Terra Formars

Terra Formars (テラフォーマーズ, 2016) is a Japanese sci-fi action film directed by Takashi Miike, available to watch online on iFILM. The year is 2577. Mars was seeded with cockroaches and mold centuries ago to warm its atmosphere for human colonisation. It worked — but the cockroaches evolved into giant humanoid creatures with overwhelming physical strength.

An elite squad is sent to the surface. Among them: Shun Oguri, Takayuki Yamada and Rinko Kikuchi, each playing soldiers who carry genetic modifications that let them temporarily take on animal traits in combat. That mechanic — bug versus bio-enhanced human — is what separates the film from a straight monster-hunt and gives the action sequences a different logic.

Adapted from the popular manga series of the same name. Miike shoots at his usual pace: relentless, brutal and unconcerned with giving the audience a breather. Watch Terra Formars (2016) online on iFILM.