500 Days Of Film Reviews Attack The Block And Finds Aliens On The Loose In South London - Who Will Come Off Worse?
A gang of teenage boys from a block of flats in South London stumble across an alien.
Little do they know, but their actions in the face of this alien (and how they treat it) will soon reek havoc on all of their lives - ultimately putting them and all those in their block in real peril from an extremely dangerous and violent alien invasion.
Is It Any Good?
After a tough day, I really fancied a bit of fun escapism. And that is exactly what I got from Attack The Block. The film is fun and exhilarating.
I didn’t, at first, like any of the boys in the gang. After all, they mug a nurse right at the start of the film. However, before long, circumstances force everyone to re-evaluate their actions and join together to face the alien attack.
The central characters are all performed superbly – particularly Moses (played by John Boyega) and Pest (Alex Esmail). I really hope to see more from them as I continue my film challenge.
While not being a laugh a minute comedy, there is a lot of great humour in Attack The Block. I loved it when Nick Frost comments:
"Well done lads, you've discovered a species hitherto unknown by science... and you kicked its head in!"
The film also features some drug taking and a whole lot of swearing – the BBFC notes more than 50 used of the ‘f’ word - more than justifying the film’s 15 certificate.
Attack The Block is billed as a comedy horror. As I mentioned before, I didn’t find the film funny – more fun than funny really.
I also didn’t find the film frightening. Yes there is a lot of gory violence (and the BBFC did consider whether to up its rating to a 18 certificate) but I was never scared, creeped out or even particularly anxious.
However, this is in no way meant as criticism of the film. I really enjoyed Attack The Block for what it is – fun and a great bit of popcorn escapism after a long day.
Random Observations
“Right now I feel like going home, locking the door and playing Fifa.” - Pest
I loved the way the tower block was filmed as if it was a gigantic space ship.