Mars Express

"Built to serve. Programmed to live."

2023 1h 29m FR

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 601

AnimationScience FictionThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Built to serve. Programmed to live.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Léa Drucker
Aline Ruby (voice)
Mathieu Amalric
Chris Royjacker (voice)
Daniel Njo Lobé
Carlos Rivera (voice)
Marie Bouvet
Roberta Williams (voice)
Sébastien Chassagne
Inspecteur Simon Gordaux (voice)
Marthe Keller
Beryl (voice)
Geneviève Doang
Jun Chow / Jun Chow 2 (voice)
Thomas Roditi
LEM (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jérémie Périn
Writers: Jérémie Périn, Laurent Sarfati
Languages: French
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

89 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 18% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 3 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Fred Avril. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Lila Desiles shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Léa Drucker and Mathieu Amalric and Daniel Njo Lobé carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Built to serve. Programmed to live.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt26915336 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jérémie Périn directs. Fred Avril scores. Lila Desiles cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in France. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

189 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Earned back only 18% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released 3 years ago.
4Original score by Fred Avril. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Lila Desiles shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Léa Drucker and Mathieu Amalric and Daniel Njo Lobé carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Built to serve. Programmed to live.".
8IMDB entry: tt26915336 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 12 themes, including "android", "man vs machine", "planet mars", "hacker".

The technical file

Original score: Fred Avril
Editing: Lila Desiles
Runtime: 89 min · 1h 29m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $7,900,000
Box office: $1,455,713
Return: 18% of budget
Original language: FR
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Mars Express (2023)

Also by

Jérémie Périn

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-06-19
★ 7/10
By the 23rd century, Mars has been colonised by humanity thanks to advanced android technology. It’s here that private investigator “Aline” and her robotic counterpart “Carlos” have been hired to track down an hacker by the gazillionaire owner of one of the leading tech companies. Pretty swiftly they realise that this is going to be a dangerous and duplicitous business and they are soon embroiled in something altogether more internecine and sinister. Now the plot here isn’t the most original, indeed for much of the first hour is does scream “I, Robot” (2004) at us, but then it embarks on something more original as the concept of brain farming is introduced. This is essentially the harvesting of excess brain capacity from people who are selling their cerebral processing capacity to help create the ultimate in AI. The question is, why and who for? Moreover, as this duo dig deeper they begin to discover some uncomfortable truths about the evolving dynamic in the relationship between human beings and their supposedly subservient automated creations. The animation is stylish and there’s plenty of shoot-out action for ninety minutes here, but it’s really the philosophy that helps this stand out. It challenges so many assumptions about a master/servant relationship and delivers a denouement that I found to be sensibly apposite. It packs quite a bit of thought and creativity into it and is well worth a watch.

Production companies