Berlin Goes Bananas for Robert Pattinson and His Clones in Bong Jong Ho’s ‘Mickey 17’

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At the Berlin Film Festival, Robert Pattinson was a twofold star during the premiere of director Bong Joon Ho’s “Mickey 17” on Saturday evening. In this intriguing sci-fi tale, he portrays both an explorer and his clone, and following the closing credits, he more than doubled the applause coming from within the theater.

At the Berlinale Palast Theater, “Mickey 17” was met with an incredibly warm welcome during the festival, prompting a prolonged standing ovation from the audience. However, this ovation was cut short due to an interruption when the new head of Berlin, Tricia Tuttle, called Bong up on stage for a quick question-and-answer session.

The crowd at the Berlinale Palast Theater gave “Mickey 17” a rousing reception, leading to a standing ovation that lasted about a minute before being interrupted. Tricia Tuttle, the new head of Berlin, then stopped the applause to bring Bong onto the stage for a brief Q&A.

Bong shared with the crowd how captivated he was by the idea of human printing, grateful they hadn’t left before the 137-minute movie ended. The upcoming film, “Mickey 17,” produced by Warner Bros. and set to hit theaters on March 7, is based in a bleak future where Mickey, aimlessly, boards a spaceship after agreeing to be an expendable, sacrificing his body for the mission. Throughout the story, Mickey takes on perilous tasks that ultimately lead to his demise, but he’s resurrected by clones of himself; his memories are preserved thanks to a cutting-edge printing device aboard the spaceship.

Bong expressed his delight at the thought of printing more images of Robert Pattinson, stating he’s incredibly suitable for reproduction,” or simply, “Bong was thrilled about producing more Robert Pattinson photos, finding him perfect for printing.

At the premiere, Robert Pattinson, exuding a Batman-esque aura while donning an all-black outfit complete with a leather coat, made an early appearance. He graciously signed autographs and took numerous selfies as he entered the theater. The crowd outside called out his name in unison, “Rob! Rob! Rob!”, giving him the familiar red-carpet greeting that he was used to during his Twilight fame’s heyday.

Absolutely, Robert Pattinson’s charm is effectively showcased in “Mickey 17.” In the film, when one of the Mickeys miraculously survives a fall and returns to the spaceship, he encounters his next clone. A conflict arises between them as they both vie for the affections of Naomi Ackie’s character. The tension reaches a boiling point in a scene reminiscent of the love triangle in “Challengers,” where their passions ignite and leave the original love triangle in the dust.

At the event, Steven Yeun and Toni Collette were among those in attendance, along with Tilda Swinton, known for her role as the tyrant in “Snowpiecer” (2013). On Thursday evening, she received an honorary Golden Bear for her career accomplishments. Just before the film began, Robert Pattinson and his partner, Joon, displayed a love gesture to the crowd, each holding up half of a heart shape with their hands.

Steven Yeun and Toni Collette were part of the gathering, as was Tilda Swinton, who is recognized for her portrayal of a tyrant in “Snowpiecer” (2013). On Thursday night, she was awarded an honorary Golden Bear for her outstanding career. Just as the movie commenced, Robert Pattinson and his partner, Joon, expressed their love to the crowd with a heart hand gesture, each making half of the shape.

Mickey 17″ marks Joon’s return to filmmaking since his 2019 release, “Parasite,” which was met with a five-minute standing ovation at Cannes and later won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Notably, Joon’s body of work, from “The Host” in 2006 to “Okja” in 2017, frequently delves into topics such as identity, societal structures, and class struggles. In this latest production, these themes are expanded upon with a character portrayed by Mark Ruffalo, who embodies a politician reminiscent of Donald Trump.”

“Since 2019’s “Parasite,” which earned Joon a five-minute standing ovation at Cannes and an Oscar for Best Picture, he has not released another film until now. The film, titled “Mickey 17,” is part of his extensive filmography that explores themes like identity, society, and class conflict, as seen in works such as “The Host” (2006) and “Okja” (2017). In this new movie, Mark Ruffalo portrays a Trump-like politician, allowing Joon to further develop these themes.

The movie, produced at a cost of $150 million, is projected to debut in the U.S. with around $20 million. Yet, positive word-of-mouth and reviews from Berlin might enhance its theater earnings. To the festival organizers, I’d suggest extending the applause duration for future events.

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2025-02-16 01:17