Is this movie okay for a 12-year-old who likes Star Wars?

Probably not. The violence is much more visceral and the themes are significantly darker and more complex than your average space opera. It’s closer to Blade Runner or Altered Carbon than Star Wars.

Is there an English dub, or is it subtitles only?

There is an English dub available, which is quite good, but many purists prefer the original French audio with subtitles to capture the intended tone.

How much 'fan service' or sexual content is in it?

Minimal. While it’s an adult noir, it doesn't rely on cheap sexualization. The 'adult' rating comes from the violence, language, and heavy philosophical concepts rather than nudity.

What exactly are 'brain farms'?

Without spoiling too much, they are facilities where human consciousness or data is harvested/processed. It's a central, fairly disturbing plot point that leans into body-horror territory.

Mars Express – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Mars Express

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

movie2023

86%

WISE Score

100

Avg. Tomatometer

A gritty detective noir on Mars where private eyes and android partners uncover 'brain farms' and the messy reality of robot rights.

7.5/10

100%

86%

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Mars Express

movie

NR, 2023

86%

WISE Score

100

Avg. Tomatometer

A gritty detective noir on Mars where private eyes and android partners uncover 'brain farms' and the messy reality of robot rights.

7.5

100%

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7.5/10

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Screenwise Verdict

Mars Express is a rare beast: a high-concept, adult-oriented animated feature that doesn't feel the need to wink at the camera or simplify its world. It’s a gritty, beautiful, and occasionally brutal detective story that handles AI themes with more sophistication than most live-action blockbusters.

If you're looking for a family movie night, this isn't it. But if you have a teen who is obsessed with cyberpunk or you just want to see what happens when French animation takes on hard sci-fi, it's one of the best entries in the genre in years. It’s smart, it’s stylish, and it doesn't pull its punches.

Age Fit

This is strictly for older teens and adults. Common Sense Media pegs it at 15+, which is the right call given the graphic violence and the complexity of the political themes. It's a 'must-watch' for a 16-year-old who loved Blade Runner, but a 'hard pass' for middle schoolers.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

This is pure noir—cynical, gritty, and morally gray. It doesn't model kindness; it models survival in a corrupt, high-tech underbelly.

Imaginative

Top-tier world-building that feels like a spiritual successor to Ghost in the Shell. The tech feels lived-in and the Martian city is visually dense and inventive.

Safe

Contains harsh, crude violence and adult themes including 'brain farms' and political corruption. Definitely not for the younger set.

Enriching

Deeply engaged with the ethics of AI, personhood, and class struggle. It’s a workout for the brain if you're into philosophical sci-fi.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Visual feast for fans of 2D animation, blending a clean French aesthetic with dense, cyberpunk details.
Hard sci-fi that actually treats the audience like they're smart, skipping the hand-holding to dive straight into AI ethics.
Noir pacing that keeps the mystery tight, avoiding the bloat usually found in modern genre films.
Fresh perspective on the 'human vs. robot' trope, avoiding easy answers or cartoonish villains.

⚠

What to Watch For

The violence is harsh and sudden, including some body-horror elements related to the androids and 'brain farms.'
It's a bleak world. Don't go in looking for a hopeful 'we can all get along' message; this is about corruption and systemic rot.
The plot is dense and fast. If you aren't paying attention to the political factions and tech jargon, you'll be lost by the second act.

Conversation Starters

"If an android has the backup of a human's brain, is it still just a robot?"
"Why does the movie portray the 'brain farms' as such a dark necessity for this society?"
"How does the partner dynamic between Aline and Carlos change as they uncover the secret about the robots?"
"Does the futuristic setting of Mars make the corruption feel more or less realistic than a story set on Earth?"

Deep Dive

The French Connection to Cyberpunk

Jérémie Périn’s Mars Express isn't trying to be the next Pixar hit, and that’s its greatest strength. It leans heavily into the Franco-Belgian tradition of adult sci-fi comics (think Métal Hurlant), offering a visual style that is clean, purposeful, and strikingly different from the hyper-saturated 3D we usually get. The Martian capital, Noctis, feels like a real place—cluttered, stratified, and tech-dependent.

More Than Just Robots

While the surface plot is a classic detective mystery, the underlying engine is the tension between organic and synthetic life. The film introduces 'backups'—digital ghosts of deceased humans living in android bodies—which complicates the usual 'us vs. them' robot narrative. It forces the viewer to consider what actually constitutes a person when your memory can be uploaded to a server and your body is a chassis.

Why it Hits Different in 2026

Watching this now, the themes of political corruption and AI 'jailbreaking' feel less like distant sci-fi and more like an exaggerated reflection of current headlines. It’s a great pick for families with older teens who want to discuss the actual trajectory of AI and automation without the filter of a superhero movie. Just be prepared for the violence; when things go south in Noctis, the movie doesn't look away.