Mickey 17is an excellent Bong Joon-ho film, but as a follow-up toParasite, it may find itself to be an unlikely candidate at the Oscars.Parasiteis often considered thebest Bong Joon-ho film, as evidenced by its success at the 92nd Academy Awards in 2020.Parasite’s twisty endingresonated with critics and audiences alike, winning the film four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for Joon-ho, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film.
As such, Bong Joon-ho’s follow-up,Mickey 17, was highly anticipated. Be it the exploration of the titularMickey 17 and his other personalities, the dual performance of Robert Pattinson, Bong Joon-ho’s script and direction, or the return to the filmmaker’s wacky sci-fi roots,Mickey 17was one film in 2025 that many were looking forward to seeing. By the time ofMickey 17’s ending, the film proves that it was worth the excitement and is a great story in its own right. That said, those expecting an Oscar contender in the vein ofParasitemay be looking for the wrong film.
Mickey 17 Is A Much More Unlikely Oscar Contender Than Parasite
Parasite Has Certain Academy Award Qualities
As alluded to,Mickey 17is unlikely to contend at the Oscars on the same level thatParasitedid. While the former certainly includes deeper thematic elements that have become commonplace in Bong Joon-ho films, they are not on the same level asParasite.Parasite’s exploration of several deep-rooted themes saw it resonate with Academy members, rendering it a much richer text thanMickey 17is.
No matter how good it is or the themes it does explore,Mickey 17simply lacks the “Oscar-bait” feel thatParasitehad…
Mickey 17is, instead, a big-budget sci-fi movie. The Academy Awards tend to recognize bigger-budget movies less anyway, butMickey 17’s genre-switches between dark comedy, sometimes horror, action, and sci-fi render it a more crowd-pleasing movie thanParasitewas. No matter how good it is or the themes it does explore,Mickey 17simply lacks the “Oscar-bait” feel thatParasitehad due to the return to Bong Joon-ho’s roots as a sci-fi director.
There’s Only Really One Oscar Nomination Mickey 17 Could Get
Unlike Parasite’s Many Nominations
While it is admittedly early to begin thinking about 2026 Academy Award nominations, there is really only one thatMickey 17could receive. Due to the aforementioned nature of the film as a quick-paced sci-fi dark comedy, Bong Joon-ho is unlikely to receive a Best Director or Best Writing nod. Robert Pattinson’s dual performance is great, but not at the level it could have been had the film delved deeper into the elements that could have - if they were fleshed out further - seenMickey 17become an Oscar-level film.
As a result, Best Picture is also an unlikely nominationMickey 17receives, too. Nonetheless, it could receive a nomination for Best Visual Effects.Mickey 17’s Creeper alienswere CGI-heavy and mostly looked fantastic, as did the other sci-fi elements, such as flying ships, explosions, and otherworldly space shots. This could allowMickey 17to have some kind of presence at the 98th Academy Awards, though certainly not to the levelParasitedid in 2020.
