Attack the Block

Released:  July 39^th, 2011

Rated:  R

Distributor:  Screen Gems

Starring:  John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker, Alex Esmail, Franz Drameh, Leeon Jones, Simon Howard, Luke Treadaway, Jumayn Hunter, Nick Frost

Directed by:  Joe Cornish

Written by:  Joe Cornish

Personal Bias Alert:  not a horror-comedy connoisseur, went in with high expectations

7.8 of 10

            A young woman walks down the street after nightfall.  She calls her mom, laments her late work night, and gets off the phone in time to see a group of teenage boys eyeing her.  She pauses but continues on, perhaps not wanting to jump to gross stereotypes, but realizes her error when two of the boys circle behind her and the rest cut off her path.  So begins a night that takes the woman and the teens in unusual directions, and not just because of the alien that lands next to them.  That is just the terrifying impetus for a culturally aware horror-comedy, a mix so delightfully brewed that it’ll have you gleefully basking in every joke and smatter of blood.

            Despite opening with the woman, the movie quickly focuses on the group of young thugs, a bunch of lower-class boys on the brink of getting into real trouble.  Yes, they mug people, but they’re still removed from the guns and hard drugs floating around their council house.  In fact, their lack of guns is what leads to much of the fun in this movie.  We’ve all seen countless gunfights, but hand-to-hand combat with terrifying space creatures is pretty rad, and the boy’s scrappy nature and burgeoning bravery is what makes them so darn endearing.  Moses (an excellent John Boyega) leads the group, eventually taking in the young woman and a couple other acquaintances as they battle the aliens swarming their block.  A dissertation could probably be written on the role of Moses and it’s relation to the religious figure, but suffice it to say that the name, like many other things in this film, was carefully chosen.

            Attack the Block was made on a relatively limited budget ($13 million US), which made such careful planning a necessity.  The slick ease with which the film plays out is the best tell for how strong a grasp writer/director Joe Cornish had on the material, who clearly has no fear when it comes to mixing genres.  The one-liners are pretty rapid-fire, and even though I never laughed out loud, the levity these quips bring shouldn’t be underestimated.  He also, somewhat surprisingly, ratchets up the gore during the attacks, mixing the terrifying and the slightly silly aspects into condensed little jolts that come about much more often than you’d expect.  Particularly for its budget, Attack the Block gives you the aliens and gives them to you often.  And boy, are those some excellently designed aliens.  Covered in fur so black they’re hard to make out, they’re all gleaming teeth and terrifically weird snarls.  Despite being a familiar shape and drawing from their monster-movie predecessors, these aliens retain a peculiarity that keeps their menace ever present.

            Cornish, being very new to features, clearly understood how to structure such a story, but this familiarity is the film’s biggest downfall.  There are a few too many clunky establishing shots and obvious foreshadowing moments, ones so glaring to anyone familiar with the home invasion genre should figure out the ending without even trying.  Cornish seemed to lack the ability to really branch out when it comes to the basics of the story, so while the accoutrement is delightful, the core of Attack the Block lacks that extra special something.

            At the very least, Cornish understood that his story couldn’t support a long film, so you’re in and out before that 90-minute mark hits.  What takes place in that brief time is incredibly fun, mildly scary, and a bit thought-provoking; exactly, I think, the mix Cornish was going for.

Other Notes:

Ø  Boyega, by the way, is the man who pops into frame at the very beginning of the Star Wars:  The Force Awakens trailer.

Ø  Also, hurrah for Luke Treadaway, who’s now Victor Frankenstein in my favorite TV series, Penny Dreadful.

Ø  I did cheat and turn on the subtitles.  Those accents were a bit too difficult for me to understand, but I still loved them.

Ø  “Maybe there was a part at the zoo, and a monkey fucked a fish.”