The main bulk of the reviews I read comprised of everyone complaining about how thick the British accents were for the main characters. My thoughts? Challenge! Also, Nick Frost (who everyone should know as one part of the Shaun of the Dead / Hot Fuzz / Paul duo) is the only name actor in it. Give it some good reviews, hard to find release in theaters and a free Redbox rental and I'm renting it!
Of course, as soon as I popped the disc into the player, I couldn't remember what it was about. Zombies? Aliens? Bullies? What kind of a film was it that I was getting myself into? Is it an independent film? Is it a cheap British film? Is it even worth watching?
Yeah, I watched it.
I found out easily enough that the movie revolved around a group of hoodlum kids in the ghetto-like section of a British town. It started out with a woman being mugged by these teenagers and instantly, I disliked the kids. But, something fell from the skies, crashing into a car and obviously, this was perfect for the gang to try and rip off the car. Only, whatever fell from the sky was alive in the car, scraped the gang leader (Moses) and ran away. Naturally, the rest of the gang needed to kill the fallen animal. Thus, starting a chain reaction.
First off, the movie is British. No big deal in my world. Either I've watched enough programs with cockney British accents or the past reviewers had too much built up earwax, either way, I understood these characters easily even when they were speaking quickly and throwing in slang. So, the language barrier was not a problem. But it was my biggest pet peeve that past reviewers were upset at the lack of subtitles. The kids speak English, why do you need subtitles?!
Anyway, I disliked the main character of Moses very much. He was a rough kid who led his gang of 15 year olds through the streets of their block. However, I very much grew to like the kids by the end of the film. So, that's got to say something for the story! The movie is not deep or heartfelt, but it has character. The premise is fairly unique after the "aliens are invading the block" sort of way. Because, really, it went deeper than that. And you don't know how deep until near the very end when you realize why all of these people are getting picked off. I liked it.
Sometimes in films, you know they throw stoners into the film just because that is their target audience. Not so much in this case. Nick Frost is in the film to give it some recognition...and it's how the movie industry works. And, I'll admit, that's one of the reasons I picked it up. Not saying that his name means anything to whether or not a movie is good, but it gives the film some credibility. But, he played Ron, a guy who lived in this apartment on the top floor, sold weed to the kids and worked for this big wannabe rapper-type thugs. Everything had a purpose in this film. The brief mentioning of the "Weed Room" was tied back later, the geeky awkward drug buyer who wanted to be cool but really wasn't had a reprisal and most notably, the woman they mugged in the first interaction (Sam) had a big part. It was great to see how the movie was well done.
The film revolved around this gang at first trying to kill all of the aliens that landed in the second wave but realizing that the second wave of aliens were more terrifying. The gang members began to have their own personalities throughout this stage of the film and I genuinely liked two of the characters. It was a small cast with the handful of gang kids, a click of girls, Sam the mugged woman, the drug dealer and his posse, the two little nine (and a half) year old kids, Ron and the guy who bought the drugs...in addition to a crowd and cops.
So, aliens? Yes, aliens. And not your typical aliens either. They were "gorilla size" monsters, "blackest of the black" color with thick black fur and no eyes or ears. Only teeth. Huge teeth that could take a huge bite out of someone's leg. But the really cool part was that the teeth looked almost clear with blue fluorescent lights behind them. The budget went into making those teeth stand out. And those little bits were really impressive for the film, making it non-hoaxy-stupid or cheap. It was simple.
Overall, it was a good film. The last action sequence had me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly went through a cycle with these characters. I started out fresh without any knowledge of the film, hated the main characters, was annoyed by them as they progressed, but by the end (before their big conclusion) liked them. And I was not the only one. A main character had the same stages of thought.
The movie was not overly exciting or Hollywood budget. It was not limited as an independent either. It felt as if the characters were real and the situation could be somewhat believable. It was definitely worth the time and money. See it if you can...if you like aliens and British movies. It's only a matter of time before Hollywood tries to recreate this.
Would I go see it again? Yes.
Would I buy it? Doubtful.
Would I recommend it? Already have.
Rating: 7
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