El Camino : Un film Breaking Bad

Thank you Vince for rising from your slumber to give us a second breaking bad finale that was still better than game of thrones.

Here's a honest review. It's solid but not great. It tells the story of what happens to Jesse following the events of Breaking Bad and what he needs to do to try and flee the town. If you're expecting the high octane drama of Breaking Bad, it's not here. It's a suspenseful slow-burn that left me feeling like I didn't get what I was expecting. Cool little story about Jesse, but not the fireworks that is Breaking Bad. And definitely not a 10/10 that all these moochers are giving it.

That's how you need to look at this film, it's an epilogue to "Breaking Bad." Though not needed this film is a wonderful final journey for the character of Jesse Pinkman (and Aaron Paul at his best) as well as a good moment of closure for fans as well as Vince Gilligan. If looked at on its own you'll find a nice crime thriller with great undertones of drama, and that's all you really need from this story.

Lenny Kravitz knew best ... Music reference aside, this movie continues from where Breaking Bad left us. So suffice to say that this was made for fans of the show. And I will assume that you have seen the TV show, therefor do not read on, if you haven't.

The very last episode of Breaking Bad seemed to round things up. Almost all loose ends were tight up. Especially when it came to Walter White. And what was Breaking Bad if not a show about a teacher who became this bigger than life villain? Well Aaron Paul had something to say about that. And since his character had something to offer us still ... the creator of Breaking Bad felt he could satisfy the need from fans to have more.

And for fans the movie is filled with little pieces of callbacks and nice references. Not to mention some flashbacks with some of our favorite characters (to hate). So yes I do understand if some feel this undermines the end of the actual TV show, but that would be missing the bigger picture (no pun intended). Yes there was not an absolute need for this movie, but what it does is expanding on the ending and giving us something that transcends the TV show and may even elevate it - not to mention get many people to rewatch the original series ... even more so than Better call Saul made them do it (a show I haven't watched yet) ...

I managed to avoid the hype of this film; I did look forward to it, but it was only some time after release that I remembered it and sat to give it a go. I'm sort of conflicted by it, but generally I enjoyed it and appreciated it as an epilogue to the main series. The upside of it is that it does fill in blanks around a character, story, and world, that I'm already engaged in. It does this with the high production value and engaging style that Gilligan brings to his work, and he has a great eye for space and detail. Within this though it must be said that it could easily have been an hour to do the same thing, and even what constitutes events within this film, could be argued to be padding that doesn't add much. Certainly it is far from being the impressive expansion of Better Call Saul.

The style does help this, and it uses the long pauses and space well. Paul adds a lot too, turning in a great performance throughout and producing elements not in the dialogue. Even with this though it is not an essential film, and it is not one that can be watched without having watched the series - as it does rely on the viewer being already bought into it as a world, and already having affection for the characters. If you have this though, it is easy to overlook its weaker elements, and simply enjoy it for the confidence it has in itself, and its genuine interest in its characters.