In the film’s opening, a woman (Jodie Whittaker) is mugged and roughed up by a gang led by the charismatic Moses (John Boyega, in his film debut). It’s a tough scene and the challenge set up and met by the story is to get you to ultimately see Moses as a hero. That requires Moses to own up to his crime and to understand his bad behavior is seen as a positive example from the other neighborhood kids that look up to him. It’s a big ask, but it works because John Boyega has a deep likability at his core. It works because the script doesn’t let him off easy. It works because this is also the night some gnarly aliens decide to invade Moses’ neighborhood, and the people who live here look to him for survival.
The creature design is unusual. They look like faceless gorillas with teeth that glow in the dark. (A visual well deployed for a few hair-raising shots.) First time director Joe Cornish shows great confidence balancing terror and comedy and Moses’ journey of maturity. The kids like to act tough and sometimes it works, but just as often is shrivels under attack. There are a number of good encounters with the aliens set to a stylish score by composer Steven Price (Gravity, Scott Pilgrim) and the electronic group Basement Jaxx.
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