Mars Express

Mars Express

2023
In 2200, private detective Aline Ruby and her android partner Carlos Rivera are hired by a wealthy businessman to track down a notorious hacker. On Mars, they descend deep into the underbelly of the planet's capital city where they uncover a darker story of brain farms, political corruption, and a missing girl who holds a secret about the robots that threatens to change the face of the universe.
Ratings:
Brad Score: 7.8/10
Internet Score: 7.5/10
Director:
Jérémie Périn
Cast:
Marthe Keller, Mathieu Amalric, Léa Drucker, Daniel Njo Lobé, Marie Bouvet, Sébastien Chassagne, Geneviève Doang, Thomas Roditi, Thierry Jahn, Serge Faliu
Genres:
Thriller Science Fiction Animation

My notes

Caveat - it took me two nights to finish this one. That's less a statement on the film and more on general life stress.

What is a statement on this film was that after completing it, I messaged two different friend groups urging them to also watch it.

Downsides - the animation is occasionally dodgy, with the level of detail ebbing between precise and suggestive. It's also in French.

The upsides, though, make up for it. I think Mars Express is best described as a "concept" film—a "what if X" and "what if Y" that seems to just throw concepts at the audience before it eventually coalesces into an Idea film. All while being wrapped up in cyberpunk noir.

Reduced to a formula, it's equal parts Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, and Chinatown.

It's taken me 5 days to get around to writing it up, but I've still got some spoiler-y ethical questions about the second half of the film.

Watched May 11, 2026 via Streaming — rated 7.8/10