Attack The Block

Director:  Joe Cornish

Stars: Nick Frost, Jodie Whittaker, Luke Treadaway

Rated: R

If Ripley and Dizzy Rascal had a baby, their creation would be Attack the Block.

Full of action, suspense, terrifying aliens and of course dialogue straight out of a South London housing block, this film will have you laughing, jumping out of your seat and wishing, (if only for a moment), you had an awesome cockney accent – I guaran’ee i’ bruvver…know what I mean?

When a gang of thugs mug one of their own Sam (Jodie Whittaker) the result is the death of a mysterious creature. The gang of South London teens, their victim Sam and their drug dealer Ron (Nick Frost) must now band together and defend their block from an alien invasion, and learn in the process, that actions have consequences.

The brilliance of this film is that, it knows the concept is outlandish and the action is equally as ridiculous,  but it uses it’s absurdity to its advantage to create a great comedy full of suspense and action, almost as if channelling Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz, and what you get is a fantastic English tongue-in-cheek comedy.

There really are no down sides to this film, if you leave your critiquing at the door, you’ll see this film is brilliantly cast, with a group of teens seemingly straight out of the South London Housing Block this film is set in.

It’s quick to the action and full of amazing suspense filled moments, which will have you rooting for the kids you despised at the start of the film, and screaming for them to run bruvver, run faster.

The way the kids start out as heartless thugs trying to prove their manliness is one of the best parts of the film, their transition from petty criminals wanting to be in the big league to having to become the men they were supposed to be and coming to the realisation that actions have consequences, is the heart and soul of the film even if it is done in a comical and outlandish way….somehow this works.

The Aliens, although not up to the standard of Hollywood blockbuster special effects we’re used to, are crude, but their effect on the screen only serves to enhance the comedy and absurd nature of the script.

Special mention to the wonderful Nick Frost, who although has a small part in the film as the mentor to this misfit group of teens, provides some hilarious “Frost” moments we’ve come to expect and love.

I know this is a big call, but this is probably one of the best comedies I’ve seen for a long time, it’s a fresh take on the alien genre and nails the casting to create a hilariously believable film with endless amount of fun…proving once again that not everything amazing comes out of the US.

#movie #moviereview #filmreview #film #nickfrost #jodiewhittaker #attacktheblock

– Suzanna Parisi

Originally published in DB Magazine #Issue534 (street mag no longer exists - link no longer available)