El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie [Netflix] - *Spoilers*

sky88

enjoyable enough 5 or 6 out of 10 for me

although i will say didnt feel like a movie just like 2 episodes stitched together

Acosta

sky88 wrote: »

enjoyable enough 5 or 6 out of 10 for me

although i will say didnt feel like a movie just like 2 episodes stitched together

Most of these Netflix "movies" don't in general. TV movies maybe.

steve_r

Enjoyed it, but didn't feel it was essential.

It suffered from only having Jesse, Todd, Badger and Skinny Pete as established BB characters.

I found the flashbacks a bit of a drag, a retread of old ground covered in BB. Todd is creepy but I didn't find their little journey that compelling.

I think it comes down to the weakness of the antagonists - Gus/Tuco/the twins etc were so intimidating on BB and that's part of what made they show so interesting as they were such a constant danger. The Nazis weren't as interesting and they are dead by the start of this anyway.

Both Todd and the welders aren't really that interesting in their own right and that's what dilutes this for me, the stakes never felt as high as they did in BB.

It's interesting to see the general comments online about this - loads about Todd's weight, age of the characters, the bald cap.

No-one seems compelled by the plot itself, or feels that this story closed off some major unanswered questions.

I loved being back in that world, I thought it was beautifully shot, and Aaron Paul did a great job, I just wish they had gone a different direction with the script.

RocketRaccoon

RocketRaccoon wrote: »

To the people giving 3/10,6/10 and turning it off after an hour. Can you please explain what you were wanting or expecting?

Still waiting for any sort of reply to this.

MOR316

Use of the term "bald cap" is highly amusing

MEGA BRO WOLF 5000

MOR316 wrote: »

Use of the term "bald cap" is highly amusing

I prefer bulbous cranium cap.

MOR316

Hunky Monster wrote: »

I prefer bulbous cranium cap.

Good name for a band that

Boom_Bap

Hunky Monster wrote: »

I prefer bulbous cranium cap.

Follicle challenged enhancement sheath

trashcan

Watched it last night, and while I thought it was ok I think they made a big mistake by setting right after the end of BB. The passage of time meant Jesse looked a fair bit older, Todd’s weight gain was also kinda hard to get around. I think they would have been better setting it a few years down the line, with Jesse settled into a new life. Possibly something could have emerged to throw that into jeopardy. A Saul tie in would have been great, but I suppose they want to preserve his story for BCS. So, ok, but nothing more.

The high horse brigade

trashcan wrote: »

Watched it last night, and while I thought it was ok I think they made a big mistake by setting right after the end of BB. The passage of time meant Jesse looked a fair bit older, Todd’s weight gain was also kinda hard to get around. I think they would have been better setting it a few years down the line, with Jesse settled into a new life. Possibly something could have emerged to throw that into jeopardy. A Saul tie in would have been great, but I suppose they want to preserve his story for BCS. So, ok, but nothing more.

The only problem being Todd was dead at the end of Breaking Bad, Jessie killed him

MetzgerMeister

I have to say I was really looking forward to this and while it was good, I felt underwhelmed.

It didn't have the attention-grabbing air that the series had whereby you could not get off the couch without watching one more episode. To answer a question asked previously, I've watched the whole series start to finish 6 times. The 6th time was only 3 or 4 months ago. I love it that much.

I had hoped that El Camino would touch on how Walt Jr, Skyler and Holly's lives had changed since Elliot and Gretchen went ahead with their promise to Walt, something to do with an investigation into Lydia's death and Andrea's death etc. It was nice to get closure on Walt's fate as I felt the series kind of left that open.

Anyone else think that when Jesse knocked on the door in the hotel and out came Walt that he was actually alive and it wasn't a flashback?

