WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Mickey 17.With the release of Mickey 17, director Bong Joon-ho has delivered another dark and unique sci-fi extravaganza. Following Robert Pattinson’s Mickey getting killed and cloned again and again on his interstellar job, 2025’s Mickey 17 presents itself as a very unusual film. However, Bong directed another beloved sci-fi film over a decade ago that holds a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and shares many traits with the also critically acclaimed Mickey 17.
Bong’s 2013 comic book film Snowpiercer follows the surviving members of humanity living together on a train traveling across the Earth after a second Ice Age ravages the planet. The two movies have different concepts, but Bong injects Snowpiercer and Mickey 17 with his distinctive style of storytelling that has made him one of the most revered film directors in recent history. It has also helped make Snowpiercer a modern classic that demands to be experienced by more audiences.
Bong Joon-ho’s Snowpiercer Is Similar To Mickey 17
Snowpiercer & Mickey 17 Match In Story, Setting, & Tone
Both Snowpiercer and Mickey 17 revolve around a lower-class citizen of a dystopian world who ends up leading a revolution against the corrupt elite ruling his society onboard a traveling vessel. In the case of Snowpiercer, Chris Evans’ hardened protagonist, Curtis, leads a brutal war against the oppressive pᴀssengers of the train’s front cars. Snowpiercer also shares the kind of dark humor seen in Mickey 17, albeit with a more serious tone.
While Snowpiercer takes place on an Earth overcome by a second Ice Age, Mickey 17 is mainly set on the ice planet Niflheim. Both stories show the characters fighting for humanity’s survival as the villains try to carry out systematic genocide. However, Mickey 17‘s story also addresses issues of imperialism as the fascist Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) tries to wipe out Niflheim’s native inhabitants to make way for his new world and his “pure” human race.
Why Snowpiercer Is One Of Bong Joon-ho’s Best Films
Snowpiercer Is A Bloody & Brilliant Blockbuster Satire
Long before he directed Parasite, Bong Joon-ho set himself apart from other big-budget directors with Snowpiercer. Similar to Mickey 17, Snowpiercer presents a satirical, action-packed story that’s huge in scope despite its confined setting on the train, with brilliant production design and performances. The vehicle itself serves as a symbol of the social hierarchy and the stark divide between the upper and lower classes, bringing up issues of poverty, systematic oppression, and humanity’s dark nature.
While Mickey is an unfortunate man treated as “expendable” in Mickey 17, Curtis is chosen for a higher purpose in a way that makes one question the idea of free will in a corrupt society.
Ultimately, Curtis’ journey to the front of the train in Snowpiercer is a thrilling and emotional rollercoaster rife with political and religious allegory. It all culminates in a heartbreaking revelation about the totalitarian system that has controlled his life and orchestrated the suffering he endured. While Mickey is an unfortunate man treated as “expendable” in Mickey 17, Curtis is chosen for a higher purpose in a way that makes one question the idea of free will in a corrupt society.
Given the amount of time it took for Mickey 17 to appear in theaters after Parasite, it may be a while before Bong releases his next picture. Fortunately, Snowpiercer remains an exciting and thought-provoking precursor to Bong’s clone-filled film that deserves to be experienced more than once. It’s a hard-hitting social commentary that has stayed relevant for over a decade since its release, all while presenting a dark and bloody comic book epic.
