Attack the Block (2011)

Comedy, Action, Sci-Fi

Director: Joe Cornish
Writer: Joe Cornish
Starring: Jodie Whittaker, John Boyega, Alex Esmail, Leeon Jones

"Inner city vs. outer space."

A teenage street gang face an invasion of savage alien monsters in inner city London.

A low-income housing project in Brixton is turned into a sci-fi battleground, after a group of local tough street kids come across a meteorite-like object crashes in their neighborhood. It turns out to be a cocoon of sorts, out of which a small creature emerges. The gang manage to kill it but are soon faced with a problem when even more such objects crash nearby, and soon they find themselves up against creatures that are far larger and a lot scarier than the one they previously faced.

Despite a relatively low budget and a no-name cast (one of the protagonists is John Boyega, Finn in Star Wars - Episode VII, in his big screen debut), Attack the Block mixes gore and British humor in the proper ratio, making it an noteworthy and entertaining addition to the alien action genre. It apparently managed to gather quite a following, that set it on a course of becoming a cult classic.

Plot summary from IMDb: Attack the Block follows an unlucky young woman and and a gang of tough inner-city kids who make an unlikely alliance to try to defend their turf against an invasion of savage alien creatures, turning a South London apartment complex into a war-zone.

Awards: Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 23 wins & 28 nominations.
Runtime: 88 min
R