Breaking Bad is possibly one of the biggest television series of the 2010’s, and helped create the high quality, big budget TV revolution that graces our screens today. I must admit, Breaking Bad is my all time favourite TV show, so when the news broke of El Camino, I was beyond excited!
The film picks up straight after the events of the series finally as we see Jesse Pinkman on the run from the police and trying to make his escape from Albuquerque. The film is a mix of current events and flashbacks that help to paint a picture of what Jesse went through while being held captive by the Neo-Nazi gang.
Aaron Paul returns to his role of Jesse Pinkman and takes it to a whole next level, spinning his previous performance as the character. After roughly a year of being held captive, tortured and forced to cook meth Jesse isn’t the same man we once knew; he is broken and upset, but I also feel he is relieved to be free of his hell. Paul’s performance is outstanding and a reminder of his acting ability, making you feel all of the emotions he is going through.
Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan makes his first venture into the cinematic world with this film as writer, director and producer, and it makes total sense. No one else could match the brilliant mind of Gilligan to create and continue this story. Reading “A Breaking Bad Movie” might make people think this is just going to be a 2 hour long episode, but it is far from it. The film is shot in a much more cinematic way to the TV series, and has the pacing of a feature film, but still keeps that trademark Vince Gilligan style we all know and love. If you ask me, Gilligan made the transition to film perfectly and knocked it out of the park.
All that being said, the film is obviously made for Breaking Bad fans. I’m sure it could make sense if you know the basics of the show, but it’s not really a stand alone film. It covers a little of the past, but not enough to have a real appreciation for the story being told. The film may not have been necessary after one of the best series finales on TV, but I found it was a welcome addition to the Breaking Bad universe. It was great to finally find out what happened to Jesse, and also answer a lot of questions remaining from the series.
If you’re a Breaking Bad fan and you haven’t watched El Camino yet, what are you waiting for!? If you haven’t seen the series, it’s probably best you start at the beginning, so you can fully appreciate the film for all it is.