ATTACK THE BLOCK 
Starring:
John Boyega, Alex Esmail, Lee Long, Simon Howard, Jodie Whittaker, Luke Treadaway and Nick Frost
Writer/Director:
Joe Cornish
Running Time:
88 mins
Out to buy on Blu-Ray/DVD 19/09/11
"Even if it is an alien invasion, they're four foot high, blind and got kicked to death by a bunch of kids. We got nothing to worry about."
When something falls from the sky into a residential estate in South London, Moses (Boyega) and his crew decide to investigate. What they find is something they could have never imagined, a small alien creature that attacks them. Taking the fight to it and wanting to establish themselves on the Block, Moses kills the creature and the gang instantly think fame and fortune is coming their way. The problem is that more and more things start falling from the sky and these one are much bigger and very angry.
The British Science Fiction movie is making a return but can ‘Attack the Block’ add a little bit of a touch of streets of South London into the mix?
There was a time when Britain was a hot bed for Sci-Fi. Films like ‘Village of the Damned’, ‘Day of the Triffids’, ‘Quatermass and the Pit’, ‘The Man who fell to Earth’ and ‘Brazil’ raised the bar for intelligent science fiction. Over the past three years British filmmakers have returned to Sci-Fi to bring us well written, expertly shot and brilliantly performed pieces of futurism. Films like Duncan Jones’ ‘Moon’, Danny Boyle’s ‘Sunshine’ and Gareth Edwards’ ‘Monsters’ have shown creativity in a genre that is dominated by the Hollywood blockbuster. While none of these were huge commercial hits, they were critically praised and quickly became prime examples of British forays into the genre. Creating a British science fiction film that will appeal to a larger audience however is a little more difficult but that is what Joe Cornish has set out to do, without straying too far away from what Boyle, Jones and Edward have already set in motion.
Comedian turned writer turned director, Joe Cornish is a name British audiences will recognise but maybe, not expect to be behind a film like ‘Attack the Block’. After making his name on TV and Radio as part of the ‘Adam & Joe Show’, Joe Cornish’s work has always been influenced by science fiction, like most potential filmmakers who grew up in the late 70s and early 80s. His ‘Star Wars’ figure comedy animations from ‘The Adam and Joe Show’ are stuff of legend and it is clear that the Original Trilogy, John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing’, Ridley Scott’s ‘Alien’ and a host of other Sci-Fi classics from the 70s and 80s have influenced his screenplay for ‘Attack the Block’. Homage is the key here but Cornish and his creative team have also made the film very current, which could be a selling point and, in some cases, a problem.
The film is set in poorer areas of South London, where huge estates of high rise flats, the Blocks of the title, are areas were street gangs rule, crime is rife and drugs are a plenty. These are the places that the media, the government and a lot of the general public see as breeding grounds for everything that is bad in British society at the moment but Cornish skillfully shows us another side to these communities. While they may have been forgotten by everyone else, it is the sense of belonging and togetherness these young ‘Hoodies’, as they have been labeled, and when they have to go up against something, however incredible is may sound or actually be, they will come together and look after their own. This is the essence of the film and even comes into play when the kids of the block come against… aliens.
Bringing the story to life and drawing you in is the very young cast, along with a few older, more experienced actors to bring them along. With the always reliable and funny Nick Frost having fun as Ron, the excellent up and coming actress Jodie Whittaker keeps the kids in check and Luke Treadway is well cast as the posh drug dealer. The film is all about the kids however. Leading the way is John Boyega as Moses, the leader of a group of fifteen years old who has just stepped up to street robbery. Boyega, along with Alex Esmail as Pest, Leeon Jones as Jerome, Simon Howard as Biggz and Franz Drameh as Dennis, bring a fresh, exciting and fearless approach to their characters, allowing you to connect with them, even though you might not understand them. Using the urban street language of South London to its fullest, you might struggle to understand the difference between a ‘Blood’ and ‘Bruv’, in fact for another who lives outside of the Capital or are above the age of thirty-five you may need an interpreter.
‘Attack the Block’ has cult British Sci-Fi movie written all over it. It also announces Joe Cornish has another shining light from the UK. Well written, extremely well performed by the relatively unknown and very young cast and an alien menace that is scary enough to keep you on the edge of your seat, ‘Attack the Block’ is just a very good adventure film.
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2011
