Fucking hell, Joker. I thought you were going to cause a stir, not a fucking tsunami. It's been a while since I've seen a film release with this divisive a reception, with people on one side showering it with praise as an artistic masterpiece and a refreshing representation of mental illness, while others decree it as incel hate porn just waiting to inspire a killing spree. Even The Last Jedi had a more agreeable reception than this! To write a review would be a brave, but surely polarising move, guaranteed to set someone off no matter what side I come down on and opening the door to fierce and chaotic debate.
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ahem
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ahem
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So did anyone else catch El Camino this month? You know, the feature-length supplement to Breaking Bad that Vince Gilligan's been threatening to make for a couple of years. Breaking Bad, the high-emperor of TV drama, a series often lauded as one of the most expertly-crafted television shows of all time with a solid ending with just the right amount of ambiguity sprinkled in. So how best to disturb the peace than to tack on an extra ending that tries to remove some of that ambiguity. This is like building a worryingly holey but nonetheless stable Jenga tower and seeing if you can balance your pint on top.
El Camino picks up where the series finale Felina left off, with Jesse fleeing the scene of Walt's last stand in the titular car, his goal now to escape from his old life before the law can catch up with him. Breaking Bad was very much the story of Walter White, and so while it's not unreasonable that Felina focused almost entirely on closing his story, Jesse was still the series deuteragonist with an arc arguably just as important as Walt's, and yet on reflection he never really got quite the same closure as he deserved. So in that respect, El Camino is a surprisingly welcome addition to the series, that aims and nicely succeeds at giving Jesse his equivalent ending.
What I like about El Camino is it isn't too ambitious, in no way does it try to overwrite the ending of Breaking Bad, only build upon it. El Camino mainly sticks to filling in the gaps between the final two episodes during Walt's exile, with interesting details that nicely flesh out a bit more of Jesse's time in slavery without retconning anything. In that way, the film is kinda inconsequential, none of the plot has any real grand effect on the ending of Breaking Bad, and only offers additional character insight and world-building, but at the same time that's why the film still works, by deliberately not trying to tread on Felina's toes, it neatly slots in with the series.
Of course, it's pretty much impossible to make a sequel like this without it having any impact on the original, and while El Camino does a good job of avoiding that kind of conflict, we do have to inevitably sacrifice the ambiguity of Felina's ending. Jesse's ultimate fate was left somewhat up to interpretation in the series, and Heisenberg's was pretty strongly implied, but El Camino clarifies both quite indisputably, which might offer some closure to those desperate for it, but I think ambiguity often makes an ending stronger and invites a sense of audience interactivity that can help ensure the longevity of a good story. People still talk about the whispered words in Lost in Translation, and yet a sequel dedicated to revealing them would be ill-advised, to say the least.
And while Breaking Bad's ending wasn't that reliant on ambiguity, El Camino takes away what little it did have. The upshot to this is that since El Camino is really more of an appendix rather than an essential new chapter to the story, a story that has fared perfectly well without it for six years, the viewer can essentially decide how they like their ending. Leaving it at Felina gives them a juicy, open-ended medium-rare while adding El Camino turns it into a complete well-done. And I guess for maximum ambiguity, just stop watching at Granite State and have yourself a rare.
Unfortunately, I've got to put away the Breaking Bad fan hat now and don the curmudgeonly old film critic hat, because really a film judged on its own merits should stand alone, and this is a stand-alone film, not just a bonus episode. It's right there in the rather unimpressive title; El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie. A weak blow I'll concede, what's in a name after all, and I suppose it doesn't really matter what they called it, everyone knows exactly what this film is. They could have called it 'Jesse Pinkman's Fantastic Journey' and it wouldn't have made much difference. I guess it's the smugness I object to, the attitude of "yeah, you guys are going to be allll over this no matter what so why even try coming up with a better title".
It's difficult to say exactly, being well familiarised with the series already, but it figures that to a fresh viewer, a lot of El Camino won't make much sense without any prior knowledge of Breaking Bad. Netflix helpfully offers an optional recap before you play the film for those who haven't revisited it in a while, but those who haven't seen it at all will still probably be confused by characters such as Todd, Badger and a couple of other spoilery ones who appear or are mentioned without any real reintroduction. Ultimately, this is a film made especially for Breaking Bad fans and doesn't have much scope to entertain outside of that audience.
