I am surprised and sad to say it, but I almost entirely despised this film. It left me nauseous and with a bit of a headache. The story unfolds in an austere apartment tower in a retro-futuristic London, the stratified residents of which descend into degradation and violence amidst power outages and nocturnal revelry. The film has a major problem from the outset: any intended tension and/or satirical bite—see Civilized People transform into animals when their Thatcher-era capitalist convenience is disrupted or even modestly infringed upon—is undermined by two facts: every character registers as a farcical, oversexed, overwrought clown from the outset (there is no room to fall even as the gore and shouting intensifies), and the screenplay does a disastrous job developing its many players and their instincts and motivations, the chaotic, too-cool-for-school mise en scène only magnifying how disjointed the experience is. There is nothing to hold and unravel, nothing to feel, and it is tempting to just tune the incessant film out and let one's mind wander to a less obnoxious pasture. A superb cast including Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, and Sienna Miller is set adrift; their performances are not poor per se (everyone is photogenic and intense), just lost in the chaotic bricolage. The only unqualified triumph is the shag-brutalist art direction. There are so, so many superior films with broadly comparable textures and themes, including American Psycho, Brazil, Fight Club, Scanners, and Snowpiercer.

D

Wasn't a big fan of this either and I was intrigued by the concept. There's some interesting stuff here for sure, but it's never really involving despite the solid performances. I also thought it was way too long.

High-Rise

Ben Wheatley certainly knows how to stage a shot and a musical montage. Some are engrossing, most notably the sequence featuring Portishead's cover of "SOS". It is transfixing. Unfortunately, the film is garbage. It is an ugly mess, and the metaphorical intent muddled. It is an arduous sit while chaos ensues and nothing connects. And Tom Hiddleston is an untalented prick.

D

Great concept that starts off well but never really does anything with its concept or goes anywhere. The movie thinks its too smart but fails to bring a coherent and compelling story that audience can latch onto. It even made me hate Tom Hiddleston who is decent in here.

D