Attack the Block – Not bad, if you can get over one factor…

I know that British science fiction films are always a bit hit and miss, due to the lack of budget for special effects and actors. ‘Attack the Block’ is no different in as much as you probably won’t recognise anyone in the cast (besides Simon Pegg’s best mate, Nick Frost – and he’s not in it much).  However, this film knows that and plays to its strength enough to actually make it worth watching.  It’s set in (what I always called) a ‘council estate’ in London, but the locals tend to just call it ‘the block.’ It’s a maze of run-down high rise, low income flats where you probably wouldn’t want to walk alone at night.  And that’s pretty much where the story begins – a woman walks home from work, only to find herself fall victim to muggers.  However, before she has time to call the police, a new threat arrives – aliens.

So, it becomes one of those ‘team-up’ movies where two sets of people with vastly contrasting backgrounds/values etc, have to pull together in order to defat a greater foe.  Now there’s nothing wrong with that, but if one section of your ‘heroes’ (note the quote marks?) are the muggers who stole from a helpless nurse one night, it’s a little hard to see them in much more of a better light than the monsters who are now ripping them to pieces.  And they do get munched on quite soon.  The aliens deserve a mention because – and maybe due to a lack of budget – they quite simple, but, at the same time, also quite well done.  They have a different look and feel to any other monsters you’ve seen on screen and, for that, it actually works.

Plus the film has John Boyega in his only real ‘pre Star Wars’ role.  It’s interesting to think how he went from low budget sci-fi to possibly the biggest budget sci-fi franchise ever known.  Now, as anyone who’s watched the new Star Wars films will know, he’s very good at what he does and highly watchable.  However, as I’ve mentioned, he’s playing one of the muggers.  Granted you could argue he goes through major ‘character development’ and in the course of the story mends his ways, but – again – a lot of the likeability of this film relies on the audience being able to root for these hoods over the monsters.

So, if you can get over that ‘minor’ gripe then there’s actually quite a bit here to entertain you if you’re looking for a cheeky little sci-fi/horror number that is self-knowing enough not to take itself seriously.  Plus I still think the aliens are cool.

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that