This is a review of a film based on the television series Breaking Bad. Since the film is a continuation of the series, there will be Breaking Bad spoilers in this review. Reader discretion is advised.

We were all sad when Breaking Bad finished, but I can’t imply that I wish it went on for longer. That simply wasn’t the case. The fate of Walter White made perfect sense. However, it was still sad to say goodbye. Well, creator Vince Gilligan has taken the absolutely precise measures to extending this modern television lore without spoiling what he’s already created. His spin off Better Call Saul is a drastically different show that takes place in the same universe and utilizes many familiar faces. Years later, we now have El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, which is an epilogue to the show. This was Walter White’s show, after all. What about Jesse Pinkman: the troubled kid that was roped into all of this? Pinkman was a bad apple, sure, but no one deserves what that kid went through.

Well, El Camino is here to provide an afterthought. This is absolutely a film that’s meant only for people that have watched the entire show. Otherwise, this plays like a two hour stand still. Who is this guy? What does all of this mean? Why does this character matter? There are a few new characters, but this is without question meant to wrap up the show for good. No, Walter White isn’t alive. El Camino hammers that final nail in the coffin quite early on. Again, it’s Jesse time. No more scapegoating. No more abuse. These are the last words of a delinquent that has been through hell and back, and finally wants to make his life head in the right direction.

Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman: continuing his strong work as the troubled character.

El Camino is blatantly a few tasks being fulfilled at once. Firstly, this is a continuation of the story, as the entire film stems from the last season (and episode) of the series. Unlike the Downton Abbey film, which acts as a one-off with the usual suspects, El Camino is an actual progression of the narrative. Things change after you’ve seen this film. There aren’t any twists that make Breaking Bad a drastically different experience, but we do get what feels like a literary chapter to end things off for Jesse. Secondly, this feels like a “thank you” to Aaron Paul from Vince Gilligan. Somehow, some of television’s strongest performers have not quite found the type of work I had expected them to get once their shows wrapped up. Tatiana Maslany has been grossly under-utilized since Orphan Black finished (that show is similarly getting a one-time additional send off, this time in the form of an audio book). John Hamm isn’t getting as many strong leading roles since Mad Men completed. Then there’s Aaron Paul, who may have gotten the shortest end of the stick of all. The poor guy has had zero luck since Breaking Bad, and it’s simply not fair.

Well, Paul has the podium (provided by Netflix), and he showcases a two hour acting marathon. There are monologues, the facing of adversity, the balancing of character development shifts between time leaps, and all of the show’s previous weight upon Paul’s shoulders once more. The story itself is a simple “This is how things were. This is how they’re going to be from now on.” confrontation, from a snapped mind that cannot take manipulation or abuse for any longer. Jesse on the show was clearly misguided well before he was hired by Walter White to take part in the drug trade. Here, you see many glimpses of how he’s actually not a bad person: he just makes bad decisions. We do see these parallels often in the show, but El Camino is stuffed with them.

I do admire how the pacing, shooting, and even the dialogue (aside from a couple of f-bombs) is very close to how Breaking Bad was. It allows El Camino to actually feel like a sister film, and not a full on production that happens to be based on Breaking Bad. It’s as if this was a part of the series all along (but a larger budget was approved). Gilligan and gang work small here, with a measly 6 million dollar budget. All that’s needed is some sharp dialogue, some minor narrative tangles, and Aaron Paul to use this as a sport combine event to prove his worth (and hopefully get drafted). If this isn’t further proof of Paul’s capabilities, I don’t know what is. Outside of this purpose, El Camino is a jar containing a few flashes of the glory Breaking Bad once was. It isn’t stronger than the best episodes, but it’s far from anything that can be considered a “worst” (especially in such a solid show’s run). El Camino fits right in, just like Jesse Pinkman on the run. You won’t get anything out of this outside of closure, and a character like Jesse (and an actor like Aaron Paul) sure deserves it.

Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.