Attack the Block

[judgerufian]

Saw some clips at Kapow last month and it was very good and once you have conquered your 'yoof aloofness' theres a decent and funny movie underneath.

[BPP]

Just back from seeing it. Mixed feelings - great aliens (although The Simping Detective may want his pet back) some good horror jumpy bits and nice sci-fi nods here and there. The language isn't an issue but it does feel very limited and more 'hey old person understand 'ya get mi... bare jokes.... merked' than actually funny.

However there is a much bigger problem with it - one the film-maker either hasn't understood or dosn't overcome...  the point could be simply put 'the heroes are scum' but thats obviously not nuanced or intelligent enough. More precisely - the 'heroes' are deeply dislikeable characters who engage in mugging single females at knife point. Now Ken Loach may be able to add something sensible to a movie with such character flaws, even Kidulthood may but a Tremors-Critters action-comedy-horror simply cant. The obvious 'redemption' speech isn't in anyway convincing (and cut with some creepy sexist and oddly jarring right-wing tosh from another character)and in the finale the main characters are still 'against' the authorities even after victory. If anything the film's coda makes them emboldened. Frankly you are left feeling it is more than likely they will be back mugging single women at knife point again soon enough. And the responsibility for that isn't the viewers, its the film-makers.   

Its a good popcorn movie and worth seeing in the cinema rather than on the D/L or DVD but it definitely has a circle it can't square.

[radiator]

Strongly disagree with you, BPP. Personally I thought the film had a strong moral core and refreshingly positive view on things. [spoiler]Moses is clearly at a crossroads in his life, and he ultimately accepts responsibility for his actions and decides to make a change for the better.[/spoiler]

I respect the fact that the film refuses to sand all of the rough edges off it's characters - yeah they are flawed, but mugging someone is hardly an unforgivable offense that deserves the death sentence. In films, we're frequently asked to sympathise with and root for protagonists who are guilty of far worse crimes - but perhaps AtB is hitting nerves with viewers because it's characters represent a particular type of criminal that is closer to home than the norm.

[Steve Green]

Just got round to seeing this at home.

It was a lot better than I expected from the trailer, lovely cinematography and a great soundtrack. Really impressed with the amount of work the creature performers put in with the practical costumes...

There's one line which really jarred from Moses - [spoiler]The one about the Government sending their guns, their drugs and now these things into the estate...[/spoiler], felt so forced...

I can see why they went with a limited vocabulary, but the dialogue felt a bit repetitive at times as a result...

Definitely worth a watch though. I don't think the trailer did it justice.

[JOE SOAP]

It is rather well put together and underrated. The ending reminded me of the Midnight Surfer- [spoiler]the crowd chant Moses, Moses...as he's carted off by the law.[/spoiler]

[radiator]

Yeah, didn't make that connection myself, but seeing as Cornish has cited Dredd as a big influence, its entirely likely.

[brendan1]

Just back from seeing it. Mixed feelings - great aliens (although The Simping Detective may want his pet back) some good horror jumpy bits and nice sci-fi nods here and there. The language isn't an issue but it does feel very limited and more 'hey old person understand 'ya get mi... bare jokes.... merked' than actually funny.

However there is a much bigger problem with it - one the film-maker either hasn't understood or dosn't overcome...  the point could be simply put 'the heroes are scum' but thats obviously not nuanced or intelligent enough. More precisely - the 'heroes' are deeply dislikeable characters who engage in mugging single females at knife point. Now Ken Loach may be able to add something sensible to a movie with such character flaws, even Kidulthood may but a Tremors-Critters action-comedy-horror simply cant. The obvious 'redemption' speech isn't in anyway convincing (and cut with some creepy sexist and oddly jarring right-wing tosh from another character)and in the finale the main characters are still 'against' the authorities even after victory. If anything the film's coda makes them emboldened. Frankly you are left feeling it is more than likely they will be back mugging single women at knife point again soon enough. And the responsibility for that isn't the viewers, its the film-makers.   

Its a good popcorn movie and worth seeing in the cinema rather than on the D/L or DVD but it definitely has a circle it can't square.

Yeah, I have similar reservations and won't watch it because I'd just want every one of the cunts to be killed.

[Colin YNWA]

Finally got around to seeing this last night and really enjoyed it. The whole thing was done very well and it got a lot of delicate stuff to balance absolutely spot on in my book.

Mainly though how cool were the creature designs. Bloody loved them!

[mygrimmbrother]

I turned it off after 20 minutes - hated it!

[James Stacey]

I quite enjoyed it, but really didn't empathise with  the main characters. Starting the film showing them as mugging with threat of violence really didn't help and there was no real 'redemption arc' just a 'we are the product of our environment'. Having said that Nick Frost was good and the aliens were well done and scary. I'd have just enjoyed it more if all the kids had died and maybe if they had spoken English.

[radiator]

No redemption arc? Wha?

Moses walks away from a life of drug dealing, makes peace with Sam (and returns her jewellery), takes responsibility for the situation that his recklessness and bravado created and risks his life to destroy the aliens, save the block and protect his neighbours.

Yeah his surviving friends may well return to their usual ways, but it's strongly implied that Moses at least has turned a corner.

[James Stacey]

OK fair point, maybe if his annoying friends had been eaten I'd have thought better of it.

[IndigoPrime]

One other thing to bear in mind: this wasn't Hollywood. It wasn't a black-and-white movie, but one in shades of grey. I really liked that aspect of it, and the obvious notion that some of the kids were 'caught up' in the gang thing and not 'bad' per se, whereas others were rather nastier. To my mind, the subtle shifts in that film beat the typical hackneyed 'and with one bound he was forever redeemed' crap so many American movies shovel into our eyes.

[klute]

I quite enjoyed it, but really didn't empathise with  the main characters. Starting the film showing them as mugging with threat of violence really didn't help and there was no real 'redemption arc' just a 'we are the product of our environment'. Having said that Nick Frost was good and the aliens were well done and scary. I'd have just enjoyed it more if all the kids had died and maybe if they had spoken English.

Same here i enjoyed it but found myself wishing for a translator.

[Colin YNWA]

One other thing to bear in mind: this wasn't Hollywood. It wasn't a black-and-white movie, but one in shades of grey. I really liked that aspect of it, and the obvious notion that some of the kids were 'caught up' in the gang thing and not 'bad' per se, whereas others were rather nastier. To my mind, the subtle shifts in that film beat the typical hackneyed 'and with one bound he was forever redeemed' crap so many American movies shovel into our eyes.

I was just about to come back to this thread and try to piece together a point that this post covers and so much more effectively than and eloquently then I would have.

The fact that the main protagonists carry out the mugging at the start is so central to the whole film. The different feelings they show in doing that, the fear some have as opposed to excitement of others, when the knife is drawn etc all percolate throughout the film.

There's a bit later when Moses (I think) says if he'd have known Sam was from 'The Block' they'd have have never attacked her in the first place and she retorts something along the lines of 'So it'd be okay if I came from elsewhere then.' really emphasises the sense of isolation from the rest of society some groups feel.  The little kids trying to make an adventure of the situation, a very dangerous one, again reflects that, how they can so easily be drawn in to something so potentially destructive. The wider story shows that when these 'disparate' groups are brought together to face a different 'enemy' for want of a different word, the dynamic between them all changes. Don't forget when Moses jumps from the flat at the end of the film he does do hanging onto a Union Flag.

As Indigo Prime says there's shades of grey amongst it all of this as its a smarter film than many blockbusters, it goes a more typically horror satire of a situation, but I think its handled brilliantly. It kinda deals with many of the issues 'Cradlegrave' does.