"Attack the Block - Photo © Screen Gems

[note: this is not a Blu-ray screenshot]

This is Cornish’s feature writing-directing debut (he had a hand in penning the script for the upcoming Tintin, and he’s said to be collaborating on the script for the proposed Ant-Man movie, in both cases working with Edgar Wright, who served as one of this movie’s executive producers), but he’s spent many years working in British television and has created a couple of behind-the-scenes docs for Wright. Much of his television work has come in the form of sketch comedy, but there’s no short-form feel to his work here, which is something you often get when someone makes the transition from that world to features.

Cornish’s script is a complete narrative, one with a clear through-line. It’s set up in much the same way as the movies that inform it, and it features a classic callback structure, with bits and setpieces hinted at early on and then followed through later (when one of the kids talks about jumping from level to level on a parking ramp, you can rest assured he’ll do it at some point). If you grew up watching the same movies Cornish obviously did (which I obviously did), that’s the sort of thing that only adds to the fun.

And fun the movie is. It’s fun as hell. It’s likely the most flat-out fun movie we’ll get this year. Yeah, in its basic form the plot is nothing special, not really supplying anything we haven’t already seen in the alien invasion genre. It’s what Cornish mixes in that makes the movie work. The characters all begin as stereotypes/archetypes, but Cornish embellishes them enough along the way to raise them above that level. He’s especially deft when it comes to handling the younger characters.

There’s a believable hierarchy to the gang, with a natural leader and hangers-on who are phony-tough. The language the kids use is extremely authentic, the argot of teenagers trying to sound adult but unable to avoid referencing video games and movies, and full of the sort of self-conscious profanity employed by people who’ve yet to figure out how to do it without effort. Even the two younger kids who shadow the gang ring true (and get the single best line of dialogue in the movie, which I’ll be quoting whenever opportunity presents itself).

But all of that is the sort of thing you can ignore and still enjoy the hell out of the movie (I just like pointing it out because it makes me feel smart). The movie’s extremely inventive, both in terms of how it does what it does and how it works around the constraints of its meager budget. Not having much to spend on visual effects, Cornish wisely keeps the aliens in the shadows, and he comes up with a very specific reason for having the action contained primarily to one block (largely a couples floors of one building on that block). And he set the movie on the night the English take to the streets and shoot off fireworks in memory of Guy Fawkes, so the pops and flashes foreshadow what’s to come and also provide an explanation for why the cops are otherwise occupied.

"Attack the Block - Photo © Screen Gems

[note: this is not a Blu-ray screenshot]

The narrative is relentlessly propulsive, moving at a fierce clip from beginning to end. This isn’t the sort of movie that lazily stops in order to introduce everyone, instead fleshing out the characters as the narrative moves along. But that, I suppose, is also the sort of stuff you can ignore, because it’s just plain fun to watch a bunch of kids whose world revolves around playing FIFA and trying to dodge curfew being forced to stave off an alien invasion while armed with little more than fireworks and Super Soakers. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that Cornish milks the situation for every laugh it’s worth (I’d love to quote Frost’s explanation for the physical appearance of one of the aliens, but it’s a little dirty), giving you a joke to counterbalance every bit of gore (watch out for that decapitation) and suspense (there’s a terrific sequence in a smoky hallway that effortlessly zips from terror to horror to comedy).

The movie is just a bit too plot-heavy for its own good. There’s one subplot/character I think the story could have done without; in the end it seems entirely unnecessary and momentarily clutters what is otherwise a wisely stripped-down narrative. And some of the social commentary Cornish mixes in goes a bit heavy-handed at the end, particularly when characters start pointing out things we’ve already picked up on and don’t need explained. But I wasn’t really bothered by any of this while watching the movie and find myself even less bothered by it as I think back. I was--and still am--too bloody entertained to care.

THE VIDEO

The 2.40:1/1080p transfer--encoded with AVC onto a 50GB disc--is pretty solid, but there’s never any question that this is a low-budget flick. There’s rarely a color that doesn’t look a bit on the wan side, and there’s a slight softness to the image that seems inherent in the source but nevertheless compromises clarity and detail to a noticeable degree. Except for a couple passages in brightly lit hallways, the movie is quite dark, and while they generally hold steady, blacks occasionally crush or slide to more of a slate shade.

THE AUDIO

Lossless audio comes in the form of English and French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks. The sound design isn’t as hampered by the budget as the video, but it’s still not quite the completely raucous experience it strives to be. It is fairly raucous, though, with a nice sense of atmosphere and place, and some pleasingly showy effects (there are at least two instances where fireworks zoom toward you and then split between the surrounds as they pass). Bass action can get quite heavy, fueled by the mayhem and the hip-hop music that drives the soundtrack. Although the accents can get thick, dialogue remains clear and intelligible throughout.

No other audio options are included; English, English SDH, and French subtitles are available.

THE EXTRAS

The extras kick off with three (yes, three) audio commentaries. What’s dubbed the Junior Commentary features Cornish and cast members John Boyega, Alex Esmail, Franz Drameh, Simon Howard, and Leeon Jones. The Senior Commentary features Cornish and cast members Jodie Whittaker, Luke Treadaway, and Nick Frost. Lastly, the Executive Producer Commentary features Cornish and executive producer Edgar Wright. There’s a different focus to each, and each is informative and entertaining. 

All of the following are presented in high-definition:

Behind the Block (61 minutes) is an in-depth making-of piece, covering virtually ever aspect of the movie’s production.

Creature Feature (20 minutes) covers the creation of the movie’s alien invaders.

Meet the Gang (4 minutes) is a collection of short clips highlighting the younger members of the cast.

Unfilmed Action (5 minutes) uses storyboards to provide a glimpse at a couple of action sequences that were planned but had to be scrapped in order to bring the movie in on budget.

That’s a Rap (2 minutes) is footage of the cast improvising a rap song.

Two theatrical trailers bring up the rear.

FINAL THOUGHTS

If this cinematic year offers up a movie that supplies more sheer fun than Attack the Block, I’ll eat my hat, your hat, and any other hat you can find.