El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie - Nathan's Review

For six years, fans of Breaking Bad have been asking non-stop: "What happened to Jesse?" The show left things a bit open-ended for him and left us wondering if he truly got out of the life of crime or if he was caught. Obvious spoiler warning for anyone who hasn't watched Breaking Bad or at least hasn't watched it all the way through.

El Camino picks up exactly where the show left off. We see Jesse happily speeding away as he's finally been freed from captivity by Walter White's last stand. He ducks a couple cops and finds himself on Badger's doorstep, asking for help. Jesse's goal is to find a way to escape the authorities and live a quiet life somewhere where he can make things right.

"Sorry, kid, that's one thing you can never do," says Mike in a flashback. Jesse aims to prove him wrong.

I have absolutely nothing negative to say about the film. No "this could have been better" or "they left us with more questions". None of that. El Camino perfectly tied up Jesse's story, for better or worse depending on how you look at it, and gave the story a definitive end.

Aaron Paul was spectacular in his role. It's like he never truly quit being Jesse, just went on a six-year hiatus. I loved seeing cameos from some of our favorite characters in flashbacks. From Mike to Badger to Walter, the film touched on all the bases. Some might say this was fan-service, and it may well have been, but the way it was written and integrated into the film was perfectly well-done.

I can't divulge whether the ending was happy or not for Jesse, as I feel revealing that would be theft in a way, taking away the very thing that made the journey worthwhile in the first place. Trust me when I say, though, that it's fitting. Vince Gilligan created a masterpiece with the show and has once again created a masterpiece with the film. It's been a crazy ride and I applaud Mr. Gilligan for creating one of the best shows of all-time.

In conclusion, if you were a fan of the show, you won't be disappointed in the film. It's available for streaming on Netflix now. I give El Camino a 4 out of 4.