After a successful opening in May in the UK, the British sci-fi import Attack the Block comes out July 29th stateside. The film first gained attention at the South by Southwest film festival as the must-see movie of the event, and has continued to create buzz ever since. The science fiction-horror-comedy takes place in South London and centers around a gang of teenaged hoodlums as they attempt to defend themselves against an alien invasion. This is the first film for director Joe Cornish, who’s more famous for acting in British productions like No Heroics, Hot Fuzz, and Shaun of the Dead. In fact, Cornish’s film was produced by Shaun of the Dead and Scott Pilgrim director Edgar Wright, who along with his creative partner Simon Pegg have released some of the most interesting genre bending films in recent past. What makes this film so interesting is the realism and characters Cornish chooses to tell his story with. While we’ve all seen alien invasion films like War of the Worlds, The Thing, and Independence Day, we have never seen one with protagonists like these. Choosing to examine this theme from the point of view of a low-income black teenager from the public housing district of South London is definitely a novel approach, and one that could easily have been executed poorly. Cornish has received positive attention for the way he handles this premise with authenticity and realism. Personally, I can’t wait to see this flick, and people I know who have seen it said it is a must see. The soundtrack from electronic music duo Basement Jaxx is reaon enough to go see this movie. The future looks bright for Cornish as well, lets hope he keeps it as real as his characters in Attack the Block, and continues to make great pictures.
Check out articles on the film here and here, along with a list of the top 30 alien invasion films of all time here.
by Alex Prouhet
cowabungaflicks 