It’s time for some more Science Bitch with the arrival of The Breaking Bad Movie: El Camino!
The long-anticipated sequel sees a return to the world of the hit tv show Breaking Bad after wondering what happened to Jesse in the shows final few moments over six years ago.
Throughout this video I’m going to be breaking down everything that you need to know about the new film El Camino and it’s ending. There’s gonna be heavy heavy spoilers here so if you don’t want anything about the film ruined then I highly recommend that you turn off now.
Make sure you stick around until the end of the article for my review and with that out the way, thanks you for clicking this, now let’s get into our breakdown of El Camino!
El Camino Plot Recap
The movie opens with a flashback of Jesse talking to Mike before the latter’s death in which they discuss what freedoms they will soon have once they’re out the game and where they should go. The scene is pivotal to the movie and it instantly sets up the aesthetic that Jesse will do whatever he can to get away to the life that he worked so hard for. It’s the real driving force, pun intended, of this road movie and due to the sentimentality laced within the opening you as a viewer are really rooting for the character to get away.
The Story then picks up immediately after the events of the final episode of Breaking Bad Season Five Felina with Jesse just escaping Jack and his crew’s lab having being saved by Walt. Hunted by the police who are hot on his tail right from the off there’s an intense feeling throughout as we watch Jesse using all means necessary to escape the long arm of the law. This film is laced with close calls, seemingly endless Police Convoys and there are a few narrow escapes by the skinny Pete of his teeth.
Luckily, Jesse drives better than a blind guy with no legs and he even though they’re hot on his tail he still manages to stay one step ahead a lot of the time.
Is Walter White Still Alive?
Now the big question on everybody’s lips in the lead up to this is ‘did Walt really die in the finale or is he still alive?’ Though the prior trailer answered this pretty definitively, there’s still been a lot of speculation as to whether he will return for the special. El Camino once more confirms that yes, Heisenberg is indeed dead though it takes a long time getting to it, not dropping a full report until we are half an hour in. Cranston does return in a flashback in the latter part of the movie which I’ll get into later but he doesn’t come back in some big blaze of glory.
Whilst some fans may be disappointed by this, in my opinion actually raises the stakes a lot more as we realise that Jesse is the only person that we can root for and thus his story becomes even more engaging.
Jesse suffers from PTSD due to his time in captivity and from the off Aaron Paul absolutely nails the portrayal of a fractured man, on the brink of collapse that must keep it together. It perfectly laces flashbacks throughout the narrative that flesh out just how torturous life was for Pinkman whilst Walt was living it up in the Wilderness….sort of.
El Cameos
There are appearances by the aforementioned Mike, Jesse’s parents, Fat Damon and many more that remind you of the slave labor that Jesse was forced into at the hands of his captors.
It also reintroduces characters such as the junkyard dealer, Skinny Pete and Badger, making it feel like this is a world we never left and it’s awesome seeing their return. It’s a real trip down memory lane but at its heart is Jesse, a broken man just wanting to get away. We get the sense that he is desperate to survive, going from a man that refuses to even point a gun at Todd to then aiming two at apparent policemen in order to get one more minute of freedom. They turn out to be criminals too and they split the money three ways where we also learn that they work for Kandy’s welding, which was the company that added to Jesse’s prisons and also were complicit in his torture.
Jesse eventually makes it to the Vacuum Guy, who, as we learned from the original series is capable of moving high-risk targets across state lines. However, he refuses to, due to Jesse owing him for the no show last time and being short, by 1800 dollars for a new wipe. Pinkman is forced to go back to his heavy surveilled parents in order to get a gun so he can go to Kandy’s and get the money. After asking nicely fails to work, Jesse goes into a fast draw with the owner, shooting him from his pocket and killing the other criminal that was pretending to be a policeman.
El Camino: Walt’s Return
Jesse takes their money destroys the company responsible for his torture, and we get our flashback of Walter which is probably the big money shot that everyone has been waiting for. It’s a real heart to heart in which the promise that all of Walt’s wrongdoing wasn’t for nothing and that his family will get all of the money that they’re owed once he’s gone. It also hints towards Jesse’s future with Walt suggesting that he goes into business marketing after college as he has the skills and know-how to do it.
Even though Walt and Jesse had a rocky relationship, which is exemplified by this conversation, we do get the feeling that Walt really did have his best interests at heart and that he wanted him to do well once everything was over.
El Camino Ending Explained
With this reminder and now the money, Jesse is able to go to the vacuum guy and be transported up north to Alaska which was paid lip service to in the opening conversation with Mike and Jesse. With the new name Driskell, Jesse can start a new life and start again. He gives the Vacuum Guy a letter to Brock Cantillo, who many will remember was the son of Jesse’s girlfriend that was killed in Season 5 and Jesse Remembers Jane, his other girlfriend who died and remembers the promise that they had to run away and start a new life together. Jane stated that, similar to Jesse she had gone where the universe took her entire life and that it’s better to make those decisions for yourself and we end with Jesse on the road, heading out to start something new.
It’s a great ending that perfectly mirrors the end of Jesse’s escape from captivity at the end of Season 5 and let’s us know that this time he is finally free.
El Camino Review
But what did I think of the film? Well personally I absolutely loved it and though I was initially worried that this would ruin the perfect finale for the show, it developed it in several ways that made it a gripping watch. El Camino is unbelievably tense at some points and the show is laced with so much paranoia that it makes it an edge of your seat watch at several instances.
The policeman scene was nail-biting throughout and each actor here really brings their A-Game. Jesse Plemons who plays Todd in the movie really knocks it out of the park and watching him almost treat Jesse like a pet whilst innocently discussing how he murdered innocents that learned too much really fleshes out his character in an awesome way.
He would steal every scene that he’s in if it was for the excellent portrayal of Jesse once more by Aaron Paul, this is the best acting that I’ve ever seen from him and he pretty much goes through every emotion with ease, perfectly conveying a man who is completely on the edge. It’s outstanding to watch and I really cannot stress enough just how much he delivers in this role, absolutely knocking it out of the park at times with his portrayal.
El Camino is an amazing watch that, whilst slow paced at points, feels very intentional in order to build atmosphere and tension making it breathtaking to watch. In full 4k with Dolby Vision, the movie looks absolutely incredible and it’s actually worth the upgrade if you have the right set up at home. The use of light, darkness, and detail all come together to paint this as a grim world with moments of hope throughout the seemingly neverending bleakness.
Though I was hesitant at returning to this world, I’m so glad that Vince Gilligan and Netflix decided to take one more shot at this world and it’s a devastating, whilst also empowering end for one of TV’s most memorable characters. This had the potential to either end up like Felina or be more like The Fly episode and thankfully it’s the former that the film lands in.
This is the perfect wrap up once more and Vince Gilligan has once more added to his universe, all whilst creating something that’s fresh, new and engaging.
El Camino had me absolutely gripped from beginning to end and this is by far the one to watch this weekend. It’s absolutely required viewing and if you aren’t caught up with the show or haven’t even watched an episode yet then you need to go back and work through it in order to get to this.
El Camino is brilliant and that’s why it gets a…
9/10
Your Thoughts
Now obviously I’d love to hear your thoughts on El Camino and if you enjoyed it as much as I did or if you were let down by the film. Comment below and let me know!
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