Attack the Block A Rowdy Night in the Slums

Attack the Block

If there is one positive thing about the summer of 2011, besides the strong female presence at the box-office, it is that alien invasion films finally have a youthful energy again. Thanks to films such as Super 8 and Attack the Block, a sense of childlike wonder and adventure has come back to the science fiction genre. Attack the Block in particular really raises the stakes by making a group of juvenile delinquents in the slums of London, Earth’s main line of defense.

While making her way home one night, Sam (Jodie Whittaker) is mugged by a gang of teenagers who live in the area: Moses (John Boyega) , Pest (Alex Esmail), Dennis (Franz Drameh), Jerome (Leeon Jones), and Biggz (Simon Howard). As the robbery is taking place a creature falls out of the sky and attacks Moses. Enraged, the gang turns there attention to seeking out the creature and destroying it. Feeling like kings of their block, the boys keep the alien’s corpse as a trophy. Little does the group know that the real battle is about to begin.

In many ways Attack the Block is exactly the type of alien film I wish was around when I was a younger. Although I enjoyed other youth centric alien films, such as Super 8, I found that I identified with the teens in Attack the Block more. I grew up with individuals who constantly got in trouble with the law and never saw themselves as being responsible for their actions.

Despite being alien invasion film, director Joe Cornish has two clear themes running throughout the film. The first is that every action has a consequence and everyone, no matter what situation, needs to be accountable for their actions. The second is in regards to how the youth in the slums view gang life and society in general. Moses in particular sees his gang as his family. He constantly makes references to how he is mistreated by the cops and how other people view him and his friends as a black mark on society.

Although the film touches on greater social issues, Cornish never loses sight of the fact that the film is first and foremost an action-adventure film. The creature designs for the aliens are outstanding. It not only gives the film a big budget feel, but also a genuinely terrify villain. The pitch black gorilla-like bodies coupled with the neon blue teeth are definitely unique. In a summer that has been bogged down with uninspired sequels, Attack the Block is truly a breath of fresh air.

Eight Not So Super Thoughts on Super 8

Super 8

Super 8 is a film that I can honestly say I thought I was going to hate after enduring the first twenty minutes. Pretty much everything you need to know about the characters is summed up in the first twenty minutes. I mean everything. The film offers very few surprises from a character standpoint. Yet ultimately I found myself completely won over by the end of the film. Sure it has its flaws but I had a whole lot of fun watching this film. If you have not seen Super 8 yet, I will not go too much into the plot as it is almost better to go into the film knowing as little as possible. I will merely say the film revolves around a group of kids who are making a short film on a 8mm camera. One night while filming, the kids witness a major train crash that will eventually have huge consequences on the small town in which they live in. Instead of giving my usual style of review, today I thought I would share eight random thoughts I had while watching Super 8:

1. I understand that director J.J. Abrams is paying homage to the classic 80’s films that Steven Spielberg use to make, but I wish the first act was not so “paint by numbers.” Even Spielberg’s films such as E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind did not feel so forced at the beginning.

2. The train crash scene is both horrible and fantastic at the same time. I loved the stuff at the station before the train arrives. Yet I found that the special effects, when kids were running from the flying debris, completely took me out of the moment as the effects were not strong enough in that sequence.

3. I was extremely happy to see Glynn Turman, who played the kind-hearted science teacher Roy Hanson in Gremlins, playing the kind-hearted scientist Dr. Woodward in this film. Something tells me his casting was not a result of coincidence.

4. Man these kids swear a lot, which is actually refreshing when you think about it. Normally in a film like this, when all hell breaks loose the children often keep the language clean to ensure family friendly receipts at the box office. Yet is was refreshing to see kids, who are running through a war zone, speak in a way that you would expect given the circumstances.

5. The film really comes to life when it focuses more on the kids’ friendship in relation to making to making the movie. The young casts of actors do a great job in their given roles. I especially thought Elle Fanning and Riley Griffiths, who plays the budding director Charles, were exceptional in their given roles.

6. The 8mm film that the kids make, which plays in the closing credits, was the icing on the cake for me. In fact, I almost enjoyed the 8mm film more than I did the actual Super 8 film.

7. “Drugs are soo bad” – my vote for comedic line of the summer.

8. J.J. Abrams has succeeded in making an instant classic that will play well on television for years to come. The film feels like he took two films of my youth, The Goonies and Stand by Me, and sprinkled in elements of all my favourite science fiction films throughout.