Attack the Block

Yet another in the long line of enjoyable yet ultimately unsuccessful comedy-horrors, Attack the Block’s sheer volume of comedy completely overwhelms the horror element.

The story manages to sabotage itself right from the off – the first thing that happens is that the aliens land, and gets murdered by a group of inner city ‘yoofs’. Suffice to say, this proves important later – but the fact the monsters are revealed so soon removes any tension from later, scarier scenes.

You could argue that it is a comedy/monster flick, but even then it falls down, as the creatures are under-designed, presumably with the intention of making them scarier.

There is, however, redemption to be found in the film’s wonderfully funny script – zingers and odd-ball goofs abound, with the stand-out being Luke Treadaway’s lost and slightly confused stoner. Funny but hardly scary, so you don’t need to bring the safety blanket.

(Sorry about the shortness. Was imposing a word-limit on myself. Huzzah!)