There has been considerable praise from critics for the low budget British sci-fi film, Attack The Block. And in many ways, it’s not surprising to see why. This old school, B-Grade horror/sci-fi yarn has a strange ability to be distinctly nostalgic whilst simultaneously reflecting on the somewhat depressing state of the British lower to middle classes in present day. The end result is a bizarrely retro styled alien/gore flick that transcends its B Grade roots. Albeit with a few stumbles along the way.

The entire plot of Attack The Block takes place in a low income, gang ridden suburb in South London where a local teen gang, led my Moses (John Boyega), happen across an alien creature they articulately describe as “a monkey, dog, wolf thing”. After killing the creature, they parade their prey around the community, finally finding a home for the beast in the local drug dealer’s marijuana den. But the creature is not alone, and soon the local suburb is under attack from more of the aliens than the teen gang can take care of themselves – but that doesn’t stop them from trying. And so, the rag tag gang of drug dealers, muggers and general troublemakers must quickly adapt to their new role as local heroes.

There’s no doubt about it. Attack The Block is a strange film. Its premise is not completely dissimilar to this year’s J.J Abrams directed Super 8. Both films have a retro feel, and both tackle the kids vs. aliens premise. But where Super 8 based the story around a strong sense of nostalgia and the ties of friendship, Attack The Block seems more intent on both spoofing teen gang stereotypes, whilst simultaneously challenging the very society that has bred them. And unfortunately, unlike many critics, I’m not entirely convinced it works 100% of the time.

Admittedly, a large part of my issue with the film stems from the fact that I could barely understand a word of dialogue during its first half, or at least until my ears had adjusted to the heavy English accents and the severe slang language used by most of the teen gang’s central members. But even when the dialogue was intelligible, I still found the sometimes heavy handed social commentary jarring against the simple fun at the films sci-fi core. Particularly given just how well the film does tackle the alien invasion side of its tale.

Not succumbing to the formulaic ‘unseen evil’ premise that many films of the genre, including Super 8, have a tendency to do, director Joe Cornish quickly shows the audience the attacking creatures – which as it turns out, are not particularly terrifying. But that’s a good thing. Instead of wasting the films small budget on over the top CGI monsters, the creatures are simple and intimidating, allowing the director to focus on some good old fashioned action sequences, and occasional gore. The end result being something far more akin to classic action, than most of today’s quick cut, nauseating blockbusters provide. If only more big-budget Hollywood directors knew how to do the same thing, then perhaps I wouldn’t have to reach for the Panadol after every visit to the local megaplex.


All in all, there is so much to like about Attack The Block, that it pains me to admit I didn’t quite enjoy it as much as I had hoped. Riding on the back of extremely favorable reviews, I had hoped the film would be more of a burst of nostalgia than a slightly too heavy handed social commentary. But when the film does stick to its alien attack roots – which thankfully it does do for most of its succinct 88 minute runtime – it’s hard to fault. And most importantly, a hell of a lot of fun.