Review of the cartoon «Mars Express»

On June 20, cinemas started showing the animated sci-fi detective story «Mars Express», which was nominated for the «César» award in the «Best Animated Film» category. In the review below, we analyze what makes this film by French animation director Jérémie Périn notable and what outstanding works that have become an integral part of modern pop culture it refers to.

«Mars Express»

Genre animation, science fiction, detective
Director Jérémie Perin
The roles were voiced by Leah Drucker, Daniel Njo Lobe, Marie Bouvet, Sebastian Chassagne, Mathieu Amalric, Martha Keller
Premiere movie theaters
Year of issue 2024
Website IMDb

The beginning of the twenty-third century. Private detectives and partners, blonde alcoholic Aline Ruby and «resurrected» in the body of an android Carlos Rivera, deliver a hacker Roberta Williams from Earth to the human colonized Mars, and then get a new job. It’s a worried man looking for his daughter, 18-year-old cybernetics student John Chow, who has mysteriously disappeared. As the protagonists delve deeper into the case, they realize that they are involved in something more serious than the simple disappearance of a young girl.Since its premiere at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, «Mars Express» has received very solid press and generous epithets from reviewers (the critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes currently stands at an impressive 100% «freshness» based on 23 reviews). Indeed, despite the fact that French director Jérémie Perin was clearly inspired by literary and cinematic fiction in his feature debut, his story looks original and self-sufficient.

Firstly, it is worth noting the carefully and meticulously constructed world of the future, in which even pets are replaced by high-tech hardware. Humans have finally colonized Mars and are coexisting with robots and androids and the latter, in turn, strictly adhere to Isaac Asimov’s three laws of robotics, unless, of course, they are influenced in some way.

Of course, local philosophical reflections on the «relationship» of people with artificial intelligence are unlikely to be a revelation for anyone. However, the creators manage to present this eternal conflict in an interesting way and also offer an alternative way of developing the AI industry, the essence of which is to prevent another «machine uprising» (here I immediately remember Krang from «Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles»).

Obviously, the film is based on the cult novel by the American science fiction writer «Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?» аnd, accordingly, its free film adaptation by Ridley Scott «Blade Runner». Other sources of inspiration for the authors include the anime «Ghost in the Shell», «RoboCop», «The Matrix», and «I, Robot». It’s hard not to notice the reference to James Cameron’s «Terminator 2». While watching, you should be as attentive and focused as possible because the compact narrative, which is less than an hour and a half long, rapidly unfolds. If you get distracted by your gadget for a minute, there’s a risk of missing some important detail. Again, the identity of the villain can be well guessed in the first 10 minutes, but it’s not a big deal when the adventures and misadventures of the main characters seem really exciting.

It seems that wherever you look, there is something interesting in the frame. Something that can catch your eye. And this happens in the very first scene. Here you have brain farms with memory-erasing tricks (and here we are again thinking of Philip K. Dick), android doubles, synthetic prostitutes of both sexes, cool cars with innovative «airbags» safety features, and so on. What can we say about the futuristic metropolis of Noctis, located on the once barren sands of Mars, and its heavenly dome that protects its inhabitants from the unfriendly environment of the Red Planet.In short, you won’t be bored. Especially when Perin and his co-screenwriter Lauren Sarfati temporarily pause thinking about the bleak human future or the awakening of free will in AI and give way to exciting action. Some scenes are even filled with appropriate suspense.

At the same time, the characters are written superficially: there is simply not enough time to fully reveal their characters. Alin is trying in vain to resist alcohol addiction, Carlos is trying to somehow mend his long-damaged relationship with his daughter and ex-wife, who is now with another man. The drama is limited to these meager details from the characters’ lives, which, however, does not look critical against the background of a well-constructed setting.