El Camino
It occurred to me while re-watching El Camino that everything that happens after the credits roll would’ve made a much more interesting movie. That’s not to say El Camino is bad, it’s just lackluster when compared to the greatness of the TV series that preceded it. The film, like many movies today, is unnecessary, released at an awkward time in relation to the original material. All the actors have aged and everyone feels a little too different to play these characters again.
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie continues the story of Jesse Pinkman, picking up seconds after the last time we saw him in the Breaking Bad finale.
There are two types of sequels: the ones that are released immediately after the original and then the “twenty-year sequel” released after the material has become nostalgic for a grown-up audience. El Camino is neither of these sequels. Breaking Bad has been over for six years, and Better Call Saul (a much different show) has been airing for the past four years. All this results in El Camino feeling unexpected and wholly unnecessary. The material just isn’t fresh, the audience has moved on and the original series hasn’t had the time to mature.
Last we saw Jesse he had escaped from the neo-Nazi drug dealer compound and was driving off ecstatically yelling. The insinuation is that he is now free and would remain so, it was left to the imagination what happened next. El Camino starts at this moment, with freedom, then puts a series of obstacles in his way, and then ends with him driving and free to do whatever. What was there that NEEDED to be told? Unfortunately, nothing. the only thing that has changed is the mystery of how he escapes the police is no longer a mystery. The film feels like an exercise in nostalgia and fan service. It’s a great example of how sometimes not explaining everything is the best route.
The biggest issue is that Jesse starts and ends the film in much the same place. While the seeds of a character arc are planted in the beginning, they are quickly dropped for a series of random quests to get money and flashbacks that only add surface-level information. We needed a character study on Jesse coping with the trauma of his captivity. We got hints of that but what we really got was an odd genre mismatch crime, western, nostalgia thriller.
The fact of the matter is that El Camino was enjoyable the first time I watched it. It was nice to be back with these characters. Seeing all the old places and familiar faces was wonderful, and that was enough. But it was a hollow experience. Upon a second viewing everything seemed too dull to care about, the sheen of nostalgia had worn off and what was left wasn’t enough to satisfy. The film assumes you already love Jesse and want to see him escape, it never bothers to reestablish why we should be rooting for him. If Vince and company approached the movie from a more stand-alone perspective, I think it would’ve been a better experience all round. El Camino relies too much on familiarity with Breaking Bad, those who have forgotten much of the series might be lost at parts and not as invested in the story as they might’ve been if a more universal approach was taken.
Upon reevaluation, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul tend to stand up and maintain high levels of engagement on repeated viewings. In both shows character comes first, they are about change and character growth. That’s what makes them so engaging to watch. The stakes are constantly being raised and the characters are constantly having to adapt and change. This movie, for whatever reason, doesn’t have any of that.
The one redeeming factor is the Vince Gilligan and company are still on the top of their game on every other level. Moment by moment, great directorial choices are being made and the visually intelligent cinematography saves this movie from being a bad experience. On a technical level, it’s as good as Breaking Bad and I do recommend El Camino to any fans of the series. Just don’t watch it twice or think about it too much. It was nice to see everyone again one last time; I just wish there could’ve been more of a real story to tell along with that.