'Breaking Bad' spin-off movie 'El Camino' lands to solid reviews
The Breaking Bad spin-off movie El Camino arrived on Netflix on Friday, and it looks like we can probably all relax.
The reviews are now in, and it appears that show creator Vince Gilligan has nailed it, though it may appeal more towards the devoted fandom.
Rotten Tomatoes currently has the feature length postscript, which picks up Jesse Pinkman's story after the violent conclusion of the series finale, Felina, shown back in 2013, at 94% “fresh”.
Writes Vanity Fair: “It's as torturous and nerve-racking as any Breaking Bad episode, with bursts of nostalgia that will catch any fan off guard and remind them of what made the show so good.”
Read more: Breaking Bad fave to return for El Camino
Per Rolling Stone: “When you have Vince Gilligan operating near the peak of his powers, and taking the time to fix one of the few things the show didn't get quite right, it makes for one hell of an entertaining gift.”
The Atlantic reckons the movie “lives up to Breaking Bad's legacy of propulsive storytelling. The film is a visceral, ruminative, and emotionally satisfying epilogue.”
While the RT score might suggest it's all plaudits, some reviews have caveats to throw in.
“El Camino is a sumptuously shot, totally entertaining, somewhat needless, but sure-why-not elaboration of what has come before,” reckons Slate.
“El Camino may not hit the highs of the show, but it's definitely not unpicking its legacy either. For fans, it'll be tucked away in a Netflix crawlspace, waiting to be rediscovered,” says Time Out.
“El Camino didn't need to exist – but for fans who craved extra Jesse Pinkman in their lives, it hits the spot,” says the Telegraph.
And meanwhile, some weren't particularly impressed at all.
Deadline says: “No need to go into a subtextual read or get caught in the minutia, but El Camino is a script that should have stayed a dream and nothing more.”
El Camino is streaming now on Netflix.
