Attack the Block review

Set in the shady streets of London, Sam, a young nurse played by Jodie Whittaker is walking home after dark when she is surrounded by thugs who mug her and push her to the ground.  The thugs are a street gang of bored teens, looking for some action, and lead by the hardened Moses who lives with his often absent Uncle.

As the thugs are harassing Sam, an alien falls from the sky and smashes into a car. Sam makes a run for it as Moses takes the opportunity to raid the car for goods. What he finds instead is an alien that rips into his face sending him into a rampage to kill the beast. Successful, they drag the beast through the streets and into the apartment of the local drug dealer, the same apartment that Sam happens to live in.

Although the storyline is weak,  and there are too many characters to make sense of where they fit in,  the point of the film is that Moses’ gang go from terrorising anyone on their block that they think shouldn’t be there, to having to defend their block from aliens. The hunters become the hunted as the aliens seek revenge for the death of their female counterpart. Anyone who has come in contact with the slain alien wears its scent and is a target for the hairy bear-sized alien beasts with their fluro green razor-sharp teeth. They have no eyes, tracking down their victims by scent. One by one the gang members and drug dealers are ripped to pieces as the beasts search for the female carcass. Watching each member have their throat ripped out or their head crushed and mutilated escalates the tension as more and more aliens drop from the sky and surround the block.

Moses, played by John Boyega takes command of the screen and is well cast as the angry, restless gang leader. His performance is natural and convincing. He is well supported by Alex Esmail, who plays Pest, and Luke Treadaway who plays Brewis, the drugged out teen, whose connection in the plot of the story is unclear. His sole purpose seems to be to provide comic relief which is well married with the growing tension the shrieking aliens create throughout the film.

The film is well directed, set in darkness and the confines of a sterile, low class apartment block. The stand out scene is watching Moses, with the female carcass strapped to his back, run from the pack of beasts who are snapping at his heels. The scene is in slow motion through the corridors of the apartment and surreally created with a spot-on soundtrack.

Attack the Block will keep you entertained visually. Don’t expect to understand the London babble shooting out of potty mouths at a hundred miles an hour. There are snippets of funny quotes well delivered by some fine young actors. Watch it if you’re tough!

Jacq’s rating:  4 out of 5

Director: Joe Cornish
Producer: Nira Park and James Wilson
Screenplay: Joe Cornish
Cast: John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker and Alex Esmail
Duration: 88 mins
Genre: Comedy | Sci-Fi
Classification: MA
Language: English
Country: UK | France

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Tags: aliens, Attack the Block, drug dealers, Gang, Jodie Whittaker, John Boyega, London, Luke Treadaway, Moses, Sam