Movie Review: ‘ATTACK THE BLOCK’

You have to hand it to a writer and director when they are able to make you like a despicable character(s).  This storytelling arc is not anything new but that’s not to say that it is not a difficult feat to undergo.  The filmmakers are asking a lot from their audience when they force their viewing audience to care about a group of punk kids who just attempted to mug an innocent lady.  Yet, that is exactly the situation you are thrown into when moving into the neighborhood of Attack the Block.  Continue reading to see if  this ballsy move by writer/ director Joe Cornish pays off.

Like I previously stated, Attack the Block opens with an innocent woman walking home and suddenly running into a group of hoodlums from South London led by their proud leader Moses (John Boyega).  Everything seems to be going normal on this dangerous block (which normally means bad) when another unexpected guest joins the party.  In this case, this guest wasn’t strolling through the street but falling from the sky.  The boys discover an alien life-form crash landed on “their block” and decide to take it to the first person they can think of to examine it: Their drug-dealer played perfectly by Nick Frost.  The situation goes from bad to worse for the troubled kids when they quickly learn that this wasn’t the only alien that crash landed in their hood.  Pretty soon, these wanna-be thugs are fighting for their lives and trying to protect their block.

Perfectly blending action, horror, sci-fi, and comedy into a non-stop thrill-ride, Attack the Block reminds us why independent filmmakers are still important.  Not letting a minuscule budget stand in his way, Joe Cornish has made a beast of a film that exceeds past its means.  Infusing the tone and style of such  80’s classics as Monster Squad and Critters, Attack the Block is still able to invoke its own voice thanks to its enjoyable cast of characters.  Though the obvious standout is John Boyega who plays the tough-talking leader Moses, the all-around great cast is a joy to watch.  Their clever banter and joking remarks about Harry Potter remind us that they are just kids stuck in this horrific situation.  Never feeling forced or stilted, the interaction between the boys is the highlight of the film.  The only downside to the dialogue is that at times it’s hard to decipher.  The thick British accents are easy to get used to, but I still found myself struggling to understand certain scenes.

Aside from the South London inhabitants, the other characters you must be thinking about at this point is the unexpected visitors.  In the case of the aliens in the film, plain and simple  . . . they are ferocious.  A bulky mess of black hair accented by a dazzling set of chompers (their teeth are actually strikingly bright), the aliens act like a pack of rabies infected dogs.  These fast and mean creatures are even more life-like thanks to mostly practical effects.  Once again, nailing home the 80’s style!

My only complaint with this genre-blending debut outing from Cornish is that the film does feel slightly limited in scope at times.  I’m sure budget restraints had a lot to do with this.  Yet, we never get to really feel the scope of the alien invasion and how its affecting other residents on the block.  The script appropriately shines a specific light on this group of kids, but I still would’ve wanted the chaotic nature that the film attempts to convey be a little bit more visible.  Can we maybe see a car or two drive by in the street or hear screams trailing off in the distance?

Attack the Block is being given the label of a new modern-day cult classic by many people.  Though I think it doesn’t quite hit that high-watermark, the film certainly shows us what Joe Cornish is capable of doing with a little bit of money, a simple idea, a clever script, and some talented actors. Cornish is someone that will be on genre fan’s radars for years to come.  The man clearly has talent but is also someone that has many films left in him that could potentially break into cult classic territory someday.  We’ll have to wait and see.  For now, I will say that Attack the Block is a must-see for creature-feature fans who enjoy their monsters with a dash of humor and a healthy bit of 80’s nostalgia.