Movies: Attack the Block
During the summer, we get so used to action flicks that rely heavily on the “Wow” factor of special effects versus wonderful scripts.
That’s why we’ve become so blase about summer movies in general that we’ll just go see anything and the industry knows it… hence, all the sequels and less than stellar super hero movies.
There were a couple of exceptions this summer and they were Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 and Super 8. The creative teams behind these films understood that the story was just as or much more important than the effects and as a result the moviegoers were well rewarded with some of the best summer movies we’ve seen in years.
If you are wondering why I am lamenting the summer blockbuster? It’s because I just saw a British alien invasion flick called Attack the Block. This movie, created by the brains that gave us Spaced, Shaun of the Dead and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, was utterly refreshing.
The premise is simple, a teen gang in South London defend their block from an alien invasion. Visions of an alien version of Toxic Avenger sprang to mind and I cringed. Yet, it wasn’t like that all. The effects were considerably low-tech: firecrackers, smoke, darkness, noise and gorilla suits whose teeth were sprayed with neon paint. In order to compensate for the low-tech, the director relied on viewer’s suspension of disbelief.
Once you honed in on the tale of survival that revolved around this gang of kids from the ghetto of South London and their plight to save their much beloved block from an invasion of aliens… you just couldn’t help but get wrapped up in this redemptive story and cheer these kids on.
I have to admit that I did jump quite a few times as things jumped out from out of nowhere, to the chagrin of my husband, but we laughed our asses off at the clever and hilarious banter the kids had as they continued on their quest.
Btw, if you have never seen a British move and care not to… this movie is not for you.
Overall, I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars and I can’t wait to add it to my DVD collection.
Go see it! Believe!
Here is the trailer:
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