SPOILER ALERT!
“El Camino” is the epilogue to Emmy award winning and critically acclaimed AMC drama “Breaking Bad”.
The movie picks up right where “Breaking Bad” left off. Fan favorite Jessie Pinkman is escaping his imprisonment from neo-Nazis whom were holding him as a prisoner and forcing him to cook methamphetamine.
Now Jessie is on the run from the police.
The strongest part of the film is the character development. It features great established characters from “Breaking Bad” such as Skinny Pete, Badger, Todd Alquist, Jessie of course and cameos from Mike and Heisenberg himself Walter White.
“El Camino” feels like a very long episode of “Breaking Bad.” However, it is very well paced. The film cuts between Jessie’s time as a captive to the present where he is a fugitive and is desperately trying to get out of the country.
The movie is filled with suspense. You are left on the edge of your seat as Jessie is laying low and trying to get as much money as he can to get out of the country.
Writer and Director Vince Gilligan does a great job of setting the tone and making it feel like any other episode of “Breaking Bad.”
Aaron Paul gives a great performance as Jessie. The character has a slightly more aggressive and decisive feel to him, but still is the same genuine kindhearted, paranoid, meth dealer that we’ve come to know and love.
There were only a couple of small issues that I had with the movie.
First, I felt that we didn’t need this movie. I felt that the ending of “Breaking Bad” was the perfect ending; Walt meets his demise and Jessie Pinkman drives away, finally free from captivity and free from Walt. No one was asking for what happened to Jessie.
Second, there were a few continuity errors.
First was that you could tell that Bryan Cranston who plays Walter was wearing a bald cap when they flashed back.
Seeing the actor portray the character for five years, I’ve come accustomed to seeing Walt’s bald head and I noticed right off the bat that something was different.
Also, Jessie Blevins who Todd, is noticeably heavier than he was in “Breaking Bad.” His scenes in “El Camino” were supposed to be set during the time of “Breaking Bad.” I realize that these are minor details, but they were very noticeable and took me out of the movie a little bit.
“It was awesome to be able to get back into the “Breaking Bad” universe; although it wasn’t as good as “Breaking Bad,” it was still very good,” said Nicholas Salguero, 23, journalism major.
I admit I am a sucker for Aaron Paul as Jessie Pinkman. I love this character so much. Just the way he walks and talks to people, and to see how far he has come since the season one of “Breaking Bad” is really amazing.