‘Attack the Block’ hilarious and exhilarating

In the audacious sci-fi action-comedy ‘Attack the Block’, British comedian-turned-director Joe Cornish fuses alien-invasion epic with coming-of-age drama, spikes it with heavy doses of irreverent humor and wry social commentary, and serves up a cinematic concoction unlike any glimpsed on this side of the Atlantic in quite some time.

The action centers on a gang of excitable, hoodie-clad street kids, all hailing from the same south London council estate, whose interests include hip hop, videogames, marijuana, and larceny.