Greetings,
Here's a question: What in the heck did I just watch? Okay, according to the title of this post, I apparently watched a movie called High-Rise, but I have no idea what that means, because I have no idea what happened in it. Don't get me wrong. Stuff happened in it. Some really, REALLY messed up stuff, but a string of bizarre occurrences does not a film make. At least, not to me. And I know that some other and actually legit reviewers really liked this thing. Perhaps, I just didn't get it. I felt like the film makers were just telling the audience that all bets are off and we need to just shut up and watch. And when I say "watch" I mean that quite literally. But more on that later. Let's get to talking about this thing called High-Rise. If I can.
High-Rise is about just that, a high-rise full of every kind of person one could imagine and with everything that one can hope to want under one roof, including a market, a gym, even a school. Basically, all the places where no one wants to go, but everyone has to go. And, as expected, there is a lot of class separation in the building. Of course, the super rich people live at the top, the middle class, mostly single people, live in the middle and all the less financially stable families with children live on the lowest level. Yeah, kids are like the worst thing ever in this movie, so, as I am not a kid person, I'll give it a point for that. Seriously, though, I think they're just seen as out of control and an intrusion of the structure. So, poor people on the bottom, rich people on the top. Does this sound familiar, cinematically speaking? Correct. It is pretty much a more visually polished version of Snowpiercer. It's shinier and cleaner, but does this make it better? No. No, it does not. Moving on. Though I might have to bring up Snowpiercer again. Prepare yourself.
Our protagonist is a guy named Dr. Robert Laing, played by Tom Hiddleston. Hang on a minute. The last time I reviewed one of his films I wasn't too fond of it either. What are you trying to do me, man, between film choices and...other choices? Do you want me not to like you anymore? Anywho, though he is considered the protagonist, he's not really centrally involved in what's happening. He seems to be just watching as an outsider, occasionally stepping in for...um...activities. And what is he watching? Well, he's watching the "society" of the high-rise go straight down the tubes in the most chaotic way possible. To call what happens, the bare bones of the...plot, predictable is an understatement. So, I may be giving a bit of a spoiler here, thus, warning. It seems that the lower floors get mad about the upper floors getting better stuff, therefore, they start rebelling and revolting, as you do, until the whole thing becomes a maelstrom of epic proportion. I'd go into detail, but there is so much detail, I wouldn't even know where to start. I think, in this case, the only thing that can explain it to you are your eyes. But even that I'm not to sure about.
So, what exactly did I dislike about the movie? Well, it is, ever so slightly, pretentious. Now the director, Ben Wheatley, is good at the stylized kind of film making, and here is no exception. However, the book, which I admittedly haven't read, that this was based on is heavily allegorical, and that works better in the literary form. Doing it visually can make all you symbolism and metaphors a bit too on the nose. Or a lot too on the nose. We also see many of the residents leaving to go to outside jobs, which, in my opinion, takes away from the trapped feeling that I think it should be conveying. The whole time I kept thinking, "Just leave", especially when things got really bad. Sorry to bring up Snowpiercer again, but in that case, they couldn't leave, thus adding to the feeling of being trapped in an inescapable situation, even when things were at their worst. Of course, maybe the high-rise residents were just trapped in their minds, with, what one reviewer referred to as, an addiction to convenience. Maybe. Anyway, my next problem. The switch from things being okay with a few issues in the high-rise to utter chaos happens in a matter of minutes. There's this part in the middle, where we kind of see Laing's mind beginning to slip, and the next thing...mayhem! I mean, even though this film was too long for me, they could have thrown in a bit of a middle ground where things change gradually, not so jarring. I don't know. I like an artistically driven film every now and then, but this seemed a bit indulgent. As though they were tossing in weird things just for the sake of doing so, whilst everyone involved is asking the audience what they think it means.
Okay, is there anything I liked about this film? Actually, yes. We get Jeremy Irons playing a guy named Royal who runs the whole place. And his name is Royal. And he runs the place. Really? But blowing everyone out of the water is Luke Evans playing a guy named Wilder, who goes very wild in the story. And his name is Wilder. And he goes- Oh, come on! You are taking symbolism WAY too far now! Okay, to be fair, those names were in the book, but still. My point is that Luke Evans was rather brilliant. He managed to portray this character in a way where you're not sure if you should be terrified of him or amused by him. Or both. He was the highlight, hands down. Although, another thing about this film that was actually quite exceptional was the production design. This takes place in the 70's, and it looks like it, hardcore. The clothes, the furniture, the way they did the actors' hair, everything was of the time. Not to mention the lighting and the colors, all the visuals were incredible. If nothing else, it excels in that.
In closing, would I recommend High-Rise? I mean, I personally wouldn't want to watch it again, but as it seems to be quite polarizing, I think it might be an acquired taste. Basically, you might like it, you might not, but if you want to see it, go for it. As I mentioned, it's not a total train wreck, and you'll enjoy Luke Evans. I think this might become a success as a cult film. What with haters hating...and lovers loving (what!), it will find and has already found its audience. I just don't happen to be in it.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
