From what I’ve heard, because unfortunately I wasn’t there to witness it, writer/director Ben Wheatley’s dark comedy High-Rise was one of the most experimental and wackiest films to hit the Film Festival circuit last year. The film is based on the novel by J.G. Ballard and has a terrific ensemble, led by Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, and Luke Evans. While I’ve been patiently waiting for a wide release, I’ve been reading up on the film and what some of those who have seen it have to say about it.
Adam Chitwood over at Collider, who is a regular go-to for myself, said “the film is essentially a violent satire about class warfare, albeit permeated with Wheatley’s signature touch throughout, which means gleeful violence, head-trippy sequences, and some odd narrative turns in the second half of the movie.” Chitwood continues by letting his readers know that he ultimately didn’t like the film, but “there were certainly those that took fully to Wheatley’s brand of satire…” From Chitwood’s little description of the film above, it sounds like it’s something that is definitely worth checking out, no matter the result. If you haven’t checked out the trailer yet, I highly recommend doing so because the footage it features is exactly what Chitwood described. But the latest look at the film comes from these new images, which gives the film a whole new perspective. I don’t really know how you wouldn’t want to at least give it a look after these new stills.
The official synopsis goes a little something like this:
High-Rise stars Tom Hiddleston as Dr. Robert Laing, the newest resident of a luxurious apartment in a high-tech concrete skyscraper whose lofty location places him amongst the upper class. Laing quickly settles into high society life and meets the building’s eccentric tenants: Charlotte (Miller), his upstairs neighbor and bohemian single mother; Wilder (Evans), a charismatic documentarian who lives with his pregnant wife, Helen (Moss); and Mr. Royal (Irons), the enigmatic architect who designed the building. Life seems like paradise to the solitude-seeking Laing. But as power outages become more frequent and building flaws emerge, particularly on the lower floors, the regimented social strata begins to crumble, and the building becomes a battlefield in a literal class war.
I unfortunately live in an area where the theaters here don’t always show limited release films. Every once in a while we get one or a few and I’m definitely hoping High-Rise is one of those occasions. I’m always in for a wacky, out-of-the-box idea for a film, it’s an exciting and fresh watch in an era full of gigantic blockbusters.
High-Rise has a limited May 13th, 2016 release date and will be on VOD April 28th, 2016. Directed by Ben Wheatley starring Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans, Elisabeth Moss, and James Purefoy.
Categories: News
Hiddleston is impeccable in it and Luke Evans is absolutely brilliant!
That’s great to hear! New trailer dropped this morning, looks even better now. Really looking forward to it.
Have you read the book?
I have not, I’ve heard it’s incredible. Does the movie live up to it?
It is very good. It does, but I would recommend to read it. Will make the whole idea more easy to grasp 🙂
I have some time until it has its wide release so I’m definitely going to think about.
I’m glad to hear it stays true to the book & is good, get me just that much more excited. Looks like an entertaining time for sure.