Mars Express

To say Mars Express is the French Ghost in the Shell means placing inordinate expectations on the new film, as well as needlessly placing emphasis on the parallels between the two works. Though it obviously paraphrases Ghost and other genre classics, the feature-length project from the creator of the excellent series Lastman has its own original premise, imaginative sci-fi concepts and great worldbuilding associated with them. The resulting form further relies on cool visuals and a gripping mix of action, thriller and sci-fi derived from well-spaced motifs of identity in an era when consciousness and memories are transferable to robotic bodies. As cyberpunk consciously based on the themes and visuals of previous genre milestones, Mars Express isn’t captivating as a unique work, but it is likable simply due to the fact that not many new contributions to the category are being made and definitely none that are this good. (08/07/2023)

Who would have thought that one of the coolest sci-fi movies of recent years would be brought to animated form by the French? Mars Express works proficiently on all levels. As science fiction it has a plethora of ideas in a detailed world, as a crime drama it has a clever plot full of thoughtful twists, and as a futuristic social drama it makes us wonder if robots are necessarily the worst thing that will one day befall us. Just add a few extra minutes and it would be perfect. The film is so rich in thought and plot that it deserves to have them rather than whizzing through everything at TGV speed. (04/11/2023)