Something to watch tonight: Wednesday 11 December
Attack the Block (Cornish, 2011)
I’ve been waiting for this one to turn up locally as it is an underseen classic – and introduced the world to the force of nature that is John Boyega.
I reviewed it when it was released in New Zealand back in 2012:
It has taken ten months for Joe Cornish’s brilliant Attack the Block to make its way to New Zealand and one of the first questions will be, is there still an audience left for it considering the most rabid fans will have found – licit and illicit – ways to watch it months ago. I certainly hope there is because Cornish has produced a highly original take on a classic genre – a low-budget alien invasion movie that is thrilling, funny and socially aware.
It’s Guy Fawke’s Night and the attempted mugging of off-duty nurse Sam (Jodie Whittaker) is interrupted by a the explosive arrival of a strange creature. The leader of the young hoodlums, Moses (a star-making performance by John Boyega), manages to kill the beast and they take the carcass as a trophy, not realising that there are others following – and that they will want revenge.
Attack the Block delivers some astute social comment between the thrills. Moses believes that the monsters have been sent by the government to kill more black people – because the drugs and guns aren’t doing it fast enough – and his heroism is destined to go unrecognised in an inner city Britain where working class black youth are only ever portrayed one way.
The monsters are of the extremely low budget men-in-hairy-suits variety but the editing (by Scott Pilgrim’s Jonathan Amos) keeps them mostly out of sight for the first act after which they become extremely fast-moving and occasionally terrifying. But it’s the character aspect of Attack the Block that will stay with me – a misunderstood generation turning the tables on prejudice as well as an alien threat.
Also in that Capital Times column: the “intolerably patronising” The Women on the 6th Floor, brilliant The Lorax (destined for a recommendation here at some point), Julia Roberts in Mirror, Mirror (“nothing sizzles”) and Wrath of the Titans (which I didn’t appear to hate).
Where to watch Attack the Block
Aotearoa: Streaming on Māori+ (free with ads)
Australia: Streaming on Stan
Canada: Streaming on HollywoodSuite
Ireland & UK: Streaming on Netflix and Prime
India: Not currently available
USA: Streaming on Max
Follow-up
Yesterday, I suggested I would try and list all of the films that have shown up in major international outlets’ Best of 2024 but haven’t been released in New Zealand yet (and are not on the schedule). TL:DR - It’s a lot, which means I have to park that project for a little bit. Too close to showtime!