From 'Mickey7' to 'Mickey 17': Most Anticipated Sci-fi Adaptation Or Potential Red Flag in March?

Hello Peliplaters!


Long ago, I heard about a paradox called the "Ship of Theseus." This paradox imagines an immortal ship: Throughout its endless voyages, whenever any part of the vessel becomes damaged or too old, the crew replaces them with new ones. They never abandon this ship. The question is: once all the original parts have been replaced, is it still the same Ship of Theseus?


Similarly, when we look back at our past, how do we know if our present self is the same person as our past self? Our bodies constantly replace old cells with new ones. Though everyone's metabolism varies, on average, each cell in the human body gets replaced every seven to eight years.


So, are you the same person you were eight years ago?


This is a silly question. Though I've encountered this paradox in many novels, authors always examine it from an observer's perspective. After I finished reading the novels, I'd dismiss it without further thought.


Until recently, when I read Mickey7; and ran into an old classmate I hadn't seen in over 10 years.


The protagonist of Mickey7 is a near-immortal expendable. While immortality sounds appealing, the addition of "near" and "expendable" turns it into a hellish joke. The number seven isn't a work ID—it's the count of Mickey's regenerations. He's already died six times before becoming Mickey7. His near-immortal status, rather than true immortality, comes from being 3D printed into life again instead of straight-up revival or magically transferring his spirit to a new body like in fantasy novels. His memories are stored on a network server, and he must sync them before death. Should he die unexpectedly, he can only learn about his demise from his colleagues.


I encountered that old classmate at my regular post-work fast-food spot. He recognized me way before I did. I walked into the shop and immediately scanned the menu on the wall, thinking only of quickly satisfying my hunger so I could get home and collapse onto the couch to rest my weary body. While searching for a seat after ordering, I noticed his gaze—intense, certain, and tinged with surprise—and knew I should approach him.


He called out my name excitedly, then caught himself, holding back what he was about to say next.


I felt bad as I knew he was waiting for my response. Despite searching through the depths of my memories, I still couldn't recall anything about him. With just a vague sense of familiarity, I resorted to asking a foolish question: "Were we classmates in middle or high school?"


His initial excitement faded to a flicker of disappointment, but his enthusiasm quickly resurged, masking any awkwardness. He graciously introduced himself, and only then did fragments of memory start connecting to the person before me. His recollections far outweighed mine. As he shared stories from the past, memories that'd first struck me as foreign slowly emerged from the fog. Shock and confusion engulfed me sequentially as he reminisced about the past but eventually those memories came flooding back as though I was recovering from a hangover.


Am I still the same person I was 11 years ago? The question lingers in my mind, swathing me in a cloak of disorientation and melancholy. Had I remembered the past as vividly as my old classmate did during our reunion, the answer would be clear. In a way, like Mickey7 downloading his past from a server, I retrieved my former self through my classmate's memories.

I wonder if Edward Ashton, the author of Mickey7 drew inspiration from a similar experience, but I'm thankful he transformed it into a sci-fi comedy. Instead of dwelling on the perplexing question of whether one's present and past selves are the same, he filled the book with absurd and humorous scenes that make this philosophical dilemma feel less weighty.


Rather than getting lost in existential questions, present-day concerns demand our attention. So instead of brooding over guilt and discomfort, I'll invite my old classmate to watch Mickey 17, which will be released in March. It's a sci-fi film adapted from Mickey7, with screenplay and direction by South Korean director Bong Joon-ho, starring the current Hollywood sensation Robert Pattinson as Mickey and his many 3D-printed versions.

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Poster of Mickey 17.

Based on the current promotional materials, Mickey 17 shares similar core concepts, main characters, and plot direction with Mickey7. However, its first trailer surprised me with an unexpectedly family-friendly tone. The true charm of Mickey7 lies in its masterful blend of absurdity and humor—instead of just being a simple lighthearted comedy alone.


Looking at Bong's previous works like Parasite, Snowpiercer, and The Host, he excels at portraying both the absurdity and warmth of human nature. Pattinson's recent roles—the lighthouse keeper in The Lighthouse and Bruce Wayne in The Batman—required him to portray characters teetering between sanity and madness, a mental state that Mickey7 frequently experiences.


While neither Bong nor Pattinson are typically associated with comedy, I believe their collaboration will effectively capture both the absurdity of Mickey7 and its underlying madness. That's why the family-friendly tone of the first trailer of Mickey 17 left me uneasy.


Fortunately, the second trailer restored my confidence by showcasing more of the hellish humor that Ashton crafted in his book. This suggests that Bong truly understands Mickey7. Perhaps Mickey 17 will mark a significant breakthrough in both creators' artistic journeys.


What do you think, Peliplaters?

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