Blue Beetle Movie Review

Superhero shows are everywhere. They are inescapable. There are always shows based on Batman, Spiderman, Avengers, Justice League, etc.,. Then, last week, another one arrived in the form of the Blue Beetle – a superhero that I’ve never heard of until I started seeing the previews for this year’s flick Blue Beetle directed by Angel Manuel Soto. Now that I’ve watched that film, I can say that I’m glad that I did because even though it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it certainly stands out from other superhero movies with its emphasis on heritage and family.

Blue Beetle is about Jaime (pronounced Hi-may) Reyes (played by Xolo Maridueña) and how he becomes the titular superhero. An alien scarab chooses the recent college graduate to be its symbiotic host, providing him with a suit of armor that’s capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers. This forever changes his destiny.

Like I said before, I never heard of Blue Beetle until this film came out this year. I did some research, and it turns out that Jaime is the third person to have done the suit since the character first appeared in the DC Universe in 1939. The other two are Dan Garrett and Ted Kord, whose suits actually appear in the flick while Jaime, Jenny (Ted’s daughter and played by Bruna Marquezine), and Uncle Rudy (played by George Lopez) explore Ted’s lab. This is a nice and clever way to acknowledge the Blue Beetles who came before the current one.

The flick itself is not particularly innovative, which is not necessarily a bad thing in this case. While watching it, I noticed that it took elements from other superheroes films from the last 5-10 years. There always has to be romance even if it’s not all that necessary. In this film, it’s between Jaime and Jenny. The latter’s aunt (played by Susan Sarandon) runs Kord Industries and is the main antagonist, but Jenny wants nothing to do with the company, especially ever since her father’s disappearance. I get her involvement since she is the reason why the scarab gets into Jaime’s hands, but I don’t know if the romance was all that necessary. They could’ve developed a friendship based on justice and family. The sibling relationship between Jamie and his younger sister Milagro (played by Belissa Escobedo) is very reminiscent of that between T’Challa and his sister Shuri in the first Black Panther movie, mainly how annoying, blunt, smart, and loving the women are. It was still entertaining to see the siblings interact, especially when they are on the rooftop. 

There are also tropes that are present in the film that audiences have definitely seen before. For example, there’s a scene between Jaime and his recently deceased father Alberto (played by Damián Alcázar), in which the latter convinces the former that it’s not his time while the superhero is on the brink of death. I’m sure there are many people who have watched similar scenes in other flicks like Black Panther. In another example, the grandma Nana (played by Adriana Barraza) is a sweet old lady, but with a colorful past. The latter comes out when the family comes to rescue Jaime from the villains. Again, people have seen this before, but I enjoyed how Adriana fully commits to the part, especially when she yells, “Down with the Imperialists!” in Spanish.

 Despite not being reinventive, Blue Beetle still has many things going for it: the Latine heritage and family. This film marks the first time that a Latino superhero has been depicted on screen, which Soto doesn’t take lightly. The Latine experience is depicted in multiple ways in the flick. This ranges from the poor, but colorful neighborhood, in which the Reyes reside in, to the acknowledgement of systematic racism that Jaime and Milagro endure even though he has a college degree. My favorite is the soundtrack, which features plenty of Latine-inspired songs including “Tú Serás Mi Baby” – Spanish version of “Be My Baby” – by Juvented Crasa, which plays during a party thrown by the evil corporation Kord Industries with Latine waiters.

The strongest element that the movie has going is the theme of family. Jamie’s means everything to him even if they drive him up the wall. Also, they may or may not inadvertently had a hand in the scarab choosing him. Besides that, what makes this work is the chemistry among the cast. They are insanely believable as a family because of how comfortable they are around each other, and the best scenes involve them in some form. In addition, there’s a villain named Carapax (played by Raoul Max Trujillo) who taunts Jaime by saying that family makes him weak. Later, Jaime discovers Carapax’s backstory, which involves his own kin and how he was abducted into war. This gives him understanding as well as the courage to say to the antagonist that family is what makes him strong and not to kill him. In addition, one of the first shots of the movie is of the necklace containing a photo that Carapax wears. It’s later revealed that the picture is of his own family.

Because this is a superhero film, I have to talk about the performances. Xolo Maridueña, who is best known for his television work in Parenthood and Cobra Kai, is fine as the titular character. He has some charm and works best with the actors who play his family as well as in scenes where Jaime is struggling with his powers. If Blue Beetle gets a sequel, I would like to see him grow into the suit, uh I mean character. The standout performer of the movie is George Lopez, who plays the anarchist eccentric Uncle Rudy aka the Mexican Doc Brown. He infuses Rudy with elements from his standup comedy and surprisingly with a lot of heart. Also, I dig his long beard; it really suits the character.

All in all, while Blue Beetle may not be the most original superhero flick, it stands out in all the right places. Since it’s the first movie with a Latino superhero, the film embraces its Latine heritage in every way. It’s also at its most powerful when family is involved. It uses a lot of tropes from other movies, yet it executes them in a delightful way. I would recommend this movie to those who love superheroes, DC Comics, and flicks with a Latine lead and themes about family. I went into watching this film knowing nothing about Blue Beetle himself, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying it.

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