"Really, Nick? A Breaking Bad spin-off movie won't appeal to people who haven't seen Breaking Bad? What an insightful observation, is this you flaunting your film education to it's fullest extent? Do go on."
Alright smartarse, my point is that unlike other TV spin-offs like the Star Trek movies or even something like Better Call Saul, El Camino can't really be enjoyed as it's own entity, and flat-out requires knowledge of the series to understand what's going on to any significant degree, best watched back to back with Felina, while other spin-offs can often be enjoyed in isolation, being a potential entry point for new fans that may eventually be directed back to the original series, whereas El Camino would just confuse them. And while that is usually a frownable offence for a film, I suppose that's asking El Camino to be something it's not, and no-one's really going to be stumbling upon this out of the blue with no concept of what it is. And I mean really, who hasn't seen Breaking Bad in this day and age? Still, it would be remiss of me not to at least mention it, and I suppose the bottom line is I can't see people re-watching this film much outside of the context of a whole series binge.
There's honestly not that much else to say about El Camino. Essentially a double-length episode of the series, it doesn't stand alone but then it's not really trying to. Vince Gilligan' writing is just as good as it's always been, the acting, especially from Aaron Paul, is top-notch, the cinematography has the same ingenuity and beauty the series is known for, and despite what was a longer runtime than I expected for this kind of thing, it's nicely paced and doesn't overstay it's welcome. If you liked the show, it's well worth checking this one out, but if you're not that bothered you're not missing out on anything groundbreaking.
While I was dubious about the premise of a Breaking Bad sequel, Gilligan has pulled it off nicely, but I would advise him to quit now while he's ahead. A series as lauded as Breaking Bad is a dangerous thing to try and make a sequel to. Better Call Saul worked as a prequel, and El Camino was arguably a fluke but I'm not convinced another sequel will work out as well. Let's stop now before this becomes another Star Wars, a bloated franchise with spin-offs and sequels pouring out of every orifice to the point that the original is almost indistinguishable underneath. It would be terribly ironic for a series about greed to be done in by its own, and I'd take no pleasure in having to point out that irony if such an eventuality occurred.
Ha! What am I saying? The day I stop enjoying my own smugness is the day I stop reviewing!
El Camino - 2019 - Vince Gilligan - USA
Score: 8
Recommendation: Medium
El Camino picks up where the series finale Felina left off, with Jesse fleeing the scene of Walt's last stand in the titular car, his goal now to escape from his old life before the law can catch up with him. Breaking Bad was very much the story of Walter White, and so while it's not unreasonable that Felina focused almost entirely on closing his story, Jesse was still the series deuteragonist with an arc arguably just as important as Walt's, and yet on reflection he never really got quite the same closure as he deserved. So in that respect, El Camino is a surprisingly welcome addition to the series, that aims and nicely succeeds at giving Jesse his equivalent ending.
What I like about El Camino is it isn't too ambitious, in no way does it try to overwrite the ending of Breaking Bad, only build upon it. El Camino mainly sticks to filling in the gaps between the final two episodes during Walt's exile, with interesting details that nicely flesh out a bit more of Jesse's time in slavery without retconning anything. In that way, the film is kinda inconsequential, none of the plot has any real grand effect on the ending of Breaking Bad, and only offers additional character insight and world-building, but at the same time that's why the film still works, by deliberately not trying to tread on Felina's toes, it neatly slots in with the series.
Of course, it's pretty much impossible to make a sequel like this without it having any impact on the original, and while El Camino does a good job of avoiding that kind of conflict, we do have to inevitably sacrifice the ambiguity of Felina's ending. Jesse's ultimate fate was left somewhat up to interpretation in the series, and Heisenberg's was pretty strongly implied, but El Camino clarifies both quite indisputably, which might offer some closure to those desperate for it, but I think ambiguity often makes an ending stronger and invites a sense of audience interactivity that can help ensure the longevity of a good story. People still talk about the whispered words in Lost in Translation, and yet a sequel dedicated to revealing them would be ill-advised, to say the least.
