No movie that has come out this summer has yet to rival the pure kinetic joy found in Attack the Block, Joe Cornish‘s British import from the Edgar Wright school of filmmaking. Essentially the film can be boiled down to a UK version of Super 8 where the wrapper of 80s nostalgia is replaced with contemporary swagger including BMX bikes and dub step music. Instead of kids trying to make a movie with a vintage camera, Attack the Block presents a gang of petty thugs who mug victims in the dead of night evoking a grittier and grimy reality.
When a hostile alien force encroaches on their turf, everything is fair game to protect their block in the hood. What makes ATB elevate above the dreary regurgitated summer malaise is that the filmmakers wholly embrace the stylistic musing of movies that influenced them, to make a sci-fi invasion flick with a contemporary twist. Combine that with impeccable comedic timing, clever special effects and a troupe of young actors whose energy jumps off the screen and you’ve got a winning formula for one of the most enjoyable action romps of the summer.
The plot revolves around Moses, played stone cold by newcomer John Boyega, and his posse of young thugs who live in the projects riding around on their bikes while causing trouble for the police. During a night of national festivities with the sky ablaze with fireworks, ironically seeming like the 4th of July, the group of youngsters mugs an unsuspecting young nurse (Jodie Whittaker) before being disrupted by a comet-like spaceship crash landing at the very same time. What emerges is an eyeless monstrosity that could be described as a combination of a guerrilla with the monster from Alien that precedes to get a beat down from Moses and his band of bad boys. Deciding to hide their trophy in the safest place on the block, the gang hits up drug dealer Ron, played hilariously by Nick Frost, who agrees to shelter the alien corpse while the gang figures out what to do next.
Destined to be celebrated with cult film status, much like Scott Pilgrim vs The World seems to have become, the endlessly quotable film is rife with color and attitude. From the near constant flurry of UK colloquialism like ‘bruv’ and ‘fam’ to the video game laden jokes, Attack of the Block will definitely appeal more to the hip crowd who are familiar with this kind of current culture. And while some might find the accents heavy and hard to understand, personally I never had a problem comprehending the language and instead giggled at the clever word play being delivered at lightning speed. It’s also nice to see a film that doesn’t sugarcoat reality with details that ring untrue and instead folds real world problems into the same bad as the created ones.
Directed by comedian and writer Cornish, making his debut, Attack the Block celebrates the irreverence of its characters in taking on what seems like impossible odds. The influence of Wright is also clearly evident with fast pace editing and stylish action pieces that creates a unique cinematic experience. The film follows in line of how Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz subverted their referential genres just as ATB enjoys simmering in the reverence of typical sci-fi fantasy. Yet it also stands apart from the aforementioned films with its cast of young faces and harsh realities. The idea of the film reportedly came about after Cornish himself had been mugged and noticed how equally scared and nervous his attackers were. By honestly examining his characters, Cornish is successful in bringing humanity to children faced with tough decisions. This in turn elevates the overall entertainment value because it becomes impossible not to be invested in their fate.
Attack the Block hits limited release on Friday, July 29th.