Author: Jorge Perez
In the year 2200, the upper class of society abandoned Earth to make Mars a vibrant center of civilization. Sentient robots (also known as synthetics) obediently serve the upper class. Synthetics are nearly indistinguishable from the humans they serve. During a time of a growing scandal of hackers jailbreaking androids, a young cybernetics student has gone missing. Aline Ruby (voiced by Morla Gorronda), a private detective, and her android partner Carlos Rivera (voiced by Josh Keaton) take the case to find the missing cybernetics student. As they descend the rabbit hole into brain farms and criminal conspiracy, they discover a deeper threat that may change the fate of mankind and their robot counterparts. Directed by Jérémie Périn, Mars Express puts a cybernetic twist into the noir genre.
Mars Express is a French animated film that masterfully uses the cyber-punk genre and flips it on its head by adding classical noir detective elements. With its masterful storytelling, each character is cleverly developed, showing their strengths and flaws. The animation is both unique and familiar at the same time. While I was watching the movie, it gave off a ’90s anime movie vibe with the quality of the animation. Périn stated the following, “Animation came as an obvious choice. It’s our favorite way to show something. It is a pertinent aesthetic choice to stage and question the representation of artificial life and the human form. It is also a logical economic choice when our goal is to create an imaginary world without having the wealth of Hollywood.” Mars Express gives a familiar vibe as if the movies I, Robot, and Ghost in the Shell were combined.
Watching it in dub, the voice acting is masterful. You cannot tell that the original language for this movie is French. With an amazing cast, the voice actors provide their amazing voice talents to help weave the story and grab your attention while, at the same time, drawing you into the events that transpire in the movie. This movie is an amazing watch, and I recommend it if you require a good cyberpunk story.
Curious about the fusion of cyberpunk and noir? Watch Mars Express in theatres now and experience a gripping tale that blurs the line between human and synthetic life.
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