Attack the Block (2011)

Attack the Block (2011) Dir. by Joe Cornish

A teen gang in South London defend their block from an alien invasion.

Joe Cornish is not a name recognized by many, as this happens to be his first feature film directed. He is primarily a writer, and writes some amazing stuff, such as the very popular Adam and Joe Show, which helped launch him to writing/directing this film, and adapting the Adventures of Tin Tin as well as Edgar Wright's upcoming Ant-Man. Taking charge of his first film, he seems to lose all aspects of being a writer and just makes a really badass film.



Aside from a hilarious combo of semi-veteran actors in Luke Treadaway and Nick Frost, the cast of Attack the Block is full of unknowns and up'n'coming actors. In his first film ever, John Boyega, takes charge as the groups leader and 50 Cent look-a-like contest winner. He really does a commanding job and controls the film. The rest of the cast of youngsters have primarily done three films or less, but you wouldn't know it because all they have to do is act like little hoodlums, and they do a great job at it.



The action and effects are what makes Attack the Block a huge hit. The action sequences are unique and filmed very well. It is a very short film, so the action is packed in there and is pretty much non-stop. The real show-stealer is the aliens. Nowadays it is hard to come up with creative creatures without treading on another design from sometime before it, but Joe really manages to create a unique alien by just sticking to simplicity. I didn't really want to share too much about the aliens because they are so cool looking, but they are also very terrifying at times.



This is one of those films that I could watch over and over again, and I really hope Joe decides to take up the director's chair sometime soon.

Entertainment Value: 9/10 Boxes full of fireworks
Cinematic Value 7/10 Boxes full of fireworks