There are a number of religions, such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism, which believe in forms of reincarnation – the notion of coming back, one way or another, after death.

With the sorry state the world is in, you wonder if it’s also a form of masochism, coming back only to put yourself through it all over again.

Bong Joon Ho incorporates both these aspects in his latest sci-fi film, starring Robert Pattinson.

After getting into incredible debt when their business venture of a macaron shop doesn’t take off, friends Mickey Barnes (Pattinson) and Timo (Steven Yeun) decide that the only way to escape the wrath of the loan shark they borrowed money from, is to go off world.

They sign up to join a nearly five year journey to colonize the planet of Nifheim; Timo has the qualifications to be a shuttle pilot, but unfortunately for Mickey, he has no usable skills, and has to take the worse job of all – an expendable. This means he’s like the human equivalent of a test crash dummy, put into high risk situations that will more often result in his death. Luckily for him, they have the technology to print out another version of him, an exact clone, which they can download all his memories onto.

This means that Mickey has died – a lot. He has currently died 16 times, in many a gruesome fashion, with the hope being that his latest incarnation, 17, will last that little bit longer.

But when he’s sent down to the ice planet, he has a bad fall where he’s also introduced to the local alien life form, so his predicament is considered fatal, and therefore Mickey 18 is printed.

However, Mickey 17 actually survives, thanks to the creatures living on the planet. And although that’s good news initially, Mickey can’t really get a break, because if multiples are created it’s deemed illegal and all versions have to be destroyed.

On top of that, if Mickey dies now, as there’s already another version of him around, it will be for the final time. But how long can he survive, especially with the ship’s leader Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) on the war path.

This is the South Korean director’s follow-up to his 2019 four time Oscar-winning Parasite, and it couldn’t be more different.

Based on the 2022 novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton, it sees Pattinson in two roles, and although they’re physically the same, they do have different personalities. And the fact there are two Pattinsons involved will be enough for some. It’s certainly another interesting choice for the British actor, who appears to have no interest in just taking generic roles; even his Batman is probably the most un-superhero iteration of the character to date.

It’s not clear whether its deliberate or not, but Joon Ho’s film has the touch of a Terry Gilliam about it, specifically 1985’s Brazil; not only a visual similarity, with the confined sections of the ship, but also tonally with a layer of dark humour, and that’s not including Ruffalo’s obvious caricature performance of a certain Trump.

With so much bland and insipid cinema around, we can all be grateful for Joon Ho and his desire for unique storytelling to continually keep us entertained.

It’s also nice to see a large British acting contingency involved, including British comedian Tim Key as Pigeon Man; but it’s kind of expected considering it was shot at the Warner Bros. studios in Leavesden, which may soon be less busy due to the current cretin in the White House and his many tariffs.

As with most of Bong Joon Ho’s films, you’re never quite sure what you’re letting yourself in for and this quirky sci-fi flick is no different.

Rich with absurd characters, with a main protagonist whose only existence is to continually die, Mickey 17 is a bold and compelling sci-fi, laced with dark humour, that may well have you coming back for more.