Directed by Vince Gilligan

Starring: Aaron Paul, Matt Jones, and Charles Baker

Rated TV-MA

Six years after acclaimed TV show Breaking Bad went off the air, it still holds up in popularity. Critics and fans rave about the show, how great of a masterpiece it is. Fans were treated to a spin off “Better Call Saul”, another acclaimed show, in 2015, yet fans were still craving for more. After rumors of a Breaking Bad movie in the works, we get “El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie”. After viewing Breaking Bad and its subsequent film, fans can rejoice that we get new Breaking Bad material.

“El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie” follows Jesse Pinkman’s arc after the ending of the series finale of Breaking Bad. Spoiler alert for the show, but the last time we saw Jesse was him escaping the prison-like complex after Walter White’s rescue. Now, is it necessary to view Breaking Bad in order to understand this film? Not really, but the viewer will have a better understanding and appreciation for the characters. One can view this film without seeing the prior show and still follow the plot as there are multiple flashbacks that fill out the gaps. But this film was made for the fans of the series as there are multiple Easter eggs from the show.

As always, Aaron Paul delivers as Jesse, a man who has been beaten down, literally and mentally, and needs to pick himself up in order to move forward. The reason why Paul succeeds as Jesse is because he played that role for years and even won Emmys for his acting on the show. Paul jumps back into the role of Jesse after a six year absence and does not miss a note. The character that we loved in the series prior is in different from his show’s counterpart, as he does everything in his power to survive.

But the main star here is Vince Gillian, the writer and director of “El Camino”. Gilligan has a way of creating something riveting with the great writing and director. In a tense moment of the film, two characters are about to embark in a Mexican standoff. The intense music and camera work make this sense all the more suspenseful. It is also Vince Gilligan who decided to take a risk with this film as well. Breaking Bad is considered to have a perfect ending, so why take the risk of adding more to the ending? I applaud Gilligan for actually taking the risk and succeeding in the long run.

In a recent interview, Aaron Paul stated that he would only do this film if it was perfect. And that what this is, perfect. Not the film itself, but the story that so many viewers were waiting for. “El Camino” works best if the viewer has seen the series it came off, “Breaking Bad”. “El Camino” is great fan service to fans of the series, viewers will get great pleasure returning to the characters they love.
3.5/4