Much of the movie's success derives from the crackle of comedy that rolls off the Cockney-accented teen anti-hero thugs who dare to take on an army of pitch black alien creatures attacking their estate housing tower. The endless spewing of twisted slang hits your ears as funny regardless of how much or little you actually understand of what's being said. A spirit of energetic rebellious teen spirit is the hook that all suspense and action hangs on. And hang it does, right up through the film's well-worn cliché ending.
attack the block poster
attack the block poster
attack the block poster
attack the block poster
attack the block poster
Joe Cornish made his name writing and directing for British television. Fluency with his craft and the story's British milieu provides a vibrancy to the endless riffing he does on things like marijuana culture. "Shaun of the Dead" actor Nick Frost brings his trademark comic presence as a pothead named Ron, whose apartment is a gathering place for a like-minded younger generation. Tone, spectacle, and comic dialogue conspire to elevate a deceptively simple storyline. "Attack the Block" is a textbook popcorn movie for a new generation that doesn't give a damn about fanboy culture.