User Reviews

It’s always a pleasure to watch hand-drawn animation that doesn’t over-rely on technology. It was about time we saw a cleverly crafted story set on Mars. Just what you need for a Saturday afternoon.

Director Jérémie Périn took inspiration from classic sci-fi noir films like Ghost in the Shell, Blade Runner, and Minority Report. He was particularly interested in placing a female protagonist in a traditionally male-dominated role. In fact, in the first version of the script, there was only one lead character, but the team later decided to split it into two: the private detective Aline Ruby and her android partner, Carlos Rivera. The film explores a fascinating philosophical debate: when does a robot become ethically indistinguishable from a living being? It also tells a very original story while incorporating numerous influences, such as Isaac Asimov’s laws of robotics, which state that robots cannot harm humans — an idea that feels increasingly relevant to our technological future.Additionally, the film is packed with Easter eggs — so many that I probably missed a few. For example, the sword-wielding killer is a clear homage to Terminator 2.Interestingly, the movie also shares the aesthetic and themes of two major video games: Cyberpunk 2077 and Detroit: Become Human. However, this was purely coincidental, as the film’s development started in 2017, long before those games became widely popular. What struck me the most was the incredible attention to detail. From everyday objects like forks and knives to vehicles, everything feels like a realistic vision of a near future rather than pure sci-fi fantasy. One of my favorite details is how droids occasionally need to reboot due to operating system updates — something that mirrors our own daily struggles with **** fact that the film is set on Mars adds another layer of realism. The French writers use this setting to critique the expensive vision of colonizing Mars, pushed by certain American billionaires. In the movie beneath its utopian facade, Mars hides a corrupt and decaying society. The animation appears to be primarily hand-drawn 2D, with subtle 3D elements used for depth and certain details. It’s incredibly fluid and polished, seamlessly transitioning from slick, gory fight scenes to subtle, expressive character moments. Despite the minimalist and simple art style, the character expressions are strikingly realistic — I never realized how much emotion is possible to achieve with just two simple lines! I can only imagine how much effort went into designing the droids, as their designs are truly unique and visually compelling. Set in the year 2200, mostly on the surface of Mars, the story follows the investigation led by the two protagonists. Without giving away any spoilers, I can say that this is not a straightforward linear thriller. Instead, each new character introduced in the story provides another piece of the puzzle, unraveling the detective investigation. The film had a budget of €9 million but, unfortunately, only grossed around $1.5 million. This might be due to poor marketing (I only discovered it by chance on a plane), but critically, Mars Express has been very well received. It earned several award nominations and was even highlighted by Polygon as one of the best animated films of 2024, praised for its “meticulously well-crafted characters” and “heady themes.”I genuinely believe this movie deserves more love from audiences. If you’re a fan of sci-fi animation, cybernetics, or the ethical dilemmas surrounding AI and biotechnology, Mars Express is absolutely worth watching.

Mars Express is an ambitious and visually striking animated sci-fi film that takes viewers on a gritty, noir-inspired journey through a dystopian Martian future. The film’s art style is bold and immersive, with a cyberpunk aesthetic that perfectly complements its intriguing, albeit slightly convoluted, plot. The narrative, centered on a private detective and her android partner unraveling a complex mystery, offers moments of genuine suspense and emotional depth, though it occasionally struggles with pacing and exposition-heavy dialogue. While some characters feel underdeveloped, the lead duo’s chemistry keeps the story engaging. Overall, Mars Express is a compelling and creative effort that delivers a unique take on the genre, even if it doesn’t fully reach the heights of its potential.

'Mars Express,' with its hard and plausible science fiction, invites you to imagine the future and transcendence of our species. Embracing the cyberpunk (fans of 'Cyberpunk 2077' will feel right at home) style, the film creates a vibrant world filled with fascinating futuristic concepts. With a crime thriller in the middle, the story approaches film noir and the ever-present shadow of corporatism as the great villain of now and hereafter. Unfortunately, its short length prevents it from developing all its ideas, ending with a very interesting but rushed ending. Nevertheless, the action sequences and the cool designs keep you engaged.

this is an insulting bait and switch. the creators made 10 minutes of footage and just looped it over, and over and over and called it a feature film. it's is one of the most ridiculous wastes of time i've ever seen in animation.

Review: part two. Farce Express will deliver an interesting, underground story straight to the withering sun of a controversial script and amateurish direction. BOTTOM LINE: an honest 5.6 out of 10, I do not recommend it to the general public, but fans of underground animation (Animatrix, Fire and Ice) who are looking for something stylistically similar to Mars Express will do; The film was clearly created for the Cannes Film Festival in order to announce to the whole world that French animation, after the success of such visual masterpieces as Les Enfants de la pluie (2003), La Reine Soleil (2007) and the albeit not beautiful, but innovative Kaena: La prophetie (2003), which were ruined by the World economic crisis (2009-20??), «still alive!». Alas, the French multipliers are not moving beyond this manifesto, as confirmed by the box office receipts, with a budget of 9,000,000 euros, Mars Express earned a modest 1,455,000. The French are plagued by the same problem as their colleagues 20 years ago - they create beautiful and unusual stories, but incomprehensible to the general public, and therefore commercially disastrous and ruinous for any studio or animation union. The French are just one step away from global success, but they don't know where to step in order to achieve it. All this makes me sad and sincerely wish not to give up and hone my screenwriting skills. It's always good to watch a weak alternative to French animation, which stands up to such intrusive MONOPOLISTS and financial market sharks as Disney and DreamWorks.

