Change Your Image
OzielMtzHer
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Lists
An error has ocurred. Please try againReviews
High-Rise (2015)
A beautiful and incoherent mess
Ben Wheatley is known for his unique style, that is still present in this movie. But, unlike other of his films (Kill List, Sightseers), it's not accompanied with a competent narrative. The visual component of the movie is amazing and the production design is good. High-rise is a hypnotizing movie in that sense, thanks also to an excellent soundtrack that fits really well with the hypnotizing visuals of the film. The problem comes with the development of the story. We are presented in this world full of bizarre characters and this could be the best part of the movie. The introduction to the world of the high-rise is interesting, the different people that lives there and how the classes are divided. I haven't read the book but it sounds like the plot for what should have been a better film. The thing is, at some point in the movie, the conflict starts to escalate really quickly and everyone starts acting in an incoherent form that feels contradictory to what we had seen before. Here, I started to feel alienated from the movie. What is happening on the screen doesn't feel natural because we are never exposed to a logical development of the story that let us understand why all of this is happening. We are presented to a lot of bizarre and senseless situations and I just started to watch them without feeling involved in the movie, which makes it pretty tedious. I suppose that's the reason why a lot of people walked off during the exhibition of this movie. The acting is good, even if the characters start to act incoherently halfway through the film. It should had been a better experience. If we'd have had a better presentation of the story, we'd be talking about something better. However, the real star of the movie is the visual experience. In that aspect Ben Wheatley did an incredible work (we could be talking about his most visually stunning film) and I have to emphasize the beautiful musical score. The talent of the director to create an unique atmosphere is palpable. It's another case of style over substance I guess.