Mars Express

Good animation, excellent worldbuilding, interesting characters, exciting action sequences and an intriguing plot. What else could we hope for? A good ending, instead of this rushed convoluted mess, that makes the entirety of the characters actions in the movie completely inconsequential. I'm not kidding. Everything our protagonists do, every mystery they uncover, is ultimately pointless. I understand what the filmmakers where going for and perhaps it could've worked in a longer format, but less than 90 minutes wasn't enough time to properly stick the landing. I don't regret watching Mars Express, because 90% of it was awesome. But that ending is such a letdown I'll never watch it again and I can't recommend it to others.

For many sci-fi animated movies, audience captivation is driven purely by world building. Neon scenes and expansive horizons are often used to draw attention from a weak story. Not so in this beautifully animated sci-fi detective drama. The story finds the perfect balance between much loved detective clichés and unexpected turns in a story line, that has no need for smoothing by over hyped futurism. Despite this, the imaginative graphics cleanly place the viewer into the future, pushing us just far enough into the 'what could be' to retain a believability that compliments the story. This should be on your list of sci-fi movies to see before you die.

Visual style reminiscent of Promare, sci fi-cyberpunk world building reminiscent of I,Robot. Immersive soundtrack. That's what this movie does the best.

I also loved all the little details of the future tech: TV screen that moves to wherever you're looking, a bottle topper that acts as another barrier to prevent AA members from drinking, etc.

The weak point is the plot in my opinion, it's just average and I don't think the characters have enough backstory to really make us care deeply about them. These don't ruin the movie, but it does everything else better.

Overall, I would recommend this one. Especially for Sci Fi lovers.

This was a surprisingly good thriller for adults; I wasn't expecting such attention to detail and story.

The animations and backgrounds are well-made. Although they may not stand out by modern art standards, they are enhanced by carefully designed details and innovative ideas. The characters are very well written and designed - I really liked Carlos. The way the futuristic world functions is also thoughtfully constructed; there are many small details that make the movie feel very realistic.

On the other hand, everything moves quite fast, and some important characters or events are only briefly shown. 'Mars Express' needed a bit more screen time to better develop these elements.

Overall, it is a solid sci-fi film.

I wasn't prepared for the level of attention to detail and plot in this adult animated thriller sci-fi. The Three Laws of Robotics, which are included in Asimov's Robots novel series, were even used by the writers to explain the behaviour and interactions of the robots with humans.

There is a lot to enjoy about this movie even though it may not be a genre-bending one. Let's start with the exquisite animation style, which is incredibly colourful, flowing, and detailed throughout. I thought Carlos was one of the best-written and most well-designed characters. A lot of attention has gone into creating the futuristic environment, down to the smallest elements, which provide realism to the film.

However, everything happens very quickly, and several significant personalities or events are merely skimmed over. 'Mars Express' needed a bit more screen time to better develop these elements, but official sellection of the Cannes Film Festival usually doesn't like overlong animations, and this was one of those films in 2023!

Overall, it was a great animated feature to enjoy!