Attack the Block

Recently I've had the good fortune to witness a movie that feels like the spiritual sequel to movies like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Yes, it was that good. Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are only present as producers, Nick frost also being a minor character in the movie, but somehow their presence can be clearly felt. You see, these guys are experts in bringing a genre that is decidedly American, and giving it their own British twist, delivering movies that not only work as genius spoofs, but also as great genre movies. With Shaun of the Dead they brought the zombie flick to London, Hot Fuzz delivered a blockbuster action comedy with English antics, and now Joe Cornish has taken the reigns and did an alien invasion flick set in the slums of London.


The story follows five 'hoodies' who are cruising through 'the block', performing all sorts of misschief, when they encounter a hostile alien. The gang leader, Moses, kicks its ass, and drags it around as a trophy, not realising the consequences that lay ahead of him. Soon, more aliens arrive, and the kids are in for more than they've bargained for, in what soon turns into a brawl of grand proportions, in wich the stakes get higher as the bodycount rises.

What surprised me was the decision to let the events that unfold take place in a poor neighbourhood somewhere in London, rather than in an iconic part of London, blowing up the London Eye or something. It was  a clever choice, because it allows the movie to use some of the comedic elements that Shaun of the Dead used so brilliantly. The nonchalant reactions of some characters. The police not really responding. The way everyday people respond to these siuations. But this time, rather than taking middle-class brits, we follow a group of teenagers who are up to no good.

The way these teenagers talk to each other is something special too. British street talk is so much better than the way Americans talk to each other. There is something solely on the way these characters talk that is charming and funny, but still decidedly tough and edgy.

You can see that the budget on this movie wasn't as big as most of its American counterparts such as ID4. Attack the Block works cleverly around that and manages to create action set-pieces that are exciting and clever. In the grand finale, there is a particular scene, shot in slow-motion, that got me on the edge of my seat. Not only that, but the movie also provides some genuine scares, something that only adds to the movie.

It's hard to explain why this movie is so funny without spoiling it too much, so all I have to say is go see it. It's a slamdunk. A brilliant movie that stands up there with those other two great British spoofs, a movie with tough characters with a heart of gold, with extremely funny dialogues and gags, some great scares, amazing action, and wonderful plot to boot. Go see this movie. If it appears in a theater near you, skip Cars 2, skip Transformers 3, skip Green Lantern, and all those other awful blockbuster movies and see something that is more entertaining, more exciting and funnier and cleverer than all of these movies together with probably a tenth of the budget. Don't miss out on this one, is what I'm saying.