Get ready for the third movie in the DC Extended Universe this year. After Shazam! Fury of the Gods and The Flash underperformed at the box office, this cinematic universe is holding out for a hero with Blue Beetle. This movie stars Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes, a recent college graduate who finds himself in possession of an artifact known as the Scarab. The Scarab enters his body and turns him into a superhero named the Blue Beetle. This is another serviceable, entertaining superhero movie that offers a lot of fun moments.
In a climate where superhero movies and shows are everywhere, it can be a challenge to see what makes one unique. How does this movie stand out above the others? This is the first DC movie to star a Latino character in the lead, and it does so excellently. The script from Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer brings a lot of cultural details to the project. He spends a lot of time endearing you to the Reyes family. They are supportive, overbearing, and you find yourself attached to nearly all these characters. Family is at the center of this movie, and the way they support Jaime leads to funny moments and emotional ones too.
Blue Beetle also tackles themes of gentrification and immigration. There is one particular scene that is particularly horrifying because of how true-to-life it is to America’s immigration policy. However, these themes are only a fraction of what this movie is. This is a masterfully exciting piece of popcorn entertainment that offers a lot of enjoyable spectacle. This is a movie where each action sequence is better than the previous one, constantly building to a finale where you’ll find yourself grinning from ear to ear. The way the Reyes family gets incorporated into the action is quite delightful.
The issue with Blue Beetle is how generic the story is. This is another movie about a character getting something powerful and the evil corporation that wants to track it down and use it for evil. There are story beats that feel recycled from many other movies due to how formulaic this one is. It’s admittedly a lot of fun to see a young man suddenly equipped with powers he is not ready for. This is something we have seen in Spider-Man and Shazam! However, the story beats can be predictable, especially with Susan Sarandon’s weak villain. She portrays the power-hungry businesswoman hell-bent on harvesting Jaime’s powers. This movie feels like a mashup of ideas we have seen in Iron Man, Ant-Man, and Blade.
Blue Beetle is sometimes so focused on Jaime’s origin story that the villain takes a backseat. It can be very predictable, particularly one storyline with Raoul Trujillo as Conrad Carapax/ Indestructible Man. However, this movie makes up for it with its sheer entertainment. Unlike The Flash, this film is not preoccupied with fan service and cameos. It’s the most standalone installment in the DCEU, focusing more on its own story and characters. The final battle consists of two CGI characters battling, which could have been boring. However, director Ángel Manuel Soto and the fight choreographers managed to make the action visually dynamic and fun to watch.
Maridueña is excellent in his lead role. He gets some funny moments and some more emotional ones. The best part of this movie is George Lopez as Uncle Rudy, who brings a hilarious comedic wit to this film. Bruna Marquezine also gets a few moments to shine in Blue Beetle. Overall, this is an amusing superhero movie that offers many crowd-pleasing moments. It does not stand out above the rest as anything special, but it delivers the action, family, and fun you will expect.
SCORE: 7/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 7 equates to “Good.” A successful piece of entertainment that is worth checking out, but it may not appeal to everyone.
Disclosure: ComingSoon attended a press screening for our Blue Beetle review.
