Review: Attack the Block (2011)

The basic synopsis here is a London teen street gang must defend their block against an alien attack. A young woman, played by Jodie Whittaker, is mugged by the gang in the beginning of the movie. They meet up again and must join together to fight their common enemy. It sounds totally ridiculous, but it actually works! Very similar to the way that the films Tremors, Evolution and Galaxy Quest worked. If you liked any of these movies, I feel strongly you would appreciate this one. The genre of science fiction action comedy is a tough one to pull off, but all of these films did. They blend all of these unique elements together perfectly. The characters are varied and believable, and the action is intense. I especially liked the character of Pest, played by Alex Esmail; he is all talk. However, he is loyal to his friends and will fight for them. The actors are mostly unknowns, especially to Americans. This also lends itself to the level of believability. That strategy worked great here and in movies like The Goonies, The Sandlot and Super 8. There are plenty of comedic lines along the way. It is Rated R and the expletives do fly, but it seems fitting to the characters. The alien creatures are somewhat different from what you have seen in the past. This also adds to the unique spin on the genre. Highly rated on www.rottentomatoes.com and well received on www.imdb.com. Get some popcorn and enjoy this well-done, light and entertaining movie. Grade: A