parkermatthew-00111

I understand why the final third of this movie is divisive. It spends much of its time during the first hour delivering a fast-moving, exciting sci-fi thriller, but amongst the excitement are clues that will reward the viewer for their attention.

I enjoyed that it managed to deliver some pretty intense action without much preamble, yet finished in a way that invites interpretation and thought. It doesn't finish neatly, but requires you to consider what's just happened and why. This lack of conclusiveness is clearly enough to make some simply write off the entire thing, but this kind of movie is not for them.

In the end, this is a story about grief, loneliness, redemption, and an alien invasion. It's not perfect, but if you're somebody prepared to be open to what you're watching, you'll enjoy it much more than many reviews will have you believe.

This docu-movie is the latest entry into the ugly movement of loud, self-aggrandising American evangelicalism.

As anyone with a passing awareness of the history of this culture will understand, it is far removed from a scriptural reflection of Christianity. Instead, it places culture ahead of fellowship, church doctrine ahead of holiness, and shouty pseudo-celebrity preachers ahead of Jesus.

Predictably, this project seeks to be an experience for the viewer rather than simply a watch. It tediously but methodically ticks the boxes that have come to define this brand of church, cherry picking bible passages in an attempt to justify cheap, feel-good heresy. Most notably, demonic possession is the tool by which it dabbles in spiritual woo strategies to frighten but assure the more malleable viewer.

One leaves something like this with pity for those who will inevitably be caught up in this kind of abject nonsense. Spirituality for the hard of thinking.

Almost mirroring Davis's career with each new show she makes, every episode of Camping is worse than the one before, ending in sexual assault, disability and domestic abuse all played for laughs, except there are no laughs to be found. The word "dark" is predictably trotted out to cover for lazy writing.

By now, her shows have become Davis-by-numbers. Create damaged, dislikable characters and bring them to the very edge. While I'm sure it's fun to write, it's frustrating for the viewer, because it always starts genuinely funny with lots of potential. But Davis can't manage to write with nuance and depth, so she turns grotesque up to maximum, going for the "fearless" accolade.

Her best work has always been when somebody else has written for, or with, her. Left to her own devices, you get Camping, which only serves to highlight poor writing.