A huge thanks to Frank Mengarelli for this wonderful El Camino review!
Six years after the finale, Vince Gilligan and company return to the world of Breaking Bad to close the story of Jesse Pinkman.
The film, with its two-hour runtime, is noticeably not nearly as taut as a single episode of Breaking Bad.
Consisting of shoehorned in cameos and narrative that is derived from events that took place in Pinkman’s captivity that wasn’t featured in the final season of the series.
More times than not, the plot and the sense of urgency conveyed around the expedited narrative begin to feel forced.
The movie plays out in a way where the story isn’t nearly as interesting as counting the cameos and waiting for certain characters to pop in.
Within the six-year gap, Breaking Bad has seemed to fall off the radar. Not just in terms of our cultural zeitgeist but also from those who had once hailed it the best television show of all time.
El Camino does what most callbacks do. They feature a main character and plop it back into a world that is built on nostalgia.
“Forced but slightly redeemed by beloved characters”
Unlike AMC’s Better Call Saul, the world within the film does not exist on its own. El Camino relies so heavily on previously featured characters that Pinkman interacted within the original series.
The film as a whole is well made. Director Vince Gilligan has not lost his touch as an aesthetically pleasing filmmaker.
But as for the story, it is worn out and overplayed. The build-up to the climax is underwhelming because all anyone who was an antagonist to Pinkman has already been killed in the final season of the series.
What’s left is his allies, flashbacks, and newly created characters. These characters feel artificial and act as a forced McGuffin to continue Pinkman’s story.
Aaron Paul is the outlier, as the film plays out as an unnecessary nostalgia trip of fan service. Perhaps, had this film been made while the show was still within our consciousness, it would have been more effective.
Paul slides right back into the role of Pinkman. Most of the actors who reprise their respective roles from the original series are fun to watch.
If you’re still a diehard fan of the show, this was made for you! But, in the end, El Camino acts as a highly polished and high rent TV movie that tries to deliver a finite ending to Breaking Bad.
Sadly it doesn’t work as well as it wants to because the original series finale was perfect.
El Camino Review by Frank Mengarelli
Summary
Coming six years after the series close, El Camino wears out its welcome quickly with a forced plot but slightly redeemed by cameos from beloved characters.
