ATTACK THE BLOCK (2011 - Cert 15)

Jealousy isn't an attractive trait. However I can't help feeling a rather large dose in the direction of Joe Cornish. Here is a bloke, granted a very successful and talented bloke, who loves his films just like me. He's older than me but he's a self confessed fan of much of the same type of cinema and from the same era. He often talks about Spielberg as one of his favourites, and how much his films have influenced him (professionally and personally) and now here he is working with the great man on Tin Tin. Someone else involved in that film is Simon Pegg, another fan of the cinema I grew up with who is now making films influenced by and referencing these very films. It's an interesting time, Pegg and Cornish aren't the only two who are doing this. J J Abrahms, the creator of Lost, is making films that are knowingly geeky, Star Trek being a fine example of someone who is a fan of the material but is clever enough to do something interesting with it. Edgar Wright, producer of Attack the Block, is a real modern auteur, daring with flair and imagination and very aware of genres. Films are being made that are playing to our affection of an age where movies had a certain feel, they are harnessing this, echoing it, perhaps even copying it, but it's resulting in flicks that feel at the same time both fresh and familiar.

Perhaps none more so than Attack The Block.



It's something that has aroused a bit of excitement I me. I love Cornish, his TV and radio shows are brilliantly stupid, so a feature length example of his imagination and love of cinema really drew me in. Then it was been billed as 'Sci-fi horror', one of my favourite genres. Chuck into the mix the involvement of Edgar Wright and you've got something that ticks all of my boxes. Which of course means that it would inevitably disappoint. Or would it?

Nope, not by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, quite the opposite. It took on any reservations I might have and pummelled them into the ground and emerged victorious.

'Inner city vs outer space' is the tag line, and essentially that is all you need to know about the film in it's most basic form. An alien monster film set in a south London council estate, and on that level it works very well. Cornish's direction is remarkably confident and all those years of watching films clearly had effect on him - he knows what he's doing with the camera and seems to revel in being given the opportunity. A sweeping pan across the London skyline opens the film with a statement of intent and he never really looks back from there. There's nothing introverted about what Cornish is attempting, this is his big chance. All of the action and the scares are dealt with very well, there is a physicality to what is happening on screen and Cornish chucks us right in amongst it, kinetic in a way that reminded me very much of Sam Raimi's stuff. The creature design is bold and imaginative, echoes of Critters but scarier and without too much of the comedy of those pesky little hedgehogs, with the added bonus of bright fangs that starkly contrast with their dark fur. A modern creature creation with all the impact of the 'Snakeoids' from Tremors and will stay in the minds of cinema goers for years to come. It scares and catches you off guard as well, Cornish killing of characters, not showing any mercy and clearly determined to make this one hell of a ride. People in my screening were hiding behind their hands, peeking between their fingers which is obviously a good sign.

However, having said all of this, to describe the film with only the above synopsis would be to do it a massive injustice and would undermine the vision and ambition of Cornish. It's so much more than just a monster film, it wants to have a go at social commentary, looking at muggings, cause and effect and what being in a gang is really like, and is helped in this aim by a cracking cast of unknowns. Cornish's script is full of dialect and it's reported that he spent months interviewing 'yoots' to ensure as much authenticity as possible. Now, I must admit, I'm no expert in these sorts of linguistics so I can say it's spot on, but it seemed to me to be very believable and sounds very similar to what I hear on buses and the tube. See, I am down with the kids.

The screenplay works very hard to ensure that it isn't all action, chases and jumps and does succeed. There are plenty of jokes in there and some really good laughs that break up the tension nicely. There is a moral to the story as well and although it does at times feel as though there is slightly too much exposition, I forgave it because I was enjoying it so much and it engages throughout and I did really care what happened to the characters. Of course, for me to care it needs more than just some good words on paper, someone needs to translate that to visuals on the screen. Cornish deliberately went for actors who were untried and unproven, with the exception of Nick Frost and Jodie Whittaker, and has unearthed some real gems. John Boyega as the lead 'hoodie' and anti-hero, Moses, is very good. Surly arrogance quietly portrayed and the film comfortably hangs on such young inexperienced shoulders. He is supported by his crew, including Alex Esmail, Franz Dameh and Leeon Jones all playing different types of character, although always far from cliched, with humour and dramatic awareness. Luke Treadaway as posh-boy stoner Brewis is also worthy of mention.

One final point is the quality of the soundtrack by the Basement Jaxx boys. It's urban, there's hip hop beats in there, but its all interspliced with epic classical strings. It's epic and fits the film perfectly but also works on it's own as my Ipod will testify.

It's not quite of the same quality and doesn't necessarily have the same impact as Shaun of the Dead, which really has taken on the mantra of modern classic, which it will inevitably be compared to, but that isn't fair because it's a brilliant film in it's own right and I'm desperately scratching round for an excuse to go and see it again. I've already mentioned Spielberg but Cornish also refers to John Carpenter and this film being very Carpenter-esque, and I've got to say that in his first attempt he's nailed the vibe of a so-called master perfectly.

Can't believe I'm missing it being shown at Somerset House because of a wedding.....