ATTACK THE BLOCK

Never let it be said that the UK is always second fiddle to the US... Just because Hollywood says that their cities are the only ones worth invading, doesn't mean that the invading alien hordes have heard of this or agree with them!

Admittedly, Cornish's debut appears to be a one trick pony - South London hoodies vs aliens in a turf war that only The News Of The World would bother to report on - but it turns out to be less shallow than that.

Here, the balance is eventually redressed of recent Brit/European flicks that have depicted "youths" as horror-inducing, terror-inflicting, bad-grammared individuals. Cornish introduces the anti-heroes as just that - a group that mug a defenseless single woman who unknown to them lives in their own block - but through the events of one night, they show solidarity, inventiveness and courage... albeit with a lot of cussing!

For those of you who are easily swayed by taglines such as "From the producers of..." it is you who will probably be more disappointed than anyone else. This is not another Shaun Of The Dead or Hot Fuzz so don't expect an out-and-out comedy. Although it is in the same league as them, Attack The Block is more an action adventure flick with great comedy rather than the other way round. It's more in the ilk of a film from the likes of John Carpenter than Edgar Wright.

Everything is kept simple which helps the movie to keep its one-trick pony premise charming - the effects of the aliens are simplistically effective, the characters aren't over-drawn and the touches that appeal to British audiences are littered everywhere: you'll want to dig out that Go-Go Pizza menu and ask them to deliver to you asap. Believe it.

UK release date: 11.05.11

Certificate: 15