completely different from Parasite.

Mickey 17 Looks Similar To Bong Joon-ho's Movies Before Parasite

Mickey 17 Still Feels Like A Bong Joon-ho Movie

Mickey 17 is different from Parasite but not so much from Bong Joon-ho’s previous movies, so it’s still fitting with his works. Bong’s directorial debut, Barking Dogs Never Bite, is more comedic than his most famous works, but it’s a dark comedy in Bong’s now well-known style. In of tone, Mickey 17 is more reminiscent of Okja, a science-fantasy action-adventure story. Okja follows a young girl who raised a genetically modified super pig that is captured by an American company for its meat, and so the girl goes on a mission to rescue her friend.

Though Okja is more action and drama due to its themes, it seems to share its tone and visual style with Mickey 17 – and the latter could surprise viewers with some dramatic and dark moments and themes. Mickey 17 could end up bringing together the best of Bong’s visual and narrative styles in an interesting blend that surprises critics and general audiences.

Mickey 17's Parasite Differences Is A Great Move For Bong Joon-ho

Mickey 17 Had To Be Different

With Mickey 17 being completely different from Parasite in almost every way, Bong Joon-ho has successfully avoided the post-Oscar win trap. It’s not uncommon – in fact, it’s very common – for directors to try to replicate the formula of their Oscar-winning movie in their next project, and that hardly ever turns out well.

Bong was wise in going for something entirely different from Parasite for his next project, which also helps him not be pigeonholed and allows him to keep exploring different stories, styles, and tones in his movies. Mickey 17 might seem like a big change or even a wild bet from Bong Joon-ho, especially after Parasite, but it can be one of his most surprising projects in the best way possible.