![\"A](\"http:\/\/dulcipass.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mars_Express_04____Everybody_On_Deck___GKIDS.0.jpg\")
Chinatown meets Ghost in the Shell in this sci-fi noir thriller<\/p>\n
Science fiction has always been a fertile genre for telling stories that revolve around mysteries. From Ridley Scott\u2019s classic Blade Runner<\/em> to Mamoru Oshii\u2019s 1995 anime Ghost in the Shell<\/em>, sci-fi and mystery go together as perfectly as a culprit\u2019s hand in a blood-stained glove. Mars Express<\/em>, the debut feature from French animator-director J\u00e9r\u00e9mie P\u00e9rin, is further proof of the connection, by taking the basic elements of a Chinatown<\/em>-esque story about a missing person and a deadly conspiracy, and iterating on them in the far-flung world of colonized space filled with sentient machines and bleeding-edge technology.<\/p>\n Set in the 23rd century, the film follows Aline Ruby and Carlos Rivera, a pair of private eyes dispatched to Earth to bring in a hacker accused of jailbreaking robots, effectively unshackling them from the safeguards created to keep them docile and subservient to humans. When their investigation hits an unexpected dead end, Aline and Carlos accept another case, this one concerning a college student who mysteriously went missing after her roommate was murdered in their dorm room. In true noir fashion, the pair steadily discover that the two seemingly separate cases are not only in fact deeply intertwined, but pertinent to a plot that threatens the foundations of human-robot society.<\/p>\n Since the late 2000s, P\u00e9rin has steadily made a name for himself as one of the most creative, boundary-pushing directors in French animation for his work on shows including Lastman<\/em><\/a>, the animated comedy short series Merci Satan<\/em><\/a>, and NSFW music videos<\/a> for artists like the Flaming Lips, DyE, and Flairs. With Mars Express<\/em>, P\u00e9rin leans wholesale into his anime-inspired sensibilities and aesthetic to create a mature, grounded, and thoroughly imagined cyberpunk universe rife with shady characters, dazzling metropolitan vistas, and electrifying action sequences. It\u2019s not just an entertaining sci-fi thriller, it\u2019s a thoughtful rumination on the future of human labor, planned obsolescence, and the uneasy potential of the technological singularity.<\/p>\n Fans of 2023\u2019s Scavengers Reign<\/em><\/a> will no doubt vibe with Mars Express<\/em>\u2019 art direction. While the movie is far from Scavengers Reign<\/em>\u2019s ecologically focused survival thriller, both P\u00e9rin\u2019s film and Joe Bennett and Charles Huettner\u2019s animated series share a common touchpoint in their ligne claire<\/a>-influenced character designs and environments. Mars Express<\/em>\u2019 vision of the far future is heavily indebted to our present, with the modernist Zaha Hadid<\/a>-esque architecture of Mars\u2019 capital city, Noctis, juxtaposed against the pollution-choked urban sprawl of Earth.<\/p>\n The attention to detail dedicated to the film\u2019s worldbuilding also extends to its many android characters, each with their own unique design and personality. The comparison to Scavengers Reign<\/em> isn\u2019t arbitrary: Jonathan Djob Nkondo, who worked as a character artist and designer on that series, also contributed robot designs for Mars Express<\/em>.<\/p>\n The film\u2019s protagonists are compelling and charismatic, but they also reflect the filmmakers\u2019 intentions to create a sci-fi noir mystery that pushes the genre forward. Aline Ruby is a sympathetic mess in a way that\u2019s unusual for animated female characters. A recovering alcoholic with a deadpan sense of humor and a dogged dedication to her job, Aline oozes loneliness and yearning for human connection in a way that makes her fascinating to watch. <\/p>\n The same appeal is matched, if not outright eclipsed, by her partner Carlos, if only because he\u2019s the resurrected consciousness of her dead partner, holographically preserved in an android body. Carlos is, for all intents and purposes, still <\/em>Carlos, but his new life as a cybernetic entity complicates his material existence and rights in human\/robot society, as well as his overall sense of identity. Estranged from his ex-wife and dogged by uncertainties about his place in the world, Carlos is pivotal in anchoring the audience\u2019s understanding of Mars Express<\/em>\u2019 themes and ideas.<\/p>\n Mars Express<\/em> is the rare example of an animated feature that warrants an almost immediate rewatch upon completion, if only to appreciate the craftsmanship of its presentation. It\u2019s a densely layered sci-fi story that\u2019s light on proper nouns, but heavy on subtext. It\u2019s set in a world that doesn\u2019t tell so much as it shows the depth of its narrative and worldbuilding, by trusting its audience to pay close attention and connect the dots alongside the film\u2019s characters. In short, it\u2019s a rare example of \u201cadult\u201d animation that treats its audience like adults, and its execution elevates its premise until it stands confidently as one of the year\u2019s best animated features.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"http:\/\/dulcipass.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Mars_Express_02____Everybody_On_Deck___GKIDS.jpg\")
\n Image: Everybody on Deck\/GKIDS<\/cite>
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\n Image: Everybody on Deck\/GKIDS<\/cite>
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\n Image: Everybody on Deck\/GKIDS<\/cite>
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