It’s been six years since “Parasite” stormed through the awards season and writer/director Bong Joon-Ho was the talk of Tinseltown.

After a few delays, his follow-up, “Mickey 17,” has finally arrived in theaters. “Mickey 17” might not hit the high standards of its predecessor, or even Joon-Ho’s previous work “Snowpiercer,” but it is still a quality piece of science fiction, one that proves to be a little more profound than the premise might suggest.

“Mickey 17” is set in 2054 with Robert Pattinson playing the title character – a down on his luck schlub who decides to sign up for a space expedition to avoid a loan shark.

Mickey doesn’t realize that he has signed up to be an “expendable” – someone who is put into deadly situations and then recreated through a cloning process when they die.

The film follows the 17th version of Mickey, who is left for dead but returns to realize another Mickey has already been created. This is a direct violation of the cloning initiative, with the punishment for multiple creations at the same time death for any and all clones.

“Mickey 17” is really a tale of two films, with both halves nearly clashing in tone. It’s a risk that would sink the movie in the hands of lesser talent, but Joon-Ho pulls off the balance quite well.

The first half is a goofy dark comedy that is actually quite fun. Pattinson shows some deft comic timing and the tone is rather breezy – way more than I expected from Joon-Ho.

However, it all proves to be a setup for a stronger second half when the filmmaker plays his hand. It all stems from Mark Ruffalo (who is once again in “Poor Things” chew the scenery mode) as an ego-driven politician who now has designs on starting his own colony with his demanding wife (Toni Collette, equally as sharp as Ruffalo).

The payoff of this story strikes a relevant chord – a social commentary on totalitarianism and even the sometimes callous nature of human existence. It takes some heavy lifting and some patience from the audience to get there in the final act but “Mickey 17” manages to stick the landing, proving to be more than just a screwball sci-fi dark comedy.

Like previous Joon-Ho films, “Mickey 17” has something to say. Its message may not resonate as sharply as some of his previous films, but it still manages to hit the mark enough to be a successful return to the big screen for the award winning filmmaker.

If You Go
“Mickey 17”
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie
Directed by: Bong Joon-Ho
Rating: R for violent content, language throughout, sexual content and drug material
Playing at: Regal Bowling Green Stadium 12, Regal Greenwood Mall Stadium 10, Highland Cinemas (Glasgow)
Grade: B