David O'ConnellAttack the Block
December 2nd 2011 03:06
A female in peril could imagine no more daunting adversary than conscienceless youths out for a night of mugging. But in Joe Cornish’s super-charged genre mash, Attack the Block (2011), Sam (Jodie Whittacker) has got far greater worries in the form of alien life-forms that have descended upon this destitute block of South London council flats.
The gang are led by Moses (John Boyega) who marshals his troops for regular late-night assault on vulnerable outsiders to the block. On the night of celebratory fireworks he has an encounter with an alien life form and though coming off a little worse for wear, he emerges victorious. But the vanquished alien is a mere starter to the main course as dozens of balls of light, intermingled with the fireworks, rain down upon the surrounding streets.
There’s a familiar Stephen King-like scenario at work here, isolating a disparate group who, though initially antagonists, must forge a bond - regardless of ethnicity or social background - in order to survive. The shifting dynamic of the group allows for villainy to be transformed into heroic acts whilst other marginal characters play the role of comic relief. The balance feels just about perfect with menace and suspense regularly displaced by genuine belly laughs.
Working with limited means Cornish offers ample proof of why he’s recently been welcomed into the elite Spielberg fold (co-penning the Tintin adaptation withy Edgar Wright and Stephen Moffat). This highly entertaining, stylistically impressive debut that often comes across as like a more expansive supernatural version of John Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) with mutated Gremlins (1984) on the loose. Cornish even manages to pull off a superb slow-mo pursuit towards the end that may be the film’s best scene. More significantly the film shrewdly trades in quick wit and social satire whilst never relinquishing the central conceit of being a balls-against-the-wall monster movie.
The performances are universally strong, though snippets of the fast-paced dialogue flies through to the keeper without the aid of subtitles that would have helped better decipher the South London accents. But the tongue-in-cheek subversive spirit of Cornish’s screenplay shines through, generously spreading the one-liners around.
The alien design is especially noteworthy too; a refreshingly original take on little green men with pointy heads. These aliens are mobile, furry black beasts (or gorilla-wolf mofo's as one character observes) with gnashing neon teeth capable of sending a shiver down the spine at first glance.
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Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
I loved it too. Taking into account its low budget, the SFX on the alien monsters was brilliant.
And I loved all the newbies who were right off the block in reality, for the most part, acting in their first film, it gave the film an extra punch of realism.
I am so nowed under with my magazine reviews I have not caught up to doing this for the Orble site yet, although my magazine one is done...but I've had the flu this week...that's my excuse...now I have to churn out about 12 more reviews before my deadline on 7th!!
cheers
fog
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
This site is really going down hill...
Sorry about the repetition, but it kept going to a proxy error, making me think it had not worked, then after the third time I just refreshed your site page, and there are three copies! But, worse than that, I cannot delete the extra ones...
Maybe you can? I thought deletion was possible on everything one posted?
anyhoo...
fog
Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic
The film definitely has a lot going for it, can't wait to see what Cornish goes onto next - and yep, the aliens were brilliantly realised.
Hope you're feeling better mate, I've come down with a bad cold myself last couple of days so know how you feel! Look forward to seeing your review, what magazine is it and your others appearing in?
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
thanks for the heads up on the log in thang...
I will send you a private message about the other stuff.
And, after a week, I feel better, but then it hits you again and you feel like crap, all in a couple of hours...dry cough...very strange.
cheers
justin