ⓘ Details

Movie TitleAttack the Block

Release DateUK release: May 11, 2011 / U.S. limited release: July 29, 2011

TaglineInner City vs. Outer Space

Runtime88 minutes

DirectorJoe Cornish

Screenplay Written ByJoe Cornish

Based OnOriginal screenplay

Is It a Remake?No. Attack the Block is an original British science-fiction comedy horror film.

BudgetApproximately $13 million / £8 million

Box OfficeApprox. $1.0 million domestic / Approx. $6.3 million worldwide across releases

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👥 Main Cast

John BoyegaMoses

Jodie WhittakerSam

Alex EsmailPest

Franz DramehDennis

Leeon JonesJerome

Simon HowardBiggz

Luke TreadawayBrewis

Jumayn HunterHi-Hatz

Nick FrostRon

Sammy WilliamsProbs

Michael AjaoMayhem

Paige MeadeDimples

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🏆 Awards

⭐ IMDb lists the film with 19 wins and 39 nominations.

⭐ Los Angeles Film Festival Winner — Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature.

⭐ Saturn Awards Nominee — Best International Film.

⭐ NAACP Image Awards Nominee — Outstanding International Motion Picture.

⭐ British Independent Film Awards — Recognition included nominations connected to Joe Cornish and John Boyega.

⭐ Austin Film Critics Association Winner — Best Original Score for Steven Price and Basement Jaxx.

⭐ No Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA Film Award, or Saturn win was verified for the film.

⭐ Its biggest legacy is cult status: a sharp, funny, creature-feature breakout that helped introduce John Boyega to global audiences.

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📖 Short Plot Summary

On Guy Fawkes Night in South London, nurse Sam is mugged by a teenage gang led by Moses, only for the crime to be interrupted by something far stranger: an alien crash-landing. After the boys kill the first creature, larger, faster, pitch-black monsters with glowing teeth descend on their council estate. Trapped inside the block with Sam, stoner Ron, hapless Brewis, and local drug dealer Hi-Hatz causing problems of his own, Moses and his crew must defend their home from an invasion they accidentally escalated — and Moses has to decide what kind of man he wants to become.

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❝ Key Quotes

“Allow it.” — Moses

“This is too much madness to explain in one text!” — Pest

“What kind of alien, out of all the places in the whole wide world, would invade some shitty council estate in South London?” — Dimples

“One that’s looking for a fight.” — Dennis

“Trust, bruv.” — Moses

“We’re the only ones who know what’s going on. We’re the only ones who can stop it.” — Moses

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💡 Trivia

Director

Attack the Block was written and directed by Joe Cornish.
The film marked Joe Cornish’s feature directorial debut.
It was also John Boyega’s feature-film debut.
Cornish reportedly developed the idea after being mugged in South London and later imagining what would happen if an alien invasion interrupted a street crime.
The film mixes creature feature, urban comedy, sci-fi action, horror, and social commentary without losing its fast 88-minute pace.
Cornish interviewed young people from youth groups to learn what weapons they might use during an alien invasion, helping shape the film’s street-level survival details.

Cast / Casting

John Boyega stars as Moses, the gang leader whose arc takes him from intimidating street kid to reluctant hero.
Jodie Whittaker plays Sam, the nurse who begins the film as a victim of the gang but becomes one of the block’s key survivors.
Nick Frost plays Ron, the weed-room caretaker who adds slacker comedy to the alien chaos.
Luke Treadaway plays Brewis, the nervous outsider who picked a very bad night to visit the block.
Alex Esmail, Franz Drameh, Leeon Jones, and Simon Howard play Moses’ core crew: Pest, Dennis, Jerome, and Biggz.
Michael Ajao and Sammy Williams play Mayhem and Probs, younger kids trying way too hard to be part of the action.

Soundtrack / Score

The score was composed by Steven Price and Basement Jaxx.
The soundtrack combines electronics, grime, hip-hop energy, orchestral tension, and John Carpenter-style synth atmosphere.
The score was Steven Price’s first proper film score, according to Price’s own project notes.
Basement Jaxx’s Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe helped bring a distinctly UK electronic sound to the film.
The soundtrack was released by Decca Records in May 2011.
The music gives the block a pulsing, night-raid intensity, making the alien attacks feel both scary and street-level cool.

Location

The film is set on a South London council estate on Guy Fawkes Night.
IMDb lists filming locations including Heygate Estate in Southwark, London, Islington, and Three Mills Studios.
The film was shot across London from March to May 2010.
Production included several weeks of night shoots on the Heygate Estate in Elephant and Castle.
Other reported London locations include Myatts Field in Brixton, Oval Underground station, and Bemerton Estate in Islington.
The real South London setting gives the sci-fi monster story a grounded “this is happening right outside your flat” feel.

Behind-The-Scenes

The film was produced by StudioCanal, Film4, the UK Film Council, and Big Talk Pictures.
The production budget is commonly listed at around $13 million / £8 million.
The alien creatures were created with performers in suit-based creature designs, enhanced in post-production.
The monsters’ black, light-absorbing fur and glowing teeth gave them a bold, graphic look that stood out from more detailed CGI-heavy aliens.
The film features more than 100 visual-effects shots.
The film earned a cult following after limited theatrical exposure, helped by word of mouth, home video, and later appreciation for John Boyega’s breakout performance.

Nostalgia

Attack the Block has become one of the standout cult sci-fi comedies of the 2010s.
The movie feels like Goonies, Gremlins, Assault on Precinct 13, and a South London creature feature all smashed together with fireworks.
John Boyega’s Moses became a major “who is this guy?” breakout role years before Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
The movie’s slang, speed, and neighborhood specificity give it a voice that feels very different from polished Hollywood alien-invasion movies.
For fans, the phrase “inner city vs. outer space” still perfectly sells the entire premise.

Easter Eggs

The alien design flips the usual creature-feature approach: instead of showing lots of detail, the monsters are almost pure silhouette, fur, teeth, and movement.
The Guy Fawkes Night setting lets fireworks, smoke, and street chaos hide the invasion in plain sight.
The tower-block siege structure gives the film a contained, video-game-like progression as the characters move through corridors, lifts, flats, stairwells, and rooftop spaces.
Moses’ name gives the character a mythic charge, especially as he becomes the figure who leads others through danger.
The film’s “block vs. aliens” setup later made sequel talk especially appealing because the world feels bigger than the one night we see.

Misc.

Attack the Block is rated R in the United States.
Box Office Mojo lists the film under the alien-invasion genre keyword and gives it an 88-minute runtime.
Rotten Tomatoes lists Joe Cornish as director and highlights John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker, Alex Esmail, Leeon Jones, and Simon Howard in the cast.
Deadline reported in 2021 that Joe Cornish and John Boyega were set to reunite for a sequel in development.
Your 3 Guys and a Flick ratings page lists the episode as Episode 210, with Don rating it 3.50, Ken rating it 3.75, Jon rating it 3.25, and an overall rating of 3.50.

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