Blue Beetle review

BLUE BEETLE: 

BLUE BEETLE TAKES FLIGHT IN FUN DCEU MOVIE! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Xolo Maridueña in DC’s Blue Beetle

 

            An alien artifact latches itself onto a young man and transforms him into a superhero like no other in Blue Beetle, the latest installment of the DC Extended Universe (I’m still calling it that until a new title to the series is officially announced). The film is directed by Ángel Manuel Soto (Charm City Kings) and is supposedly a fresh start to the series after the extremely polarizing reactions of other films of the DCEU with little to no continuity with the earlier films. 

I should make this clear, I know hardly anything about Blue Beetle with the only knowledge I have of the character being from some of the DC video games (Specifically Injustice) and a Blue Beetle retrospective that Linkaradid a while ago. So, I’m going into this film as an outsider and enthusiast for superhero/comic book movie entertainment and I have to admit, this is not a bad introduction to the world of Blue Beetle. 

            I can’t say it’s a great film or even one of the best DC movies, but I found myself really enjoying it and getting wrapped up in its charming characters and strong family morals. It’s easily one of the DCEU’s more enjoyable cinematic outings. 

            The film follows Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña-Parenthood, Cobra Kai, Victor and Valentino), a young man returning to his hometown Palmera City after graduating college and reuniting with his enthusiastic family. While going in for his new job at multinational research and development corporation, Kord Industries a woman gives him a mysterious object hidden inside a hamburger box and urges him not to open it under any circumstances (We all know what happens next). 

            Jaime does in fact open the box and it’s revealed that the item inside is an alien device known as the Scarab which latches itself onto Jaime and creates an armored suit around him with artificial intelligence and the ability to create any weapon he can imagine. Jaime uses this new alien suit to become the powerful superhero known as the Blue Beetle and must keep the suit out of the hands of the devious Kord Industries CEO, Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon-Thelma & Louise, Dead Man Walking, Enchanted) with a little help from his family, Uncle Rudy (George Lopez-The George Lopez Show, Swing Vote, Henry Poole is Here), Jaime’s sister Milagro (Newcomer, Belissa Escobedo), father Alberto (Damián Alcázar-The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Narcos, Miss Bala), mother Rocio (Elpidia Carrillo-Predator, Nine Lives, Euphoria), and of course, Nana (Adriana Barraza-Drag Me to Hell, Cake, Dora and the Lost City of Gold). 

            The film also stars Bruna Marquezine (Breaking Through) as Jaime’s love interest Jenny Kord, Raoul Trujillo (The New World, Riddick, Sicario 1 and 2) as Victoria’s bodyguard Ignacio Carapax/OMAC, Harvey Guillén (What We Do in the Shadows, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Strays) as scientist Dr. Sanchez, and Becky G (Power Rangers(2017), A.X.L., Good Mourning) as the voice of the Scarab’s AI Khaji-Da. 

            Overall, Blue Beetle doesn’t really take superhero movies to new heights, but it’s still a fun entry in the DCEUwith a lot of charm and wholesome family moments. While the flashy superhero action and silly shenanigans are a lot of fun, it’s the family element where the film is at its strongest. 

            Granted, not every family member has the same amount of screen-time, but the actors take advantage of the time given to them and their chemistry together is genuinely sweet. The best scenes in the film are when Jaime is interacting with his family whether it’s an adorably awkward scene where they’re chanting his name while he’s on his way to his job, a very touching pep-talk between him and his uncle that’s essentially the “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility” speech, or just the lengths Jaime’s family will go in order to save him when he gets captured by the villains, you really buy them as a family and it ironically feels more natural than the “Family” from Fast & Furious. 

            What helps make the family element feel so authentic is that the performances are excellent especially from Xolo Maridueña as the Blue Beetle who is the heart and soul of the entire film. I haven’t seen much Cobra Kai, but I thought Maridueña did a great job with the character and adds a lot of charisma and likable charm to this DC hero. 

            George Lopez is also a standout as Jaime’s uncle who is very funny during his scenes while selling the more heartfelt moments as well. A huge improvement over Mr. Electric from Sharkboy and Lavagirl, wouldn’t you say? 

            Adriana Barraza is a scene-stealer as Jaime’s Nana who delivers some of the best lines in the film and fights bad guys off with a high-tech gatling gun. Can’t go wrong with an ass-kicking grandma armed with a gatling gun. 

            The action is pretty standard superhero stuff though my favorite sequence in the whole film is when Blue Beetle flies up into space and through the entire city after first getting the suit. Despite being eerily similar to the flight sequence from Iron Man, it’s a fun scene and looked great on IMAX. 

            Where Blue Beetle soars in terms of its main characters, it does somewhat take a dive in storytelling and its villains. The plot is very derivative of other superhero movies (Ant-Man, Venom, and the Iron Man movies did come to mind while I was watching it) and hits all the beats you’d expect from a film like this. 

            Susan Sarandon plays the clichéd corporate villain who despite her best efforts can’t quite make this character that interesting or unique. If anything, she makes Obadiah Stane from the first Iron Man look like Christoph Waltz from Inglourious Basterds by comparison. 

            The secondary villain, OMAC is a more interesting character who has this very fascinating backstory that’s revealed later on, and I was invested in the arc he goes through over the course of the film. However, he also falls into the trope of being the “Big, Bad Version of the Hero” during the climax and when he’s put into his own high-tech suit, he just becomes another generic villain (Again, just like Obadiah after he’s put into the Iron Monger suit), but his arc is what saves the cliché. 

            Blue Beetle probably won’t win any awards for being a comic book/superhero movie game-changer, but those looking for a good time at the movies with tons of silliness and charm with probably enjoy it. I can say with much enthusiasm that it is one of the better films of the DC Extended Universe and I’m curious to see how this character’s storyline continues in future films…if it’s successful that is.