Attack the Block (2011)

While talking to her mum on her cell phone, pretty nurse Sam (Jodie Whittaker, from Venus) wanders down the wrong street in South London. A group of black teens in masks -- led by Moses (John Boyega) -- mugs her, but their task is interrupted when something strange falls from the sky. It turns out to be an alien, and the teen thugs decide to find it and kill it. Unfortunately this act inspires revenge from above, and soon the neighborhood is under attack by an increasing number of angry beasties. By a strange twist of fate, Sam unexpectedly finds herself teamed up with Moses and her former muggers -- as well as a couple of oddball pot dealers -- facing off against the aliens. Can this ragtag band find a way to defeat the invaders and save the earth?

Cornish's main theme is perception: not only how humans perceive the aliens, but also how humans perceive each other. But the film's canny commentary is cleverly hidden in an onslaught of gore, sly humor, and even some good old-fashioned stoner humor. Exciting, entertaining, and rewarding, this movie has everything except a huge summer marketing campaign. Edgar Wright, the director of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, co-produced.