Attack the Block

I just managed to catch a free screening of Attack the Block tonight in NYC at the Sunshine Theater, one of my favorite theaters in the city. It also happens to be about 2 blocks from my apartment (sick!). I was riding off a sweet buzz the film gave me, so I thought I would give it a quick write-up while the film was fresh in my mind.

I had heard some serious positive word of mouth about this movie for a while now. When I saw the poster and the original trailer, I couldn't help feeling that this is the type of film I loved as a kid. It is no secret that I am a sucker for a good monster movie. I have seen many disappointing monster flicks this year (Wolfman, I am looking at you), but I am here to tell you all that Attack the Block is a fantastic monster movie.

The film starts by introducing us to a set of what seems to be the most unlikable characters a film could possibly throw at you. These South London street thugs are not to be trifled with it seems, and director Joe Cornish tries hard to make that apparent. They are introduced via a shameless mugging of a helpless woman at knife point, which is rudely interrupted by a meteor that smashes into a car next to them. After a brief investigation, a cudly little E.T. pops out of the car and tries to maul the lead gang members face off. The gang, flustered, pursue E.T. until they corner and kill it.

Two things I noticed immediately:

1) This film wasted ZERO time getting to what we want to see. The E.T's show up in the first 5-10 minutes, with no pussy-footing about. This is a good thing.

2) These are not likable characters. This is a bit of a daring move. The audience does not like these characters straight away. It was an interesting opening and leaves a lot of room for the characters to grow as the movie progresses.

The action from there on in plays out fast and furious, with a truly masterful balance of comedic and horrific moments. Although audiences have seen these types of character arcs in the past, the growth of the characters is surprisingly believable in the movies short 90 minute time frame.

But, let's get to the meat and bones of the film. The aliens. The team that designed these aliens have put together one of the most effectively economic movie monsters ever created. The E.T.'s in this film are best described as a cross between the homicidal apes from Michael Crichton's Congo, and the werewolf from An American Werewolf in London :

+  = ? Maybe!

They have no eyes, and their fur is jet black. When I say black , I truly mean black. They are solid black, with absolutely NO variation. With no eyes, and color/light swallowing black fur, what the hell could make these things so interesting you might say? How about... fluorescent... glowing... teeth. Sweet baby Jesus... that looks AWESOME! The teeth are used throughout the film to endow the creatures with some sort of personality. When they are attacking, they light up with their mouths wide open. When they are stalking, they have their mouths closed which makes their glowing teeth look eerily like a pair of glowing eyes. When they die, the light extinguishes. Not only is this is a great tool for communicating to the audience that the creatures have some kind of personality, but it is also a great tool for creating suspense. I applaud this director for not going flash-cut happy on the action scenes. There are beautiful wide shots of the aliens creeping in on their prey, showing the audience silhouettes against the city- scape. I can't tell you how ecstatic I was to see a scene where a creature is filmed from a far distance, fully showing off it's approach, and holding on it until it springs. These types of shots show a surprising confidence in Cornish, who is not afraid to establish time and physical space and distance to create tension and allow the audience to truly buy into what is happening on the screen.

His confidence must have come from the creature designers. I am a huge proponent of practical effects in  movies. I can write a whole essay about this, but lets just say when something is CG, and it does not need to be, I get a little... vexed. I feel the greatest use of CG is to augment reality, to create something that cannot possibly be done via practical effects. I am happy to say that this film has found the sweet spot: The perfect balance of CG and practical effects, the results of which are beautiful. The creatures in the film have real-world weight. They smash things, claw at things but never ever to they feel what I can only describe as "floaty". Quite the opposite really. They are lumbering and sometimes even clumsy. The man-in-suit style practical effects breathe life into these creatures. The entire Star Wars Prequel Trilogy couldn't hold a candle to what was done in this film. The Prequels gave us lifeless, floaty, and most of the time annoying cartoon characters that gave the actors nothing to react to; and it showed. This film has a reach-out-and-touch-it reality that is backed up by incredible sound design and smart editing that leaves no audience member in doubt of what these creatures are, and what they are capable of.

The sound design for the creatures are also worth mentioning. Being an avid fan of monster movies, I have heard quite of bit of the soundscape that otherworldly, ethereal and fantastical creatures have to offer. Often the sound design is recycled. A lion growl here, a puma grunt there etc. etc. If you want to create something truly unique, memorable and frightening, it is just as important for the audience to be aurally bewildered as it is for them to be visually stunned . Some examples of this are:

1) Aliens from Aliens

I think this was a combination of 50 different animals, but all I remember was this horrible almost elephant-like trumpeting squeal that gave me goosebumps. This film has both the striking H.R. Gieger designed Alien, as well as the signature squeal that I will always remember

2) Jurassic Park

This film had more than one example, but the T-Rex and Raptor take the cake. I cannot possibly forget the first time I heard that T-Rex scream in the theater... it was both the most fascinating and frightening moment in my life.

3) Predator

Almost like a rattlesnake moving in slow motion, the methodical clicks and subsequent roar of the Predator is legendary.

4) Balrog from Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring

They created the sound of the Balrog by sliding two cinder blocks together. 'Nuff Said.

By the way, it is no coincidence that the genius Stan Winston created 3 of the 4 above famous movie monsters. His passing was a terrible blow to the practical effects industry. There are many more examples that I have to give, but I will likely write a whole other article on this later.

Attack the Block provides a unique sound for their monsters. This high pitched squeal sounds much like a husky woman's scream mixed with a chimpanzee. It is a unique sound that is menacing and adds tension to the already suspenseful scenes.

The monsters of this film are brilliantly implemented. The practical effects lead to an unprecedented level of physicality, while the sound design heightens the sense of dread. Both of these pieces come together in a beautiful visual and auditory experience that is sure to stay with audiences as the leave the theater.

This movie needs word of mouth. These screenings are meant to generate buzz. The movie deserves the positive feedback it has been getting. It also deserves more exposure. I would compare this film to one of my favorite monsters-run-amok movie: Tremors. Oddly enough, both monsters share the same "no-eyes" trait. If you have a theater near you that is playing the film either as a free screening, or during its limited release in July, please seek it out. You and your friends will have a great time at the theater.

I have more to say about the film, but I will likely include those as edits in the next few days. I just wanted to get this post up before the details of the film faded.