Courtesy of DC
Blue Beetle is the next DC movie to come out this year, directed by Angel Manuel Soto, and stars Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes, a college graduate who comes home to discover that his family is struggling. As he is looking for a new job, he is asked to protect the Scrab, which chooses him to become the new Blue Beetle. Also starring in this movie are Bruna Marquezine, George Lopez, and Susan Sarandon. DC has struggled this year with its last DCEU movies. They’ve struggled since 2020 at the box office. Most of the DCEU movies have gotten mixed reviews, with only a few getting mostly positive reviews. How does Blue Beetle hold up?
Blue Beetle is one of the better DCEU movies. It’s a comic book movie that will feel familiar, but at the same time, has a lot of heart. The movie follows a similar formula that some of the solo MCU movies have followed since Iron Man. The protagonist finds technology or gets powers that they struggle to control but learns how to use it. The antagonist has technology and powers nearly identical to the hero. Despite that, the movie is more enjoyable and better than some of the MCU movies that have replicated this formula.
One of the reasons I was excited about Blue Beetle was the main star Xolo Maridueña. He is great as Miguel in Cobra Kai, and I thought he was a great casting choice for Blue Beetle. He did not disappoint with his performance. He was great as this character, playing a recent college graduate who wants to help his family and at first doesn’t want to be Blue Beetle. As the movie progresses, we see him learn how to use the Blue Beetle suit correctly and why the Scrab picked him to be the next Blue Beetle.
The Reyes family was great, and I love the dynamic with them. The other standout performance from the Reyes family was George Lopez as Jaime’s Uncle Rudy. He provides a lot of humor in the movie, believing the government is out to get people, and as shown in the trailers, believes Batman is a fascist. He also helps Jaime a lot throughout the movie.
Bruna Marquezine plays Jenny Kord, the daughter of Ted Kord and niece of Victoria Kord, who wants the Scrab for evil reasons. Her father was the original Blue Beetle before he disappeared. She gives a great performance and has great chemistry with Xolo Mariduena. Susan Sarandon as Victoria Kord is not the best villain, but she could have been a lot worse. Unlike other typical business villains, she has a reason to be upset and motivated to be the Scrab. Her bodyguard, Ignacio Carapax ,becomes OMAC, which uses similar technology to the Blue Beetle suit. Carapax has a tragic backstory that is hinted at throughout the movie, but only really explored at the end of the movie. Raoul Trujillo gives a good performance as Carapax.
The action is a lot of fun to watch, almost reminding me of the first Iron Man movie. The special effects are a lot better than the previous DCEU movie, The Flash. Both the Blue Beetle suit and OMAC suit look incredible. The movie’s soundtrack and score work for this movie. The pacing for the most part is quick, although it slows down in the third act. Despite the slower pace, the third act is entertaining. The movie knows when to be funny and when to be serious.
Overall, Blue Beetle is a solid origin story that goes back to the traditional roots of a solo superhero movie. The formula feels familiar, but the family aspect gives it a unique flavor. The villains are neither the best nor the worst. Xolo Maridueña gives a great performance. There is potential for a great Blue Beetle series to continue in James Gunn’s new DCU. Gunn already confirmed he plans to keep Xolo Maridueña as Blue Beetle. Hopefully, they continue his story arc and not soft reboot him and recast the other cast members. It’s great to see Latino Representation in a comic book movie, and hopefully, other Latino heroes get to be on the big screen.
My final grade for Blue Beetle is a B+. It’s a good superhero movie that tells a strong family story and has the potential to be more than a generic superhero movie. Sadly, this movie came out at the worst time, with DC rebooting and an actor’s strike happening, which prevented promotion from the movie’s stars. Please check out Blue Beetle it’s worth seeing in theaters.
What are your thoughts on Blue Beetle? Let us know in the comments below.
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