High Rise [Blu-ray] [2016]

Anyone interested in Post Apocalypse films will enjoy this. Dark humour as a single Hi Rise block becomes a microcosm for the whole country co conrolled by a Skewed Dictator Landlord ( Jeremy Irons) . Cillian Murphy ( pre Peaky Blinders) also stars. This is a little like Lord of the Flies minus the Island and raises some disturbing questions about co-habitation.

Surreal, yes, and you really have to suspend your disbelief for a long time, patiently let it pass by your eyes, and you will get it by the end. Reviewers who've said they fast-forwarded through most of it didn't give themselves a chance with it, although it definitely isn't for everyone. Patience is key!If you want the plot, the layers, the themes, I advise you look up the book that it's based on, by JG Ballard. This will tell you more of what to expect than a review here.I didn't get it till about half way through when Jeremy Irons' character, the architect called Royal, tells someone that they're fired. "I don't work for you," he replies, "I work for the building." That's it. The building is key. Bare that in mind.Royal has designed the high rise block of apartments, and lives on the top floor. He spends his time in what looks like a cottage on the roof, but which is his office. Around this, he has a roof garden, elaborate and over the top, to the point of having its own horse. Tucked away up here, he doesn't see what happens in the building he has designed. He is planning to make 4 more towers, and says that when all built, they will make the shape of a hand, with the towers as the fingers.The richest live on the top floors, the poorest in the lower floors. Dr Laing, Tom HIddleston's character lives in the middle.Do watch it more than once if at all. You need to see the layers and the clues. Things like, why does Laing never unpack? There is a bit near the beginning where he is sunbathing naked (the brochure placed over a certain place) and his neighbour above disturbs him. Well, after that, apart from the gym, he never wears anything other than his suit. When things start to slide, his clothes start to fall apart. Little details like this are put in as an echo of the anarchy breaking out all around him.The building is designed for residents to not have to leave: there is a supermarket, swimming pool, schools, gyms, etc. It becomes a metaphor for society. What's worrying is that there are buildings like this in the USA now, so it feels like Ballard was looking into the future.On the radio now and then you hear Margaret Thatcher's voice pre election (this is set in 1975) and she is talking about social change. The high rise is meant to be a Utopia but in its class structured design it fails, and soon falls into anarchy, poverty, violence. It isn't the great new change that it should be, that the brochure says.There are things in the film I didn't like but they were part of the narative so I was fine with them being there, showing the society crumbling in on itself. But if nudity, weirdly surreal orgies, drugs, drink, dead bodies, someone jumping off the roof (believe me, you won't be very sympathetic for that one).... actually the only thing it doesn't have is swearing - if you don't want to take these all with a pinch of salt and accept them as just illustrations of the collapse of order, then it isn't for you.This is like an art house film rather than a big screen movie. It was a hit with critics, had lots of nominations and a few wins, but it didn't do well at the box office. I think it might become a cult classic at some point.

JG Ballard's classic 1970's dystopian novel comes to film.For the uninitiated: Ballard wrote a lot about society. It's strictures. How easily it could all break down. And how people might react to being able to live a life without any of the social codes. High Rise is set in a very modern high rise block of flats, in London of the mid seventies. Tom Hiddleston stars as Dr. Robert Laing. An emotionally detached man who doesn't quite seem to fit in. His new home in the high rise should give him the chance to live anonymously. But as the living conditions in the block start to break down, as all the mod cons go, a new order emerges. One where Laing might finally find what he's been looking for.The word always used to describe Ballard's books is 'Ballardian.' A reference to the very particular style and themes they always had. Books that depend on style are usually not the easiest things to film. But director Ben Wheatley really gives it a go.Tom Hiddleston carries the film superbly well, with a brilliantly understated performance. He is surrounded by a stellar cast who give it their all as well. And all turn in great performances. The 70's style is superb. The look and feel of everything is just right.As a whole, it does succeed at creating something Ballardian on the big screen. Something that uses acting and imagery rather than prose to create the same kind of style.The ideas of the book about society, and how people might act if they had a chance to let out their baser urges, are all there and quite thought provoking with it. All of which means there is some pretty extreme stuff in here at times. Also, it's not a film that animal lovers will enjoy.Class war enters the story also, but the idea of the super rich vs the lower ranked people is a pretty timely one, so it goes with the movie well.This really is Ballard on the big screen. And it really is an adaptation that completely succeeds. But it just falls short of five stars. Becuase it's not an easy watch at times. The fact that it's not really plot driven, and doesn't have sympathetic characters, does make it somewhat languid at times. Also, the score is an aquired taste. And not really one that I got. Although I seem to be in the minority in that respect. Structurally wise as well, it opens with a conceit that has become overused in tv of late, which is annoying when tv does it. So I'm not entirely convinced if that was necessary.So what those who haven't read the book will make of it is going to be another matter of opinion. But for Ballard fans, this is what we've been waiting a long time for.The dvd has the following language and subtitles options:Languages: English.Subtitles: English.The disc begins with a short logo piece for the dvd company that you can't skip. And then three trailers that you can, via the next button on the dvd remote.Extras:An audio commentary from Tom Hiddleston, the director, and the producer.Bringing Ballard to the big screen: a three minute long featurette. One of those pieces that has clips from the movie and cast and crew extolling it. But some of their comments are pretty interesting.Cast interviews: Four individual interviews done on set with Tom Hiddleston, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans, and Jeremy Irons. They can only be watched individually. All the interviews do use mostly the same stock questions. But all are really great, thanks to the four being excellent and very articulate interviewees. The interviews run for twenty two, six, sixteen and thirteen minutes respectively. And are all well worth a watch.

This was my third attempt at watching High Rise all the way through and I finally made it. I can't say I enjoyed it, or even that I found the points I think it was trying to make all that interesting. The first half was generally better - the descent into sudden barbarism of the second half was less convincing and I found the lack of context for the events in the building a bit frustrating. I could imagine this having been directed by Paul King (The Mighty Boosh, Bunny and the Bull, Paddington 1 & 2) which may have made for a more even film - but overall I think Ben Wheatley made as good a movie as anyone could have made with the heavy handed source material he had to work with. I also thought of Jeunet and Carot's Delicatessen more than once, but where it has an undercurrent of humour and glimpses of the better side of human nature, High Rise is angry and dark to it's core. Finally off my to-be-watched pile!