Attack The Block - A Review

The tale of Attack The Block is very simple; there is an alien invasion centred around the titular block in London's East End. A group of wannabe gangsta kids have to band together with middle-class dope-smoker Brewis, his dealer Ron and Jodie Whittaker's Sam, a nurse who is new to the block, in an attempt to defeat the alien interlopers. Some of the best comedy comes from Brewis; high throughout the film and clearly out of place among the inhabitants of the block, he tries everything to ingratiate himself but his efforts are consistently hideously embarrassing and cringe-worthy, something that has become a staple of British comedy since The Office way back in 2001.

Reportedly, Joe Cornish did a lot of research into the speech patterns of young Londoners in order to get the most accurate portrayal of these characters as possible, however some of the dialogue does come across like it was written by a 40-year-old who is trying to make it sound authentic. This is not Cornish's fault; this kind of dialogue will always sound stilted due to its nature; for those unfamiliar with this dialect, like myself, it sounds like a stereotypical representation of urban youth, and for those who speak it it will sound like the writer is trying too hard to come across as convincing. It is a sad pitfall of trying to write this kind of film.

However, this problem is one of very few with Attack The Block and is outweighed by the many positives that Cornish has managed to cram the film with. The decision to keep the monsters somewhat hidden is always a smart one to take; what we can't see, we can't understand and a lack of understanding and knowledge is key to fear, and these monsters really work in that regard. Much like Shaun of the Dead, Attack The Block is able to switch from fairly broad comedy to genuinely scary scenes in the blink of an eye, and at 88 minutes it is all played at such a breakneck pace that we are never given a chance to catch our breath.

Ultimately, Attack The Block is an example of the great film-making that Britain can produce and is yet another triumph to be added to the legacy of the now-defunct UK Film Council. It was announced in early April that Attack The Block will get US distribution, now we wait to see if it can garner the success of its spiritual predecessors Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.

If you are a fan of these movies, of alien invasion movies, of horror movies, or of British movies, this is a must-see movie.

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