Director: Ben Wheatley
Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans, Elisabeth Moss, James Purefoy
Running time: 118 mins
Release date: March 2016
HIGH-RISE is an adaptation of J.G. BALLARD’S novel, first published in 1975. It follows a young successful doctor as he moves into the most prestigious new building outside of London. Dr Robert Laing soon realises the high life isn’t all it seems.
It is important to note that this film is very ambitious (as most book adaptations are). Many fans of the novel have deemed it ‘unfilmable’ so it is always intriguing to see someone attempt to transfer the plot onto the big screen, but still keep the important themes of the book intact.
Unfortunately, HIGH-RISE doesn’t work during many points; not having read the book, it was clear that some sections had not worked well on-screen. Plot points would appear out of nowhere, with no suggestion that they were coming. Perhaps a lot of Dr Robert Laing’s (Tom Hiddleston) inner monologue was missing. The transition from normality into mania for the residents of the tower block was suggested to be a slow descend into madness, there was no middle period where you began to notice things were turning odd, it just sort of plummeted into madness rather than a slow deterioration of society.
This being said, there were a lot of really interesting and positive things in HIGH-RISE; all of the performances were great, in particular Jeremy Irons, who plays the architect of the tower block and resides in the penthouse, overseeing all of the chaos. Tom Hiddleston, Luke Evans, and Sienna Miller all give strong performances and they really do carry the film.
There are also some great moments of dark comedy in HIGH-RISE. These scenes do save this film from being considered bad. HIGH-RISE is not a bad film, it just seems to be a bit confused and rushed in some moments. Director Ben Wheatley has done an admirable thing in attempting to film this, and the way the scenes are shot tend to be quite chaotic yet beautiful. This is another really strong aspect of the film, every scene looks great and there are some really interesting shots that make the tower block look so glamorous but so murky at the same time.
Perhaps, for fans of the novel, HIGH-RISE may be a successful and faithful adaptation. It is always difficult reviewing films when you have not read the book. However, there were moments here where you cannot help but think there is something missing.
Overall, HIGH-RISE is a great looking film with great performances, both comic and dramatic. The plot itself is not difficult to follow, but there are points where the characters’ motivations are left unexplained and this can be a little confusing for some viewers.
Verdict