MEGA BRO WOLF 5000

MOR316 wrote: »

Good name for a band that

I prefer their earlier stuff. They’re gone too mainstream now.

ixoy

trashcan wrote: »

The passage of time meant Jesse looked a fair bit older

But is that not a bigger issue in BCS where all the actors are older despite being in a prequel show? I find it most noticeable myself for Giancarlo Esposito (Gus) but it doesn't throw me off.

trashcan

The high horse brigade wrote: »

The only problem being Todd was dead at the end of Breaking Bad, Jessie killed him

Yes, I do realise that. So if it had been about Jesses new life some years down the line then he wouldn't have featured, obviously.

I realise there are similar issues with BCS, but none of them struck me as being as obvious as the change in Todd, or even Jesse himself.

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

ixoy wrote: »

But is that not a bigger issue in BCS where all the actors are older despite being in a prequel show? I find it most noticeable myself for Giancarlo Esposito (Gus) but it doesn't throw me off.

It turns out a big weight difference is the thing that will distract me the most.

Talking of appearances, gotta say, I didn’t notice Bryan Cranston’s skull cap.

bodhrandude

The high horse brigade wrote: »

The only problem being Todd was dead at the end of Breaking Bad, Jessie killed him

Yeah but that was still in the timeline of the Nazi gang, they were on a weekend break and it just being Todd and Jesse, it looks like it was after Andrea's death too as Todd threatened to hurt Brock if Jesse didn't comply.

_Kaiser_

Watched it tonight and have to agree with the posters saying it was fine, but little more than that.

The flashbacks generally felt like unnecessary fan service, but I suppose without them the movie would have been the length of the average episode.

Didn't notice Walt's bald cap but Todd's weight gain and aging took me out of it a bit - not so far as to go calling it nonsense twitter-speak like "body shaming" - but they should have tried to address it somehow given the time setting.

I didn't think it added anything, but I will say I enjoyed it more than most of the previous season of BCS - now that's padding!

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

Watched it tonight and have to agree with the posters saying it was fine, but little more than that.

The flashbacks generally felt like unnecessary fan service, but I suppose without them the movie would have been the length of the average episode.

Didn't notice Walt's bald cap but Todd's weight gain and aging took me out of it a bit - not so far as to go calling it nonsense twitter-speak like "body shaming" - but they should have tried to address it somehow given the time setting.

I didn't think it added anything, but I will say I enjoyed it more than most of the previous season of BCS - now that's padding!

I didn’t really enjoy any season of BCS! I only purposely watched the first 1.5 series then realised I was finding it a drag. Just not compelling. Snippets caught when my husband watches it haven’t changed my mind.

I once read a TV critic actually apologise for not really liking BCS. What in the fuck? Since when do critics apologise?

Slydice

:eek: You missed Kim falling asleep!

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

Slydice wrote: »

:eek: You missed Kim falling asleep!

Ah shite. That could have been opinion-changing.

Skullface McGubbin

Just finished watching it and I felt a little underwhelmed by it though. I felt that they left it too late and probably would have been better as an episode right just after the official final episode.

trashcan

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts wrote: »

Ah shite. That could have been opinion-changing.

She was driving a car at the time though!!

I like BCS. It’s not as fast moving or “hooky” as BB, but it’s characters are very good. Like the relationship between Jimmy and Kim, and also Jimmy and Chuck.

Penn

trashcan wrote: »

She was driving a car at the time though!!

I like BCS. It’s not as fast moving or “hooky” as BB, but it’s characters are very good. Like the relationship between Jimmy and Kim, and also Jimmy and Chuck.

Chuck's scene in the courtroom from Season 3 is one of the best scenes from the entire Breaking Bad universe. Mike's episode from Season 1 where his history is revealed is also really magnificent.

BCS is a fantastic show. It's much slower than BB was and without as much payoff, but when it hits those highs it really is terrific TV.

MetzgerMeister

Penn wrote: »

Chuck's scene in the courtroom from Season 3 is one of the best scenes from the entire Breaking Bad universe. Mike's episode from Season 1 where his history is revealed is also really magnificent.

BCS is a fantastic show. It's much slower than BB was and without as much payoff, but when it hits those highs it really is terrific TV.

