New to DVD and Blu Ray this week is the directorial debut of Joe Cornish. He was and is the Joe in the Adam and Joe show on BBC 6 Radio (a podcast well worth your time but then you already know that).

The movie takes place in a south London council estate, while the residents contend with the local gangs they are all about to reluctantly unite, to fight off an alien invasion.

It might sound a bit barmy but the concept really works, the cast are very good particularly the group of boys and I’m sure we will be seeing more of John Boyega who plays gang leader Moses. While he was researching the script Cornish spent time with youths to give his characters a real voice. It pays off as the script is top notch and punctured with humor.

Attack the Block manages that rare thing of a sci-fi-comedy-horror (Sci-Co-Ho?) fusion that’s scary and funny. Main characters are dispensed with no warning and the finale is suitably impressive. Cornish directs with flare and efficiency, the film’s 88 minute running time whizzes by but character development isn’t skimped on.

Nick Frost makes a neat extended cameo as a drug dealer named Ron and Edger Wright executive produces. The long time friends also collaborated together on the screenplay for Steven Spielberg’s ‘Tintin’ movie. Edgar and Joe rewrote Steven Moffat’s draft of the forthcoming film, which also stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

Packed with a wealth of extras Attack The Block is out now on DVD and Blu Ray and well worth adding to your collection.