by Afra Nariman

El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)

Director: Vince Gilligan

Stars: Aaron Paul, Jesse Plemons, Charles Baker, Matt Jones, Robert Forester, Jonathan Banks

REVIEW:

An entertaining enough closing of the chapter for Jesse’s character, but lacks in many of the areas that made the show what it was; namely it’s build-up of prolonged suspense, it’s back-and-forths between various well-written and interesting characters (many of which either aren’t in the film or aren’t given much screen time — though this is understandable given the story at hand), and lastly, the genuine unknown that we knew awaited us if we just kept watching Breaking Bad. 

Regarding that last point; while there still is a slight feeling of unknown throughout, the suspense is not there as it is in the show, and the potential unknown never pays off. There are short-lived moments that exercise some suspense, but the suspense fails to last from one scene to the next. This shortcoming heightens the decreased stakes for the characters even more; partly due to the fact that because this is a separate, “farewell” film to Jesse — a character whose story felt open-ended after undergoing a torturous final act in the TV show — we all but know that it will end well for him here. We don’t panic when he runs into trouble. The stakes just aren’t there as they are in the show, and the film doesn’t build up enough lasting suspense throughout to make up for it. The film ultimately doesn’t go anywhere new; but relying mostly on nostalgia, it does just enough to close the chapter on Aaron Paul’s Jesse.

MY RATING /5:

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