Blogorium Review: Attack the Block

 Attack the Block is a movie I'd been interested in, but cautiously optimistic about. Films that seem to come out of nowhere and get heavy praise from "geek" friendly websites tend to reach a fever pitch of hyperbole about how "awesome" it is. By the time the average moviegoer gets to see an Attack the Block or Kick-Ass or Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (or even Stardust), the end result is underwhelming. These movies aren't usually the second coming, and even if they are really good (and Attack the Block is better than really good), they get beaten up for not living up to exaggerated hype. Opportunistic bloggers and critics sick of hearing how "amazing" something is will use this disconnect to "take the film down a peg" and the general public is left with the impression that the latter opinion is more trustworthy.

 The film is sort of a mirror universe version of Harry Brown, where the kids are the heroes and instead of a cantankerous old man, visitors from outer space threaten their way of being.  I noticed that the first wave of really negative reviews of Attack the Block focused on the fact that the "heroes" of the film are not only anti-heroes, they're downright unlikable for long stretches of the film. Windham Tower in South London is the home of Moses (John Boyega), Pest (Alex Esmail), Jerome (Leeon Jones), Biggz (Simon Howard) and Dennis (Franz Drameh). The first thing you see them do is rob Sam (Jodie Whittaker), a nurse who lives in the same building (though they don't know that yet).

 The gang of teenagers are interrupted when a creature falls from the sky and destroys the car near them, and while investigating, Moses is attacked by the alien. The boys decide to chase the alien down and kill it, and instead of being afraid, they parade its body around the neighborhood, bragging about how they run the block. Eventually deciding it might be worth money, they take it to the top floor where Ron (Nick Frost) sells weed, and Moses hides the alien corpse in his grow room with the permission of Hi-Hatz (Jumayn Hunter). From the window they see more creatures falling (overlooked by most of London because of the fireworks) and head out to kill more aliens. Unfortunately, the new arrivals are a lot more dangerous, and they seem very interested in Moses and his friends.

 I can understand why some critics don't enjoy the fact that audiences are asked to cheer for characters who are (at best) petty criminals. They continue to threaten Sam after an arrest goes wrong thanks to alien attacks and force her to help Pest when one of the creatures bites his leg. They seem to think that it's okay that they robbed her and that things are evened out because she was in the police van when they escaped, so they "saved her life." When things calm down and she mentions that she was thinking of moving because she "didn't like the neighborhood," the boys berate her and Biggz tries to leave her to the aliens when they abandon her first floor apartment. The best apology Moses can offer is that they wouldn't have robbed her if they knew she lived on the block. It's a tough sell for audiences, even if the film ends in a more realistic way than most science fiction films would. It's an odd balance between racial, class, and gender tensions with an alien invasion movie, and I can see why some people react negatively.

 That said, the film is really a lot of fun. Director and writer Joe Cornish keeps things moving at a brisk pace and never over-explains anything. There's no fat in the film: Brewis (Luke Treadway), a Zoology student / pot head that provides what may be the only exposition in the film, and while there are subplots that involve Hi-Hatz (the boys crash into his car and incur the wrath of an underwritten character) and two younger kids - Probs (Sammy Williams) and Mayhem (Michael Ajao) - who look up to the gang, Attack the Block is mostly focused on the boys, Sam, and the "big alien-gorilla-wolf motherfuckers."

 The aliens are sort of like the monsters from Critters, except with longer arms and legs like apes. They're fur and glowing blue teeth, and seemed to the Cap'n to be a mix of practical puppets and CGI. As nemeses, they're a palpable threat, and unlike many "young people vs. mystical something," there are casualties within the gang - usually in vicious ways. Cornish wisely doesn't over-use them, and the logic behind why they might be on Earth is solid enough. Really they just need to be dangerous, which they are, and to keep the tension high and the pace elevated. Cornish uses smoke from Pest's firecrackers to create suspense at critical junctures in the film, and the narrow walls of the apartment complex keep the boys with few options but to fight.

 Whether you like the characters or not (and it's hard not to at least appreciate the Boyega's charismatic Moses), Attack the Block is a very well made film that is getting all kinds of attention because Edgar Wright is an executive producer (Cornish is a friend of Wright's and appeared directed Fuzzball Rally, which followed the press tour for Hot Fuzz). I don't know that I'd say that Wright appears to have influenced Attack the Block in any noticeable way (other than possibly casting Frost in a smaller role than the poster indicates), and the film is more John Carpenter-esque than anything else. I really think that people will enjoy Attack the Block as long as they ignore over-the-top praise. Yes, it is funny. Yes, it is unabashedly R-rated (violence and language), and yes, it's a nice take on the "alien invasion" genre. It's not going to make you breakfast the next morning or walk your dog. Sorry; Attack the Block is just a movie. A damn good movie, which is more than enough for me.