Our take
The premise of Mars Express may not be novel, especially when films like Blade Runner have already gracefully explored the philosophical ramifications of the human-tech conflict. But the French animated movie’s richly built world, (digitally) hand-drawn characters, genuinely gripping action, and far-reaching ideas about space make it a refreshing watch. The plot is taut and tight, too, peppered with twists and grounded by character depth. It may look simple at first glance, predictable even, but by the end, you’ll be over the moon by the film’s imagination and ambition.
What it won
Cannes
1 nom
César Awards
1 nom
The story
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.
Elsewhere
"Mars Express doesn’t pretend that our concerns [about AI] are out of place, but it breathes new life into its formulaic genre by focusing instead on what technology might want for itself."
— David Ehrlich
"A gripping, heady and refreshing 2D animated take on the perils of man and machine coexisting..."
— Carlos Aguilar
When private detective Aline Ruby (Léa Drucker) and her robot partner Carlos (Daniel Njo Lobé) are hired to investigate the disappearance of a college student, they uncover a secret that puts their lives, and plenty of others on Mars, at risk.
The world-building, hands down.
As I type this, someone in Hollywood is probably crafting a live-action remake of this gem.
Iti Mapukpukaw
Carl Joseph E. Papa
The Summit of the Gods
Patrick Imbert
Okja
Bong Joon-ho & Joon-ho Bong
Birdboy: The Forgotten Children
Alberto Vázquez & Pedro Rivero
Miracle Mile
Steve De Jarnatt
Serenity
Joss Whedon
I Lost My Body
Jérémy Clapin & Jérémy Clapin
Memories
Katsuhiro Otomo & Koji Morimoto
Who picked it
Renee Cuisia is the lead curator at A Good Movie to Watch. In her spare time, she likes to watch K-dramas and analyze them to death. She's also seen You've Got Mail one too many times but is still convinced it's one of the greatest films out there.
