The shortchanged younger generations have taken quite a beating from British genre films in recent years with the likes of Eden Lake and F, but first-time director Joe Cornish (comedian and co-writer of The Adventures of Tintin) attempts to at least play around with that attitude in Attack the Block. The idea of criminals mustering up their inner heroes to fight an external threat has been around for decades (with Assault on Precinct 13 one of the closer models here), but the film's novelty in using a modern hoodie gang as the lynchpin of the story gives it a scrappy, unpredictable twist that works wonders with the threadbare formula.
The fact that this was executive produced by many of the crew from Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz (including Edgar Wright) should come as no surprise, though the comedic content is substantially lower here than expected and mostly integrated into the character interactions rather than pop culture gags. On the other hand, the affection for '80s film culture is still abundant here as the scenario offers variations on staple titles including Night of the Creeps, Critters, The Goonies, Gremlins, and other '80s invasion stories. The addition of slick musical support from Basement Jaxx adds to the brisk, edgy tone of the film, which doesn't try to reinvent the genre in any way but juggles its necessary elements well enough to grab any fan's attention.
While this would have probably become a notable cult theatrical release in a previous decade, Attack the Block followed the more common modern trajectory of becoming an audience favorite at Comic-Con and SXSW but getting lost in the shuffle with a halfhearted theatrical release in a very busy summer already loaded with rampaging Transformers. Its transition to home video should give it more of a foothold in the fan community in the long run, and its cleverly realized alien invaders (a combination of old-school monster suits and rotoscoped CG imagery) fare just fine in the transition. The film has a dark, often flat look that still pops when it should on Sony's Blu-Ray release (the option to go for, though the DVD is fine as well), and the scope compositions feature some nifty lighting effects that recall the halcyon days of John Carpenter in his prime. The film's nocturnal setting seems to be a recurring motif in recent British genre offerings as well (see also the more obscure but interesting New Town Killers and Hush), and it ably supports the theme of society's underbelly rising up to defend their turf. The DTS-HD Master 5.1 audio sounds as exceptional as one would expect from a film of this vintage, with the more traditional underscore by Steven Price punching through the action scenes with some atmospheric, room-filled blasts of bass where it counts.
The disc also comes with a trio of audio commentaries, all featuring Cornish with a rotating roster of additional guests. The first "Junior" track focuses on the young actors with Boyega joining Simon Howard, Alex Esmail, Leon Jones, and Franz Drameh for a lively, enthusiastic, scene-specific discussion including nuggets about the casting process, the perils of doing audio commentaries, and the challenges of fighting nonexistent furballs in the dark. The "Senior" track gathers the more seasoned actors including Frost, Whittaker, and Treadway, who all bring a bit more history to their roles and offer a more traditional rundown of the film including the location shooting and the development of the script. The third track teams Cornish with Wright, which (not surprisingly) comes closer in tone to Wright's previous commentary work. It's a fun and breezy chat with more of a slant on the cinematic influences on the film and the little touches in the production design recalling some past sci-fi and horror staples.
On the video front, the biggest extra by far is "Behind the Block." This one-hour look at the making of the film tackles the process of the production from inception to release, including on-set footage, cast and crew interviews, and much more. The shorter 20-minute "Creature Future" focuses entirely on the aforementioned means used to create the aliens themselves, who range from the smaller initial visitor to its much larger, revenge-seeking cousins. Three short, disposable extras include "Meet the Gang" (a quick overview of the younger cast members), "Unfilmed Action" (a peek at some shots and gags dropped during the production process), and "That's a Rap," a goofy impromptu rap routine on the set. The UK and redband US trailers round out the set apart from a reel of unrelated Sony trailers.
For more information about Attack the Block, visit Sony Pictures. To order Attack the Block, go to TCM Shopping.
by Nathaniel Thompson