And while Breaking Bad's ending wasn't that reliant on ambiguity, El Camino takes away what little it did have. The upshot to this is that since El Camino is really more of an appendix rather than an essential new chapter to the story, a story that has fared perfectly well without it for six years, the viewer can essentially decide how they like their ending. Leaving it at Felina gives them a juicy, open-ended medium-rare while adding El Camino turns it into a complete well-done. And I guess for maximum ambiguity, just stop watching at Granite State and have yourself a rare.
Unfortunately, I've got to put away the Breaking Bad fan hat now and don the curmudgeonly old film critic hat, because really a film judged on its own merits should stand alone, and this is a stand-alone film, not just a bonus episode. It's right there in the rather unimpressive title; El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie. A weak blow I'll concede, what's in a name after all, and I suppose it doesn't really matter what they called it, everyone knows exactly what this film is. They could have called it 'Jesse Pinkman's Fantastic Journey' and it wouldn't have made much difference. I guess it's the smugness I object to, the attitude of "yeah, you guys are going to be allll over this no matter what so why even try coming up with a better title".
It's difficult to say exactly, being well familiarised with the series already, but it figures that to a fresh viewer, a lot of El Camino won't make much sense without any prior knowledge of Breaking Bad. Netflix helpfully offers an optional recap before you play the film for those who haven't revisited it in a while, but those who haven't seen it at all will still probably be confused by characters such as Todd, Badger and a couple of other spoilery ones who appear or are mentioned without any real reintroduction. Ultimately, this is a film made especially for Breaking Bad fans and doesn't have much scope to entertain outside of that audience.
"Really, Nick? A Breaking Bad spin-off movie won't appeal to people who haven't seen Breaking Bad? What an insightful observation, is this you flaunting your film education to it's fullest extent? Do go on."
Alright smartarse, my point is that unlike other TV spin-offs like the Star Trek movies or even something like Better Call Saul, El Camino can't really be enjoyed as it's own entity, and flat-out requires knowledge of the series to understand what's going on to any significant degree, best watched back to back with Felina, while other spin-offs can often be enjoyed in isolation, being a potential entry point for new fans that may eventually be directed back to the original series, whereas El Camino would just confuse them. And while that is usually a frownable offence for a film, I suppose that's asking El Camino to be something it's not, and no-one's really going to be stumbling upon this out of the blue with no concept of what it is. And I mean really, who hasn't seen Breaking Bad in this day and age? Still, it would be remiss of me not to at least mention it, and I suppose the bottom line is I can't see people re-watching this film much outside of the context of a whole series binge.
There's honestly not that much else to say about El Camino. Essentially a double-length episode of the series, it doesn't stand alone but then it's not really trying to. Vince Gilligan' writing is just as good as it's always been, the acting, especially from Aaron Paul, is top-notch, the cinematography has the same ingenuity and beauty the series is known for, and despite what was a longer runtime than I expected for this kind of thing, it's nicely paced and doesn't overstay it's welcome. If you liked the show, it's well worth checking this one out, but if you're not that bothered you're not missing out on anything groundbreaking.
While I was dubious about the premise of a Breaking Bad sequel, Gilligan has pulled it off nicely, but I would advise him to quit now while he's ahead. A series as lauded as Breaking Bad is a dangerous thing to try and make a sequel to. Better Call Saul worked as a prequel, and El Camino was arguably a fluke but I'm not convinced another sequel will work out as well. Let's stop now before this becomes another Star Wars, a bloated franchise with spin-offs and sequels pouring out of every orifice to the point that the original is almost indistinguishable underneath. It would be terribly ironic for a series about greed to be done in by its own, and I'd take no pleasure in having to point out that irony if such an eventuality occurred.
Ha! What am I saying? The day I stop enjoying my own smugness is the day I stop reviewing!
El Camino - 2019 - Vince Gilligan - USA
Score: 8
Recommendation: Medium
