High Rise, director Ben Wheatley’s adaptation of J.G. Ballard’s 1975 dystopian novel, won’t see a wide release until sometime next year. But its trailer reminds us all how alluring the sight of decadence descending into savagery is. The moment anything stutters in protagonist Robert Laing’s beautiful apartment or the amenities that Laing (played by Tom Hiddleston) so lovingly describes, it’s impossible to imagine anything except how they’ll turn into weapons or defensive barricades. While they don’t play a large role in the trailer, Hiddleston will be joined by Sienna Miller of Foxcatcher, Luke Evans of Furious 6 and Dracula Untold, and Mad Men’s Elisabeth Moss.
Tom Hiddleston loves his ominously classy apartment in the first High Rise trailer
is a senior tech and policy editor focused on online platforms and free expression. Adi has covered virtual and augmented reality, the history of computing, and more for The Verge since 2011.
The first reviews of High Rise have already arrived, and they’re mixed — The Hollywood Reporter called it “a rich and fascinating mess,” which sums up the overall reception pretty well. But if nothing else, we can revel in the detailed recreation of 1970s high luxury, before the lights go out and the mayhem starts. If you watch the whole thing, you’ll also see a link to the Royal Architects website, inviting you into a world of exercise bicycles, brutalist balconies, and shelves of apples. Ominous, ominous apples.
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