Seeing the Sights

Okay, so yesterday I went to the cinema, on the basis that there are so many good movies out there right now I had to go see at least one of them. I am, for the most part, a fan of British indie film, peeling away from the greedy Hollywood corporations and making movies they want to watch. Edgar Wright is a man who captures this truly British filmmaking spirit well, particularly in his latest offering, Sightseers.

 In short, it's about murder. Tina and Chris are a couple at odds: Tina has led a very sheltered life, staying with her mother who berates her, for causing the death of her beloved dog Poppy; Chris is a caravan  enthusiast straight out of Jeremy Clarkson's nightmares, fawning over rare and expensive caravans and visiting such places as the Crich Tram Museum. 

The sights, however, are only a backdrop, quaint little scenes in which Steve Oram and Alice Lowe can kill and maim with joyful abandon.

It starts off innocently enough, with a man being run down as he steps behind the reversing caravan ("He's ruined the  tram museum for me now," Chris moans), but the violence quickly escalates, and though his role in this is only as a producer, Edgar Wright's dark style shines through with every blood-splattered scene. 

The whole film has that awkward English charm: Chris and Tina bicker like an old married couple throughout the film, everyone they meet is of the same middle-class stock, the whole thing feels as quaint as the settings in which the murders take place. The entire film feels like Alice and Steve sat down and wrote whatever they thought sounded cool or fun. There are parts of it where you can almost hear one of them saying "ooh! It would be really funny if we did that!" as it goes on. And with the range of people Chris and Tina meet on their journey, it's easy to find yourself sitting in your seat wondering, "who's next?"

It's a good film, often artistically shot and with a great backdrop to these gruesome murders. Which is why it pains me to say: wait for it to come out on DVD.

I liked it, it was good fun and even scary in places, but watching it on a giant screen doesn't do it justice, except perhaps in the fourth-wall-breaking straight shots of Chris and Tina's faces. It's a small movie, and when I was watching it I felt like I'd enjoy it more if I were lounging on the sofa at home with friends or family. At the cinema it feels almost like a let-down; the scope is small, and it feels too personal for the big screen.

So Sightseers; a delightful, dark romp through quaint English countryside, but it's a little small for the big screen. Oh, and never go on holiday with Steve Oram or Alice Lowe.