J.G. Ballard’s High Rise Depicts Utopian Sci-Fi Arcology

Arcologies are a favorite Sci-Fi genre interest of mine. An Arcology is a kind of a Utopian idea of a completely self contained city housed entirely within a single building. There are many great Sci-Fi novels about arcologies. My first read and probably favorite is Oath of Fealty by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven. Oath is about a society that trades privacy for security in a gigantic self contained building city. Definitely a novel who’s ideas have stayed very relevant.

The late J.G. Ballard’s wrote another very interesting novel about an arcology called “High Rise” and it is on the way to theatres directed by Vincenzo Natali, the guy that brought you Cube and very soon will bring you the very interesting looking Splice. Here’s the official synopsis.

In the midst of a vast ocean stands the Elysium Tower – a glistening vertical city – a sanctuary for challenging times.

Powered by sun and earth, designed by the greatest architectural visionary of the new millennium, Elysium is a self contained world. A world of commerce, cuisine and entertainment, featuring restaurants, swimming pools, libraries, cinemas, even a research hospital. It is not just the tallest and most technologically advanced work of modern architecture, but one that embodies the world’s highest aspirations.

Dr. Robert Laing, a new arrival, settles in and adjusts to this hermetic life. But before long he becomes aware of something unsettling in the building. In an escalating atmosphere of unrest the residents break into tribal factions. Laing watches in horror as the myth of a utopian society is shattered.

We’ve got the films first poster here for you. It’s not big, but we’re working on that. Thanks QuietEarth.