2011 6
Attack the Block
Guy Fawkes Day is business as usual for Lambeth teenage gang. After mugging a young nurse (Jodie Whittaker), they try to decide what to do with their time, when something falls from the sky, crashing into a near- by car. The kids- led by their leader Moses (John Boyega, who is great despite the fact that he has no acting background) decide to investigate and pretty soon get mixed up in an alien invasion. Furry, bloodthirsty monsters with glowing teeth are attacking the poverty- stricken estate. It’s up to our young and not- so- lovable heroes to save the day, along with the nurse and a nice but dim drug dealer (Nick Frost).
Joe Cornish’s movie was one of the most popular films at last month’s FantasticFest and it’s easy to see why. Comparison’s with Shawn of the Dead are obvious (Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are even producing), but the feel is very different. Cornish is bringing the monster comedies of the 80s (Gremlins, etc.) in the South London counsil flats, doing for Joe Dante what Pegg and Frost did for Romero. However, there is an inescapable undercurrent of social commentary that occasionally sits awkwardly with the obligatory heroics of the American counterparts (especially in the finale). In any case, Cornish (who first became known with Adam Buxton in the often hilarious The Adam and Joe Show and who has co- written Spielberg’s Tin Tin movie) shows great promise, especially considering that this is his directoriasl debut. Attack the Block is one of the most entertaining movies of the year and I will be eagerly waiting for Cornish’s next step. Recommended.
(-Dimitris Kontogiannis-)
About the Author: CnB
on “Attack the Block”