I managed to avoid the hype of this film; I did look forward to it, but it was only some time after release that I remembered it and sat to give it a go. I'm sort of conflicted by it, but generally I enjoyed it and appreciated it as an epilogue to the main series. The upside of it is that it does fill in blanks around a character, story, and world, that I'm already engaged in. It does this with the high production value and engaging style that Gilligan brings to his work, and he has a great eye for space and detail. Within this though it must be said that it could easily have been an hour to do the same thing, and even what constitutes events within this film, could be argued to be padding that doesn't add much. Certainly it is far from being the impressive expansion of Better Call Saul.
The style does help this, and it uses the long pauses and space well. Paul adds a lot too, turning in a great performance throughout and producing elements not in the dialogue. Even with this though it is not an essential film, and it is not one that can be watched without having watched the series - as it does rely on the viewer being already bought into it as a world, and already having affection for the characters. If you have this though, it is easy to overlook its weaker elements, and simply enjoy it for the confidence it has in itself, and its genuine interest in its characters.
The style does help this, and it uses the long pauses and space well. Paul adds a lot too, turning in a great performance throughout and producing elements not in the dialogue. Even with this though it is not an essential film, and it is not one that can be watched without having watched the series - as it does rely on the viewer being already bought into it as a world, and already having affection for the characters. If you have this though, it is easy to overlook its weaker elements, and simply enjoy it for the confidence it has in itself, and its genuine interest in its characters.