Attack the Block: Sci-Fi of a Different Kind

Go on YouTube right now. Right now! And search for “Quantum of Solace – Proposed Theme”. It is probably the favourite thing I’ve seen Joe Cornish make, one half of the Adam and Joe comedy duo who have been around for years delivering offbeat humour and rap based remixes of the Antiques Road Show. Considering his peers Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright have made the leap to Hollywood, it’s no surprise that Cornish would make the jump to the big screen. It’s just, I was not expecting his directorial debut to be about the angst of inner city youth culture… and marauding aliens.

Cornish’s Attack the Block has a simple premise. What would happen if aliens attacked a council estate in South London? According to Sony pictures, there might be confusion for American audiences who might not understand a South London accent; for the British though, it is a clash of yobbish youths versus a unique alien presence.

The first lands just as a group of young criminals led by Moses (John Boyega), commit a mugging on Nurse Sam (Jodie Whittaker). Their reaction to the strange and grotesque looking creature, described by drug dealer Ron (Nick Frost) as “If a shit had done a shit,” is to kill it. This is not an isolated event, as hundreds more pour into the small estate, viciously chasing after the young group and leading a trail of bodies in their wake.

Meanwhile, Sam has called the police who hunt the estate for the gang oblivious to the threat that has just hit them. Ironically, she discovers that she lives in the same block of flats as Moses and is forced to join them in order to survive. She has contempt for the people who stole off her just hours ago, unable to see them as anything more as the reason she wants to leave the estate. They see her as the judgemental adult who has written them off as a lost hope. You couldn’t have put together two bigger contrasts if you tried.

Attack the Block is an intriguing film, being an eclectic mix of Gremlins crossed with Assault on Precinct 13. Good monster movies (or films with horror tendencies) back the protagonists into the corner, and refuse to let them out. With the Alien menace seeming to hone in on our young protagonists, and a fear of the police due to distrust as well as nearly being arrested for their mugging earlier, they are forced into the close quarters of the block, armed with all the fireworks they can muster. Bad films miss this; if a town is attacked by killer bees or legions of spiders, there better be a damn good reason why the protagonists all can’t just skip town.

However, the problem is that monster films very often have to be scary, and often point to being a horror film, which Attack the Block never really does. There is a lot of tension and well-crafted scenes, but never a genuine feeling of dread. The premise of aliens attacking a London council estate shouts “comedy” from the outset, and while there is a sprinkling of jokes in the film, it’s not out and out funny. Attack the Block instead sets its stall out as a 80s sci-fi, which is still very entertaining and brilliantly written, but could cause some irritation from an audience that could go into the film expecting an entirely different animal.

As a science fiction film, however, it is top draw. The aliens that attack are original, and the individual quirks are neatly tied into the plot. The characters could very easily fall into beyond irritating, but to Cornish’s credit, they become genuinely charming for a bunch of young criminals, Moses being the star.  Despite having a cast in which ten characters are between the ages of 9 and 19, they are surprisingly well adapt to acting, and although their lack of experience sometimes slips into the film, they show themselves as no pushovers. For a fairly low budget sci-fi, it also looks outstanding. The aliens have an old fashioned feel, which looks as far away from CGI as possible (nicely done, indeed), and the chase scenes are well choreographed. Imagine, gorilla-like creatures krumping for the kill.

A contained and small-scale film, Attack the Block will likely to be a modest success at the box office. If anything though, it has shown that there appears to be a glut of talent starting to appear in the British film industry. Cornish will not be away from cinemas for long, as he has collaborated on the upcoming Tintin with long time friend Edgar Wright, but could very well strike out on his own in Hollywood. No doubt, Cornish is one to watch.