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El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie - Discussion thread
The followup movie to Breaking Bad, focusing on the character of Jesse Pinkman after the events of the show, released on Oct 11 (PST). So, what'd you all think of it?
Personally, I really liked it. I think the notching down of tension from the later seasons of Breaking Bad was a great choice, I was really afraid it would be a manhunt movie (which it partially was in the loosest sense I suppose, there is a manhunt element present, but it's not the focus). Aaron Paul was terrific and just letting Jesse exist in a world without Walter White, just reflect on his past and try to move past his trauma was a good choice imo. Seeing Paul jump from beginner "Yeah bitch" Jesse, to beaten down prisoner Jesse, and finally to a Jesse taking command of his own life and doing whatever he can to get a fresh start was brilliant. There's a real catharsis to seeing a character so beaten down finally get a real conclusion, and to see him try his absolute best to avoid confrontation, to see him understand that the best thing to do is leave it all behind. And the scene between him and Walt, which I dreaded thinking it would be empty fan service, turned out to be a great moment. It showed Walt was in it for the recognition and power right from the start, but also there is still that legitimate relationship between the two of them, with Walt encouraging Jesse to independence and autonomy before he ends up taking control of Jesse's life, and Jesse caring about Walt's motives, unaware how selfish he was/would become. Beautifully tragic and a great bookend to both Walt and Jesse's characters.
The big hindrance I think the movie has is the welder. I think it's clear that they wanted some direct confrontation of Jesse's captors, but Todd and Uncle Jack had already been killed and so they needed to invent someone. But even then, since it is more about Jesse moving on then Jesse getting revenge, I didn't find it to be a big issue.
I liked the "Get your GED" exchange. "You were on the stage when I got my diploma." It says a lot about how Walt saw Jesse. (It's also a reminder to the audience who easily sees him as a high school dropout.)
I don’t mean to be a downer, but I feel that it doesn’t stand on its own, and doesn’t hold a candle to Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul. I think it may be that Paul is a better supporting actor than a lead.
Good, but not great.
Spoiler
Not a lot of character development. Pinkman was turned into a stone cold killer relatively quickly. Sure he went through a traumatic experience, but was that enough to cause him to kill someone for money?They showed the welder knowing about Pinkman being a prisoner, to justify the welders death, but who would let a welder know you are holding a prisoner captive? That just felt like lazy writing.
They had the same ending as the show with Pinkman driving off into the sunset, with a well publicized and highly distinctive face.
I somewhat agree, but to me it felt more like Jesse agreed to the duel because he didn't really have anything to lose. If he didn't get the money, he'd eventually be caught by the police and spend decades (if not the rest of his life) in prison. They could have had him show some more remorse after the shoot-out though.
I got the feeling they were old friends who trusted each other. Or maybe, like Saul Goodman is the lawyer guilty people hire, Neil is the welder guilty people hire, because he has a reputation for never telling the police anything.
Overall I really liked the film, but it felt kind of unnecessary. The show had a very good ending, if a bit too open for my tastes. By adding to it, I feel like they are pushing their luck a bit. If they keep adding more films and spin-off shows, eventually they'll add something that detracts from the whole.