The Vin Diesel movie Bong Joon-ho absolutely adores: “It is utterly charming”

Posted On March 16, 2025March 16, 2025

Bong Joon-ho is the man of the moment, with anticipation for his latest film, Mickey 17, reaching an all-time high following the colossal success of Parasite. The South Korean director is known for his dark, satirical films, often skewering social issues such as class inequality and exploitation.

With works like Parasite, Memories of Murder, Okja, and Mother, Bong has established himself as a master of visual storytelling and suspense, crafting intense, thought-provoking narratives that expose the insidious nature of late-stage capitalism and the forces that suppress our humanity. While he has worked across multiple genres, his ability to maintain a distinct tone throughout each one speaks to his precision as a filmmaker—something that is also reflected in his eclectic taste in cinema.

Parasite was one of the most spectacular films to come from the 21st century, sweeping at the Oscars through its blistering commentary on class inequality and resentment through the story of a working-class family who become employed by a wealthy family, leading to an unexpected conflict that threatens their jobs.

Through masterful visual metaphors, stellar performances and biting satire of the wealthy elite and those who hoard their wealth, Bong Joon-ho created a relevant and timely story about an external conflict that faces most of us, with the wealth gap only growing and further separating the rich and poor.

The cost of living is going up while the standard of living is going down, all while the average person’s salary stays exactly the same. The director had his finger directly on the pulse and collective anger over our increasingly unsustainable way of life, creating something that both entertained and ignited public outrage over this modern way of living. 

While he is undoubtedly influenced by other filmmakers who explore similar themes, the director is also generally inspired by those working within the horror genre, drawing on these tropes to exaggerate the themes within his work. When describing his personal taste in film, he listed a surprising project from Vin Diesel, praising the 2000 film Pitch Black, which follows a crew of passengers on a crashed ship who struggle to survive on a pitch-black planet. 

When describing the film, Joon-ho said, “It’s based on a very clever and effective idea: the monster only appears in the dark. It just suits the setting of a modestly budgeted film (and probably saves money)—and it is absolutely delicious. You can’t say it’s worthy for inclusion in the sci-fi hall of fame, but it is utterly charming compared to clunky blockbusters like Battlefield Earth”.

This is perhaps something that the director took influence from in his recent film, with the monsters in Mickey-17 thriving in similarly dark circumstances. As well as this, the story is a blend of multiple genres, merging sci-fi with horror, satire and comedy, cherry-picking from his favourite films as he makes another classic story that encapsulates all of his interests. While his recent projects haven’t been as cost-effective, he has undoubtedly earned the right to go all guns blazing. 

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