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The Retrospective Series: 'Attack the Block'

The series dedicated to putting the unloved and the classics from the past decade under the spotlight. This week we have South London teenagers vs. aliens.

By Gavin SpoorsPublished 5 years ago 3 min read
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Attack the Block

It started out as a nice idea to focus on Joe Cornish's debut feature as his latest film, The Kid Who Would Be King, hits US cinemas. Unfortunately, it seems the two are destined to share the same fate as The Kid Who Would Be King grossed $10.8 million worldwide... from a $59 million budget. Back in 2011, Attack the Block earned half of its $8 million budget. Cornish has the talent, directing two critically-acclaimed features and penning Adventures of Tintin and Ant-Man, but he can't seem to get the audience he deserves. Are the masses conditioned to only pay attention to franchises and event movies? People cry for originality in cinema, yet here we have a filmmaker creating original films only to lose money.

Attack the Block may not have had big names attached, save Nick Frost, but the biggest sell was the genre: A science-fiction comedy horror. In 2011, those genres were thriving with box office hits Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Bridesmaids, and Super 8, so maybe the British slang featured in the film turned American audiences off. The irony there for our American friends is that the film screams Spielberg. Cornish balances genuine scares with some big laughs by using all the tools in the box: Great editing, menacing creature design, and most importantly, an engaging group of protagonists. Here we have a group akin to The Goonies and E.T. in a South London gang who are merely kids. Each member of the gang is a lovable rogue with their own distinct personality. The fact the actors were unknown adds to the believability of these characters, but they all do a great job. Obviously, the standout here is John Boyega in his debut role, years before he went to a galaxy far, far away. As gang leader Moses, we immediately see his hardened exterior to mask his fears underneath. Over the course of the film he grows from a boy to a young man, accepting responsibility and learning some life lessons whilstavoiding some hungry aliens. Boyega brings depth to Moses here, which I hope we see more in Finn when the next Star Wars hits our screens.

Alongside the frightening set pieces and comedy, there are social commentaries within the film which are still relevant today. Cornish doesn't whack us over the head with these comments but it isn't exactly subtle either. Told through dialogue in middle and ending plot points we understand what these black teenagers have to deal with, their relationship with the police and society as a whole, but we still understand and unfortunately rings true even to this day. Especially through Moses' character and Boyega's performance we understand their daily strifes, besides surviving an alien attack.

The aliens of Attack the Block are a vicious bunch. Cornish may have the ingredients of an 80s adventure flick, but the violence and profanity on display does not make this a family-friendly affair. The gore adds to the B-movie feel and the profanity makes the setting more believable, but this ultimately might have been the film's downfall at the box office. With a young cast in a violent world, Attack the Block is visually too adult for children but more mature audiences won't relate to the youthful protagonists. The film seems to have a narrow audience in mind—15 and 14-year-olds feeling rebellious going to the cinema to see a gory flick with on screen heroes who look and act like them. Cornish knows his target audience, but unfortunately, it isn't an audience that fills cinema seats.

Attack the Block has all the makings of a modern Spielbergian flick with its fun concept and likable cast entertaining us whilst tackling themes of class and race. If not to see John Boyega in a pre-Star Wars role, watch Attack the Block for the 80s-inspired thrill.

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About the Creator

Gavin Spoors

Screenwriter and MA Moving Image and Sound graduate.

Here you will find me musing on film, animation, gaming and dead philosophers.

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