Attack the Block (2011) - 6/10

With the rise of gangs and knife culture in London, the intro to Attack the Block hits a bit different in 2026, even if it is an alien fantasy flick. Thrown straight into the action with Moses (John Boyega) and his teenage gang of weed loving small time crooks, mugging Sam (Jodie Whittaker) and mocking posh boy pothead, Brewis (Luke Treadaway), they think they rule the block. Their little patch of London has some visitors though, aliens and they’re a bit bitey. It’s got plenty of grit, playing up to the menace of the inner city at night, but this has a hefty dose of comedy too and not just delivered by the local dealer, Ron (Nick Frost). Trying to outrun the neon toothed gorillas on pizza delivery mopeds and the sort of dialogue that’s got more satirical bite than the aliens, it’s a lot of fun. It’s a lot of testosterone for 90 minutes, but it’s got enough real world backbone to keep it anchored. Our anti-hero’s are disenfranchised from a society that doesn’t care for them, but their criminal activity and street smarts is exactly what they need to survive this onslaught. The acting, although a bit characatured in places is solid, the strip-light lit brutalist architecture of South London looks fanatic and the aliens look comically cool for such a low budget film, or even a high budget film. I’m not sure it holds up quite as well as I’d thought, it feels of its time and throws up some unintended moral questions, but it’s certainly entertaining and interesting to watch knowing what both Whittaker and Boyega would go on to. A alien monster movie with some genuine bite.

6/10