Mickey 17's Korean Trailer Teases Less of a Comedy Than a Thriller

Bong Joon-ho's film with several versions of Robert Pattinson is not sold the same depending on the country.

Sometimes a blockbuster promotion differs from one country to another, and the presentation of Mickey 17 to the Western and Eastern public is a textbook case.

Unveiled last week by Warner Bros., the first trailer for this sci-fi comedy following Robert Pattinson in the skin of several expendable clones almost promises two different films to the public, depending on their viewing country.

Robert Pattinson “hates to die” at Bong Joon-ho's: Mickey 17 trailer

“Have a good death, see you tomorrow!”

In the American trailer, the tone is clearly that of a comedy, the sad fate of the protagonist being the source of good jokes. Black humor digs, each more grating than the last. The musical choice, a catchy classic by Dean Martin with a title used with irony, “Ain't That a Kick in the Head”, contrasts with all these “shocking” deaths, which accentuates the comic effect. Of course, the protagonist assures that he does not like dying, but for 2 minutes 20, this morbid theme is used in a funny way.

In the version offered by the same studio to the South Korean public, the atmosphere is completely different, even if the images used are almost the same. We also find here Mickey's initial choice to participate in tests to be hired far from his sad daily life, his brutal deaths and his rebirth in a high-tech cocoon. There is also this idea that he will meet one of his doubles, and confront him, and even the line from his “buddy”, “Have a good death, see you tomorrow”, is there.

Exit the Dean Martin piece, this montage is more sober. It highlights more the innovative technologies, the science fiction elements and the amoral aspect of this process of creating expendable clones, than its comic reading. We remain far from the very dark tone of the Snowpiercerfrom the same director, but still: the stakes here seem more serious and questionable than in the other version.

SO, Mickey 17 Will it be a real comedy or a pure science fiction film? Probably a bit of both, this mixture of genres evoking a bit of the atmosphere of The Host or ofOkjaof Bong Joon-ho, already hybrid works themselves.

Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo complete the cast. Mickey 17 will be released in theaters on January 29, 2025 in France.