Attack The Block

I caught a screening of this summer’s “District 9” (according to someone I’ve never heard of, who, as it turns out, has an odd idea of what movies are like other movies). For starters, “Attack the Block” is a throwback horror comedy with much more in common with 80s flicks that we love to wax nostalgic about like “Monster Squad” or “Critters” than a hard sci-fiction flick about racism. A more appropriate assessment would be to say that “Attack the Block” is this year’s “Super 8”. Believe.

A group a Brit child thugs running game in their neighborhood fall prey to a group of “alien wolf gorilla lookin’ mother f*ckers”. They band together in their block (apartment complex) to defeat the aliens, learn important life lessons about themselves, and dish out hilarious British slang with some of the thickest English accents ever spoken in this, or any other, galaxy.

The most impressive part of this movie to me, outside of the acting chops of the kids, is the special effects makeup. I haven’t been scared of an alien or monster in any recent horror offering. I think partly because no one had reinvented the basic idea of what monsters look like in some time. “Attack the Block” does not suffer from this problem. The aliens are redesigned from the ground up – making them scary as hell. Quite an impressive display, plus it’s the perfect mix of practical and CGI effects. At no point do the aliens feel cheap or shoddy or Asylum-y. They have a distinct believability that is terrifying.

I hope an aspiring artist out there makes some amazing minimalist posters featuring those bad boys. They’d sell like hotcakes. Hint. Hint.

“Attack the Block” is yet another example of the British stranglehold on the horror comedy genre (starting with “Shaun of the Dead”). Writer Director Joe Cornish has a big winner here and I truly hope this film gets a wide release. People need to see this movie. You will laugh, you might even pee yourself if you drink too much Dr. Pepper before the movie starts. Be careful. Another thing that no one is mentioning, but I feel is important, is that this movie has a high chance of making upper middle class white American ladies want to adopt an inner city British kid. Maybe that was Joe’s plan all along.

I could go on an on about the merits of this film, but I feel like going back to my flat and playing FIFA (that joke is only funny if you see the film, so go do it).

Rating: 8/10

Snore Factor: Z

IMDB 2011

Trailer: