NOTE: As of me writing this, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are currently on strike, demanding fair wages, better working conditions, protection from AI, among many other important issues that face writers, actors, and even other sections of the entertainment industry. I am in full support of the strike, and I encourage you to read about it, spread word, and if possible, consider donating to the Entertainment Community Fund, which helps financially struggling artists and workers in the film and television industry. Thank you.
2023 is really going to be an interesting year to look back on when it comes to comic book movies. From the highs of Across The Spider-Verse and Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem to the lows of The Flash, Shazam! Fury Of The Gods, and Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania (the latter two I didn’t even dislike all that much, but clearly they didn’t connect with a lot of people). And we still got another Marvel and DC movie later that are kind of up in the air in terms of anticipation and expectations. But the one that has remained a big question mark is Blue Beetle.
It was initially slated for a direct-to-streaming release on HBO Max before being given the promotion to a theatrical release, while also being in a weird space where it’s neither fully connected to the previous DC world defined by Zack Snyder’s aesthetics nor the upcoming DC universe spearheaded by James Gunn and Peter Safran. Though, it is still possible for this version of the character to appear in future projects. And if that is the case, I will be very happy to see him again because this film was a very pleasant surprise.
The film follows Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña), a recent college grad who goes back to his home in Palmera City only to find the family is in financial dire straits. He makes a connection with Jenny Kord (Bruna Marquezine), who offers to help him find a job after her aunt, Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon) fires him and his sister, Milagro (Belissa Escobedo), from their housekeeping gig. Jenny works within Victoria’s massive company, but disagrees with her aunt’s desire to continue working in weapons manufacturing. In an attempt at sabotage, Jenny sneaks out a relic called a “scarab” that she has Jaime sneak away.
Unfortunately, Jaime did not heed her warning when she asked to not open the box containing the relic, the relic comes alive and – in a moment of pure Cronenbergian horror – goes inside of Jaime, and forms an alien exoskeleton suit that also is able to telepathically communicate with him. Victoria eventually catches on with what happened, and decides to focus on putting all her energy and power to get that scarab back, by any means necessary. Jaime will not only need the help of this mysterious suit, but also Jenny and his own family to help stop Victoria from executing her plans.
The story might not seem like much, and to be honest, the actual plot itself is mostly whatever. It does fall very neatly into a lot of classic superhero tropes, especially for an origin movie. There’s even a bad guy who is essentially just the same as the hero, but like an evil version. I’m talking phase one MCU kinda stuff. However, as the saying goes, the devil is in the details. This is a film where the broad strokes don’t seem to inspire much confidence, which is perhaps why a lot of the marketing material seemed generic, but it’s all the stuff that the filmmakers cram within that plot that makes it work.
Something I’m surprised wasn’t leaned on heavier in the marketing is the fact that this is – I believe – the first big Latino superhero film, and a lot of the characterization and reference points lean on the cultural specificity of this Mexican-American family at the center of it all. It touches on a lot of issues ranging from racist microaggressions to the legacy of American resource extraction in Latin American countries. And it never comes across as punching above its weight class, it’s all done in small doses spread throughout that inform the overall narrative, it is by no means superficial.
Also, the family dynamic is easily the highlight of the film. We’re so used to superheroes largely being solo affairs, usually with tragic circumstances, and maybe they’ll have a friend or a butler or something of that nature to help them out, and while this movie isn’t devoid of tragedy, it borders on being an ensemble piece with Jaime’s sister, his father Alberto (Damián Alcázar), mother Rocio (Elpidia Carrillo), grandmother Nana (Adriana Barraza), and the eccentric Uncle Rudy (George Lopez). They are in this film more than you would expect, often being an integral piece of the overall story and themes. I absolutely loved them. They are so charming and watchable and the committed, grounded performances made the emotional beats that much more affecting.
Written by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer and directed by Ángel Manuel Soto, the film shows a lot of personality with its filmmaking. It does one of the things that I love seeing that we rarely get these days, and that’s seeing wholly new cities with their own feel and aesthetic. The camera work from cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski is engaging and dynamic, clearly done with as much care as one can do with a film of this size, the score from Bobby Krlic taps into a lot of synthy 80s adventure vibes with some Mexican twang on occasion. A lot of the soundtrack choices seemed to focus mostly on Spanish language songs. And of course, the visual effects are solid, some moments are better than others, but when it needed to work, it really worked, all the action set pieces are strong, well choreographed, and impactful.
I did not know anything about Blue Beetle going into this. I haven’t ready any of his comics; maybe I saw him in some old DC animated shows, but he hasn’t stuck with me as someone worth keeping up with or get excited about. And after so many years, it feels nice to see someone totally new to the big screen. Like I said, the skeleton of the film is made up of pieces you’ve seen before, but the filmmakers bring an earnest attempt at bringing something personal, culturally specific, and I was very moved and charmed by it all. The jokes land fairly consistently, no performance sticks out as weak, and it doesn’t overstay its welcome. I became really invested in the family, and I was delighted to see them on screen even if there wasn’t anything big or action packed going on. Is it a great movie, I don’t know if I could go that far, but the more I sit with it, and as I’m writing this very review, my feelings are only growing more positive. It really is a breath of fresh air.
Blue Beetle is now out in theaters.