Attack the Block

Stars: Jodie Whittaker, John Boyega, Nick Frost, Alex Esmail, Sammy Williams, Jumayn Hunter, Simon Howard, Leeon Jones, Luke Treadaway, Paige Meade

Director: Joe Cornish

Alien invaders vs tower-block hoodies. No contest there then. And so it proves, in Cornish's fast-paced debut feature, with cheapo aliens (with luminous eyes) that look like crosses between black gorillas and giant golliwogs.

A few of the blockies do take the full count before the action's through, but the outcome is never seriously in doubt, especially as there are only about a dozen of the aliens, who are seeking the female that hoodie leader Moses (Boyega) has previously killed.

Sam (Whittaker), a nurse living in the block, is mugged on the way home by Moses and his gang, but they are soon comrades-in-arms when the extra-terrestrials appear on the scene. 'What kind of aliens would invade a shitty council estate in South London?' asks one of Moses' gang. It's a good question, and one that will cost the snarling aliens dear before the end.

All the street language you would expect here, plus as much fake blood as the SFX boys can muster on a tight budget. It's fair fun, and not a bad debut for its first-time director.

David Quinlan

UK 2011. UK Distributor: Optimum . Technicolor.
88 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 0, Violence/Horror 2, Drugs 1, Swearing 3.

Review date: 09 May 2011