The biggest media talking point of Ángel Manuel Soto's Blue Beetle has been its cultural and representational breakthroughs. Written, directed by and starring Latinx filmmakers and actors, it's a film that wears its cultural specificity as a badge of honour, standing in bold contrast to its DCU contemporaries — which have largely avoided associating characters with any sort of ethnic identity. Yet, for as much as Blue Beetle breaks barriers, it never attempts to break the mould.
The all-too-familiar story centres on college student Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) who lives with his lively family in the fictional Palmera City — which is also the headquarters for the evil Kord Industries, run by Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon in what is arguably her worst performance) who hopes to launch a Robocop-esque police system called OMAC: One Many Army Corps.
The sinister plan hinges on a scarab-like gadget developed by Victoria's now-absent brother Ted, which drops into Jaime's hands after he bumps into Ted's daughter Jenny (Bruna Marquezine). Superhero hijinks ensue after Jaime mutates into Blue Beetle when the scarab fuses with his body, transforming him into a weapon powered by an Iron Man-like AI that protects him against Victoria with a varied arsenal of superpowers.
Blue Beetle is at its best when it prioritizes its warm, fuzzy and inviting portrait of Jaime's family, a group that is as eclectic as it is lovable. The troupe features Jaime's hard-working parents (Damián Alcázar and Elpidia Carrillo), conspiracy-hawking uncle (George Lopez, the film's sole asset), bratty — and, at times, sorely unfunny — sister (Belissa Escobedo) and zestful grandmother (Adriana Barraza). In the moments where the family takes precedence, the film begins to pop with authenticity and personality.
The dynamic of the Reyes family is one that feels better suited to a sitcom than a superhero movie, but its obligation to the latter traps Blue Beetle in an unsatisfying space between a full-fledged superhero movie and a serviceable sitcom. As a result, the film's emotional, familial core is stifled. Even when Soto's vision finds itself in the heat of action, it's lit and shot like a bland network comedy. It's an experience that fails to excite and invigorate, stalling at moments that should have been its most triumphant.
It's rare to have a comic book movie make audiences wish that the titular superpowers never entered the fray, a desire that's constantly amplified by the lacklustre action choreography, eye-rolling amounts of slow-mo and virtually non-existent stakes.
Unlike other DCU entries, Blue Beetle features little reference to other DC heroes ("Batman's a fascist," exclaims Jaime's uncle at one point), and it seems to be refreshingly free of the need to fit into a grand master plan. Instead, the film feels more confined than ever due to the formulaic good-versus-evil origin narrative it encases itself in — especially when it gratingly clings to pearls of wisdom like, "Everybody has a purpose" or "My family is what makes me strong."
Like the worst iterations of the MCU, Blue Beetle also falls back on comedy to round out the experience, but none of it lands. While there are a few good one-liners sprinkled throughout, the ceaseless interjection of comedy into intense situations is exhausting and confounding, especially when the family continues to wisecrack mere moments after a key figure's death.
No family member is ever given the space or time to develop as anything more than comic relief or as vehicles for exposition delivery. They manifest as run-of-the-mill characters, something that's emblematic of the emptiness that sits at the centre of Blue Beetle.
Even the artificial intelligence inside Jaime fails to muster any sort of personality, instead operating as a cold, detached assistant that undergoes a sudden change of heart during the conclusion. Susan Sarandon's portrayal of Victoria is the ultimate cartoon parody of a villain, while Raoul Trujillo's Carapax is a lumbering hunk of metal given a mawkish, last-minute arc that's too little, too late. Xolo Maridueña's take on the titular hero also leaves much to be desired, as he renders Jaime too saccharine and polished, with very few failings to make him the least bit relatable.
Blue Beetle is a hollow, uninspired recycling of superhero tropes. Every idea, both significant and inconsequential, is lifted from works that are just as formulaic and tired as it is.
(Warner Bros. Pictures)The all-too-familiar story centres on college student Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) who lives with his lively family in the fictional Palmera City — which is also the headquarters for the evil Kord Industries, run by Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon in what is arguably her worst performance) who hopes to launch a Robocop-esque police system called OMAC: One Many Army Corps.
The sinister plan hinges on a scarab-like gadget developed by Victoria's now-absent brother Ted, which drops into Jaime's hands after he bumps into Ted's daughter Jenny (Bruna Marquezine). Superhero hijinks ensue after Jaime mutates into Blue Beetle when the scarab fuses with his body, transforming him into a weapon powered by an Iron Man-like AI that protects him against Victoria with a varied arsenal of superpowers.
Blue Beetle is at its best when it prioritizes its warm, fuzzy and inviting portrait of Jaime's family, a group that is as eclectic as it is lovable. The troupe features Jaime's hard-working parents (Damián Alcázar and Elpidia Carrillo), conspiracy-hawking uncle (George Lopez, the film's sole asset), bratty — and, at times, sorely unfunny — sister (Belissa Escobedo) and zestful grandmother (Adriana Barraza). In the moments where the family takes precedence, the film begins to pop with authenticity and personality.
The dynamic of the Reyes family is one that feels better suited to a sitcom than a superhero movie, but its obligation to the latter traps Blue Beetle in an unsatisfying space between a full-fledged superhero movie and a serviceable sitcom. As a result, the film's emotional, familial core is stifled. Even when Soto's vision finds itself in the heat of action, it's lit and shot like a bland network comedy. It's an experience that fails to excite and invigorate, stalling at moments that should have been its most triumphant.
It's rare to have a comic book movie make audiences wish that the titular superpowers never entered the fray, a desire that's constantly amplified by the lacklustre action choreography, eye-rolling amounts of slow-mo and virtually non-existent stakes.
Unlike other DCU entries, Blue Beetle features little reference to other DC heroes ("Batman's a fascist," exclaims Jaime's uncle at one point), and it seems to be refreshingly free of the need to fit into a grand master plan. Instead, the film feels more confined than ever due to the formulaic good-versus-evil origin narrative it encases itself in — especially when it gratingly clings to pearls of wisdom like, "Everybody has a purpose" or "My family is what makes me strong."
Like the worst iterations of the MCU, Blue Beetle also falls back on comedy to round out the experience, but none of it lands. While there are a few good one-liners sprinkled throughout, the ceaseless interjection of comedy into intense situations is exhausting and confounding, especially when the family continues to wisecrack mere moments after a key figure's death.
No family member is ever given the space or time to develop as anything more than comic relief or as vehicles for exposition delivery. They manifest as run-of-the-mill characters, something that's emblematic of the emptiness that sits at the centre of Blue Beetle.
Even the artificial intelligence inside Jaime fails to muster any sort of personality, instead operating as a cold, detached assistant that undergoes a sudden change of heart during the conclusion. Susan Sarandon's portrayal of Victoria is the ultimate cartoon parody of a villain, while Raoul Trujillo's Carapax is a lumbering hunk of metal given a mawkish, last-minute arc that's too little, too late. Xolo Maridueña's take on the titular hero also leaves much to be desired, as he renders Jaime too saccharine and polished, with very few failings to make him the least bit relatable.
Blue Beetle is a hollow, uninspired recycling of superhero tropes. Every idea, both significant and inconsequential, is lifted from works that are just as formulaic and tired as it is.
