Attack the Block

"This has got nothing to do with gangs"
"Or drugs. Or rap music. Or violence in videogames".

There have been a few alien-invasion films over the last year or so, but none are as original as this British film from the producers of Shaun of the Dead. At first the 'heroes' of the film (a gang of estate hoodlums) seem completely unredeemable, but it eventually comes to pass that these kids are the sort of characters who are the best equipped to deal with an alien infestation. The action, dialogue and character-interplay all rings true and makes for an adrenalin-charged horror/sci-fi combo that holds the attention from start to finish.

I won't talk too much about the plot, it's the sort of film that gets straight into it and is all action and adventure and interesting characters. The chav bad boys at the centre of Attack the Block feel like unlikely leads in an alien invasion film, but really - they're the sort of resilient monsters who are realistically able to fight real monsters. These kids are all bravado and toughness, and the I guess the film's story arc is about them learning the hard way that actions can have devastating consequences. There's also a preppie teen supporting character who lives with his parents, and aside from being a source of ridicule/humour, his role is to remind the audience of the class concerns that fuel this British culture of housing estate aggression. Moses (John Boyega) and his friends are the kids at the bottom of the chain, and they even go as far as to excuse their behaviour as actual class warfare (see the scene where they realise that one of their victims, Sam [Jodie Whittaker], lives in the same building that they do and they tell her they wouldn't have robbed her if they'd known she was 'one of them').

The aliens are a truly inspired creation. They're a great, unique design - simple but also scary and effective. They look a bit like something out an Aphex Twin film clip, and the imagery of these ape-like creatures running amok in this urban wasteland is a big selling point for the film. It's iconic. Overall the film does for the British estate wasteland what District 9 did for the slums of South Africa, using a science fiction story to examine social issues and doing it with buckets of enthusiasm and energy. This is a great film that I could see myself watching more than a few times in the near future.

DIRECTOR: Joe Cornish
WRITER/SOURCE: Joe Cornish
KEY ACTORS: Jodie Whittaker, John Boyega, Alex Esmail, Leeon Jones, Luke Treadaway, Nick Frost

RELATED TEXTS:
- I guess there are some parallels to Shaun of the Dead, but by and large Attack the Block is very much a different kettle of fish.
- Other recent alien invasion films: Skyline, Battle: Los Angeles, The Darkest Hour and Cowboys and Aliens.