Attack The Block

Released: 11th May 2011

Director: Joe Cornish

Stars: Jodie Whittaker, John Boyega, Nick Frost

Certificate: 15

Reviewer: Adam Jones

Gangs! Aliens!! Terror!!! The debut offering from Joe Cornish is an original and quirky offering about, well gangs and aliens.

Set on a south London estate the films premise involves a gang of teenage ner’ do wells. Fending off an alien invasion. Our unlikely group of heros include the leader Moses (John Boyega) who seems to be a badly made waxwork of 50 cent; Pest (Alex Esmail) the annoying but loveable rogue who you can’t love because he’s such an annoying prick.

Biggz (Simon Howard) a moustachioed spoon, Jerome (Leeon Jones), a young Martin Luther King and Dennis (Franz Drameh) one of the forgotten biker mice from mars.

Having joined our cast of hoodlums, whizzing about on their BMX’s and generally being naughty little tykes we’re introduced to the alien menace. This is one of the films biggest let downs with the aliens looking more like a massive black pissed off limping Dulux dog in a rave. The films offers few scary moments aside from the terrifying sight of drug dealer Ron (Nick Frost) in clothes that are to tight for him.

Attempts at social commentary are made thought the film, one moment in particular involves Sam (Jodie Whittaker), the mugging victim of the gang in the films opening minutes who ends up banding with our miscreants in a bid for survival to comment on how they are justified running around with weapons when in fear of being jumped by the Dulux dog only for one of the gang to remind her that that’s the only reason they carry knives in the first place. Except instead of aliens it’s other shits that are the on the estates.

Offered as the next ‘Shaun of the Dead’ the film does fall short, whilst being genuinely funny in parts the laughs are sparse and it works better as an action film. That’s not to talk down the film, these days to be a comedy British film not be compared to Shaun is to be a despotic ruler and not be compared to Hitler, not always helpful but something you can do. Oh and incase you’re wondering this film is definitely Kim Jong-il. At times funny yet sometimes menacing.