 | MOVIE DETAILS • Name: Terra Formars • Year: 2016 • Country: Japan • Director: Takashi Miike • Main cast: Rinko Kikuchi, Rila Fukushima, Kane Kosugi • Runtime: 108 minutes • Production company: Warner Bros. Japan • TRAILER |
Going to the Sitges Film Festival and not seeing a movie from Takashi Miike is like going to an icecream shop and ordering a pizza. For years, all the fans of the fantastic, science fiction and horror genre have a date to see Miike’s latest adventure. Last year the opinions were not so enthusiastic with Yakuza Apocalypse (2015) and this year’s proposal followed the cold reactions with Terra Formars. The story follows up the plot set by animation series of the same name, Terra Formars (1914, -), “in an attempt to colonize Mars, 21st century scientists seed the planet with algae to absorb sun light and purify the atmosphere, and cockroaches who in turn spread the algae as they feed. 500 years later, the first manned mission to Mars loses contact with Earth, and a second ship is sent to investigate” (taken from IMBD.com).
This is the perfect example of movie for hire that eventually Takashi Miike takes in order to be able to produce his most bizarre projects. Warner Bros. Japan, who is behind Terra Formars, will also be a partner in the film Miike was already shooting the days of the festival in the same city of Sitges. He gave out the scoop in the speech presenting his current release, as he was apologizing for the movie we were about to watch. Now, I don’t know if that was a very noble thing to do, or just a strategy to make us feel sympathetic towards him because of the piece of junk that was following.
Terra Formars is not a good movie. Technically is superb, like many other Takashi Miike films for hire, but the story is extremelly childish and the facts and actions are pointless. Some of the characters are very hollow, some others are just ridiculous. The villain, some sort of a fashion victim emo dictator, produces nothing but embarrassment. The heroes of this quest are childish characters, in fact according to how most of the anime characters for the juvenile manga comics audience tend to be.
In the auditorium, some people laughed a lot. Takashi Miike is not stupid, he is aware he has a loyal audience. And although we all should understand he needs money for his crazy movies we love so much, when he is forced to carry out for a contract he always try to give out something else. Terra Formars is bad, but it also has its funny moments. Terra Formars makes fun of itself. And some sequences or character introductions are really shocking and enjoyable, after all, as I mentioned before, in matters of edition, special effects and art the film is excelent. But the global feeling of the whole thing is not positive. At least, I can’t aprove it.
I am totally positive this is not the last we will hear from Takashi Miike. The man has crap in his head for years, I’m sure of that. Some other he will come back with a movie that will blow our brains out and we all will be on his feet again. And I will be the first in line to see his latest film at the Sitges Festival. But Terra Formars just doesn’t work…
RATE: 4/10
IMDB URL: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4433646
