This 100%-Rated French Sci-Fi Gem Is a Stunning Blend of 'Blade Runner' & 'Ghost in the Shell'
This is a world full of futuristic buildings, humanoids, microcomputers, and stylish cars.
In 2023, Mars Express, a French animated sci-fi detective animated movie directed by Jérémie Périn, was released. This ambitious project combines elements of film noir, cyberpunk, and a philosophical parable.
What Is 'Mars Express' About?
_42929.webp)
The year is 2200. The emotionless human detective Aline and her robot partner, Carlos, are investigating a series of strange incidents. On Earth, a jobless hellhole, the duo catches a hacker who reprograms and frees robots.
In the new utopia of Mars, a haven for the wealthy, they search for a missing student whose neighbor was brutally murdered.
The two seemingly unrelated cases turn out to be connected – they are merely small parts of a corporate conspiracy that threatens to undermine the harmony between humans and robots.
The Main Advantage of 'Mars Express' Is Its Brilliant and Well-Thought-Out Worldbuilding
The animation's main strength is worldbuilding, which serves as a crucial reminder of how ambitious science fiction can be. Mars Express is full of intriguing ideas about technological advancement that Charlie Brooker would turn into plots for new episodes of Black Mirror.
In the 23rd century, intelligent students rent out their "brains" to the less educated, while the wealthy create robotic doubles to avoid wasting their lives on useless pursuits.
The creators don't dwell on these elements, though – the audience learns about innovations casually, alongside the main characters' investigations.
Mars Express is virtually devoid of heavy-handed exposition – we aren't told why the world has become this way but instead are given the opportunity to experience its surroundings. Silent shots of protesters and characters melancholically staring into the void speak more eloquently about the future than text inserts ever could.
'Mars Express' Approaches Its Subject Matter From a Fresh Perspective, Rejecting Genre Cliches
The most interesting element of the movie's technical development and its semantic and dramatic core is Carlos: he is a man who was murdered five years before the events of Mars Express.
His memories were uploaded into a robot, and he now walks around with a hologram of his face hovering above his body and is desperately trying to bring his family back.
His ex-wife forbids him from seeing his daughter, and he suffers an identity crisis, torn between his human past and robotic present. Rather than falling into the typical narrative of humanity versus humanoids, the creators offer something different.
Mars Express casually ponders an economic crisis and billionaires' political ambitions. Most importantly, however, the creators acknowledge that humans and robots won't become rivals.
What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Mars Express'?
-
Mars Express has 100% from critics and 86% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.
-
On IMDb, the movie has a score of 7.5/10.
-
On Letterboxd, Mars Express scored 4.0/5.0.
Where to Watch 'Mars Express'?
Mars Express is available to buy or rent on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.
