Attack the Block

Written and directed by Joe Cornish, Attack the Block follows a gang of English thugs – led by John Boyega’s Moses – as they’re forced to fend for their lives after vicious aliens land in their working class neighborhood. It’s an inherently compelling premise that is, at the outset, threatened by one’s difficulties in deciphering the dialogue, as the performers’ frustratingly thick British accents – coupled with Cornish’s reliance on obscure instances of slang – often make it impossible to understand just what’s being said and results in a moviewatching experience that is, for the most part, akin to viewing a non-English release without subtitles. The lack of coherent speech initially ensures that the protagonists come off as dishearteningly interchangeable, yet there does reach a point at which such concerns become (relatively) moot – as Cornish offers up a propulsive narrative that’s heightened by his impressively energetic directorial choices. (It also doesn’t hurt that the number of central characters is slowly-but-surely whittled down, which certainly makes it a whole lot easier to sympathize with and root for the survivors’ ongoing efforts.) The increasingly engrossing atmosphere is heightened by the presence of several electrifying interludes, with the best example of this an absolutely breathtaking slow-motion sequence that effectively leads into the film’s enthralling climax. The end result is an above average horror endeavor that admittedly would’ve benefited from the inclusion of subtitles, with the movie’s success due almost entirely to Cornish’s superlative efforts behind the camera (ie the filmmaker keeps things moving to such an extent that the incoherence of the dialogue eventually becomes a non-issue).

***1/2 out of ****