Attack the Block

Director and writer: Joe Cornish
Rating: 15
Genres: Action/ Comedy/ Horror/ Sci-Fi
Release Date: 13th May 2011
Stars: Jodie Whittaker, John Boyega, Alex Esmail.
Budget: £9 million

How it was produced:

It was produced by Big Talk Productions who are known for filming, Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim vs. The world and Shaun of the dead. They produced the film with the UK film council, Film4 and Studio Canal.
The 'block' was a mixture of council estates across London.

 "We wanted to stamp a clear layout on the audience's minds early, and since we couldn't afford to show an aerial shot of the estate as it doesn't exist, the way to show it was by showing this top shot of the map at the very beginning of the film." - Director Joe Cornish.

The film was shot across London from March to May 2010, with six weeks of night shoots on the Heygate Estate and various other places. Interior scene were filmed at Three Mills Studios in east London.

What it was based on:

Cornish was once mugged outside his home in South London and investigated the kind of kids that robbed him. He then took thay stereotype and turned it into an Alien/ Sci-Fi.

"Children make mistakes; they test the boundaries of the world."

 

Soundtrack:

The soundtrack for the film was an original score composed by Simon Ratcliffe and Felix Buxton of the popular electronic dance music group Basement Jaxx.

Promotion:

Posters were posted on bus stops, billboards etc. promoting the films release.
A premier was also held for the film in Leiceter Square London.

Attack the block has a website that promotes the trailer, screencaps from the film itself, and interviews with the cast and directors. http://attacktheblock.com/ 

The Film:

There wasn't any controversy surrounding the film as it is a comedy-horror and appealed to a "geek-friendly" crowd. It was the debut film of director Joe cornish and the cast said they enjoyed working with him.

My Review:

When i read the critic reviews of Attack The Block, i thought 'finally, another good comedy/horror to look forward to' but after watching the film i was disappointed. The reviews had told me it was 'genius' and i would 'regret not seeing it in the theater', however when i watched the film i wondered what all of the fuss was about. 
I usually love Sci-Fi/Comedy/Alien films - Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead are two of the best in my opinion - so i expected to really enjoy and love this film.

To begin with i felt that the film had a weak plot line as there wasn't much explanation of the events or characters. I found it hard to watch the actors on screen because i find the way they spoke to be quite cringey as i felt they were overdoing the "block" talk at times. 

Throughout the film the character of Brewis (played by Luke Treadaway) made me laugh as he was so out of place with his well spoken accent and the fact he sought approval from the "block" gang.
Another aspect that made me laugh was the cameo of Nick Frost as the drug dealer, Ron. His one liners like: "Well, 'ere lads, you've discovered a species hitherto unknown to science, quite possibly non-terrestrial in origin, and you kicked it's fuckin' head in!", made me laugh, as did others throughout the film.

I thought the second half of the film was better than the first as I found myself getting into it more and I found myself wanting to see how it turned out in the end.
The slow motion sequence, when Moses is being chased by the aliens was good as, we could everything that was happening without it being a blur and different camera angles allowed for an exciting way to view the events. I enjoyed the on-going battle between the aliens and the kids.

Overall I would rate this film  ★★★ as it is enjoyable enough but not as good as the critics had said.