Agreed.

I think the reason it doesn't have as much of a payoff is that instead of characters like Tuco and Gus, the main antagonist is Chuck and given the fact that he is nowhere near as dangerous or psychotic or the former, the tension isn't as strong.

BCS did drag out a lot for me by way of Chuck's story, Jimmy's story etc. Mike's story though was very good and I find that I enjoy it more when they focus on the BB characters rather than Jimmy, Chuck etc.

The high horse brigade

Penn wrote: »

Chuck's scene in the courtroom from Season 3 is one of the best scenes from the entire Breaking Bad universe. Mike's episode from Season 1 where his history is revealed is also really magnificent.

BCS is a fantastic show. It's much slower than BB was and without as much payoff, but when it hits those highs it really is terrific TV.

It's too slow. I gave up waiting for it to build to something, will most likely binge watch it later and it will probably be better then.

Fago123

Surprised by all the underwhelmed reactions here, I thought it was superb and has been rattling around in my head every since I saw it.

I also find this attitude of "I didn't need it" or "a story that didn't need to be told" or "pointless" so strange. The creator/showrunner/brain behind one of the greatest shows of all time has an artistic itch and need to write and direct another chapter of a masterpiece and some people have the arrogance to shrug and say "nah, I don't need that". So weird.

Boom_Bap

I liked it, not something I'm going to watch again for a while though.


At the end of BB I was happy knowing Jessie rode off in the sunset, which is essentially the same feeling I have after watching this. Interesting to see how he got there though and the tie backs to the flashbacks. We got to see more of what happened while Walt was up north.

But he went from having PTSD in the shower to being grand way to quick for my liking.

nix

Boom_Bap wrote: »

But he went from having PTSD in the shower to being grand way to quick for my liking.

heh, he was going in and out of phases like that since the end of season 3, i think hes got a handle on overcoming crazy ****

But yeah i was a bit underwhelmed by it all, the flashbacks are where it shined, everything else in between was meh, a nice send off i guess, would have been better doing it a year or two after the show ended maybe..

Was hoping we would get to see how Skylar, Jnr and Marie were getting on..

In the end, it didnt really add much, an artistic itch? Felt more like a financial itch :pac:

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

trashcan wrote: »

She was driving a car at the time though!!

I like BCS. It’s not as fast moving or “hooky” as BB, but it’s characters are very good. Like the relationship between Jimmy and Kim, and also Jimmy and Chuck.

This is probably going to draw ire but I don’t think Bob Odenkirk is a good enough actor to carry a show. I just didn’t believe him a lot of the time in the bit of BCS I watched. And he was and is surrounded by considerable acting talent (Banks, McKean, Seehorn, Esposito etc.) and that highlights his shortcomings even more. to me.

_Kaiser_

Fago123 wrote: »

Surprised by all the underwhelmed reactions here, I thought it was superb and has been rattling around in my head every since I saw it.

I also find this attitude of "I didn't need it" or "a story that didn't need to be told" or "pointless" so strange. The creator/showrunner/brain behind one of the greatest shows of all time has an artistic itch and need to write and direct another chapter of a masterpiece and some people have the arrogance to shrug and say "nah, I don't need that". So weird.

Hang on now.... BB is one of the top shows of all time yes, but this God-like reverence that some fans have for Vince Gilligan is just bizarre

BCS has proven that he's just as capable of making missteps as anyone else. It's a decent show (mostly held together by Mike IMO) but Jimmy/Saul was a guest star/minor character that didn't really need several seasons of backstory.

The Kim character is awful I think and drags most scenes she's in, Gilligan is a bit fond of indulgent scenes to pad out running times on occasion, and as of the last season finalé, Jimmy/Saul/Mike/Gus are pretty much exactly where they need to be for BB S1E01, yet we're going to try and drag ANOTHER season out of it? Unless it skips to post-BB Saul, it's a ridiculous move.

Anyway, all my opinion, but Vince Gilligan is not immune from criticism no more than any other show/creator.