Review: part one. Farce Express will deliver an interesting, underground story straight to the withering sun of a controversial script and amateurish direction. PROS: the aesthetics of the animated film echoes the series of computer games Mass Effect (2007, 2010, 2012), animated cartoons Animatrix (2003), Fire and Ice (1983); An unconventional approach to «camera work», we were pleased with the third-person views and panoramas, in the modern era of dull, uniform plans, this immediately catches the eye and causes a favorable emotion, which is even more IMPORTANT - a better immersion in the atmosphere of the picture and an increased sense of verisimilitude for the viewer; At the right moments in the story, the artistic action on the screen accelerates, in a measured rhythm, and keeps the viewer in suspense; Spectacular chases and shootouts;In some cases, a deep atmosphere and high realism of what is happening on the screen are observed and felt; There is a limited number of beautiful and thoughtful design of buildings and vehicles; The balance between physical violence and eroticism is very French, and the scenes of murder and hedonism are carefully shown without the cynicism and shocking cruelty inherent in Anglo-Saxons and Asians; There are references to European philosophy, especially in the scene with the «Golden Unicorn», as an allusion to a hedonistic and degenerate society; The authors tried to make the main character through everyday scenes as natural and lively as possible; The plot forces us to analyze the mistakes of the main characters and draw conclusions; Towards the end of the story, natural, human, dramatic emotions are beautifully shown.CONS: weak musical accompaniment; The average level of graphics, sometimes degraded to primitiveness; A deliberately prolonged plot to fill in screen time, which causes boredom; The presence of annoying, banal cinematic cliches from science fiction; The overall low level of design;Technological anachronisms are often encountered, which are gradually disappearing in our time and are even more absurd in the rather distant future - in the year 2200. It hurts the viewer's eyes and strikes at the atmosphere of the animated film; The frequent presence of cinematic blunders (the heroine sees a reflection on an object that is turned sideways to her, but the protagonist standing in front of the object does not; video cameras are mentioned in the picture, in the form of eye pupils, thanks to which androids can see the surrounding reality, but they are absent during anatomical autopsy, so how do robots see?; a red box appears on the left from the heroine, near the stairs at the entrance to «The End» bar, although he had not been there before; an elevator appears from somewhere in the two-story store, which lifts passengers to high floors; an ordinary car CAN WITHSTAND a hit by a cruise, anti-tank missile with homing; protective foam miraculously does not pour passengers to death when heated; the same protective mechanism reacts differently (and absurdly) when the car door lock is damaged, but without damaging the car body, and so on); Emotional degradation of the main characters - the protagonists at the beginning of the story evoke more empathy than at the end; The frequent inconsistency of the plot and the scrapping of their own script rules; Improbability, falsity of everyday scenes and misunderstanding of the psychology of the characters due to the authors' small life experience; The main disadvantage is the general illogic, stupidity, dampness of the script and the destruction of the main plot plot on which the intrigue and tension of the whole story were based. Which causes the viewer to be disappointed and devalues the animated film Mars Express.

This is one of the best cyberpunk movies ever made, if not The Best. It's an interstellar, cyberpunk crime thriller that fills every shot with the most imaginative and realistic depiction of a possible future. The writing and characterizations are utterly believable, and deliver non-stop action, suspense and humor. I can't wait to see more from this filmmaker and studio.

Mars Express is hard science fiction. This movie is like rediscovering an old food craving.

It is a quality animation without much substance. The dialogue is well-written, the characters are likeable, and the art direction is impeccable. However, the story leaves many gaps, and some characters critical for understanding the plot are, in my opinion, underrepresented.

A million miles away This is what earth will be like next 30 years It was trippy you felt joy, sadness, life, and death Fun ride

Прекрасне аніме з глубоким сюжетом,який піднімає достатньо серьйозні теми з теми душі та свідомості

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Não há dúvidas de que é uma animação muito bonita de assistir, até mesmo a paleta de cores casa muito bem com a proposta futurista dark, assim como as cenas de ação bem produzidas. No entanto, confesso que o roteiro não me agradou, tanto o excesso de personagens como o miolo todo: o final se basta como trama independentemente de toda a correria que o filme apresentou, ficando tudo muito gratuito.

This was neither as bad as I thought it would be nor as good as advertised. I was bummed at the ending. Since I like science fiction and mystery this was a pleasant watch. We'd rate it: "watch it, you'll probably like it."

The movie starts like a standard procedural. But goes on with amazing animations, a crescendo of ideas and an amazing end.

I saw this on a film festival and was pleasantly surprised even with high expectations. I've seen other media try and fail to reach the same profound height and conclusion that Mars Express does. The main characters are interesting and well fleshed out, even when they are not made of flesh. The story hits HARD. One of the best SciFi I've seen in a long time, in any format.

Visual style reminiscent of Promare, sci fi-cyberpunk world building reminiscent of I,Robot. Immersive soundtrack. That's what this movie does the best. I also loved all the little details of the future tech: TV screen that moves to wherever you're looking, a bottle topper that acts as another barrier to prevent AA members from drinking, etc. The weak point is the plot, imo it's just average and I don't think the characters have enough backstory to really make us care deeply about them. These don't ruin the movie, but it does everything else better.