REVIEW: Blue Beetle blasts his way into superhero history

Superhero films have become a complicated genre, one that’s becoming more self-reflexive with every entry. With the invention of the cinematic universe superheroes began to interact with each other and grow together. And with the unfortunate innovation of the multiverse, it’s become quite common for fans to expect superheroes of different eras and franchises to pop up together. One day, there will be a studio that tries to get Spider-Man to fight Batman. It’s become incredibly exhausting to be even a casual enjoyer of superhero cinema because of all this homework the viewer needs to do to keep up. So when a film like Blue Beetle comes around, that’s not so concerned with it’s place in the superhero landscape, it feels like a breath of fresh air.

Xolo Maridueña in Blue Beetle, courtesy of Warner Bros.

Blue Beetle tells the tale of young Latino college graduate Jaime Reyes (played by Xolo Maridueña from Cobra Kai). He returns home from college to find his family struggling financially, and he becomes determined to help them all by getting them jobs. He walks in the front door of the conglomerate known as Kord Industries, and finds himself thrust into an odd situation when Jenny Kord (played by Bruna Marquezine from Breaking Through) gives him a box with a secret weapon in it to hide. He takes it home, and upon taking it out of the box, he discovers an alien scarab that forcibly bonds itself to him.

Realizing the scarab (voiced by Becky G) is a symbiotic technology that gives him access to several powers including flight, enhanced perception, and the ability to create any weapon he can imagine, he decides to use his newfound abilities to protect the one thing the Fast and Furious films say is the most important thing; family.

Elpedia Carillo, George Lopez, Xolo Maridueña, Belissa Escobedo and Damián Alcázar in Blue Beetle, courtesy of Warner Bros.

In many ways, I was reminded of 2017’s Wonder Woman. Both films are firsts for the superhero genre, in that Wonder Woman was the first superhero film with a female superhero while Blue Beetle is the first live-action superhero film with a Latino main character. Both films follows team-up films in the same cinematic universe (Suicide Squad and the Flash respectively), and are also smaller fare focused on the origin of their respective superheroes. And both films are quite entertaining and well made, while perhaps being a bit too lenient on CGI.

What’s most exciting about Blue Beetle isn’t the legacy of this superhero, or seeing the symbiotic interplay between human and scarab. It’s about seeing the family that surrounds our main hero and gives him his strength. Maridueña’s performance is confident and assured, and while he is an enjoyable superhero he’s an even better son and brother. His scenes with his younger sister (played by Belissa Escobedo from Hocus Pocus 2) are funny and heartwarming, and if there is another Blue Beetle film the first requirement should be that his family come back. Especially George Lopez (from the George Lopez Show), he is easily the funniest part of the film.

Where the film does falter is mostly in its typical superhero elements. There’s an over reliance on CGI over stunts as the film progresses and the villains feel underdeveloped. And if you’re the type of person who does prefer your superheroes to constantly be referencing other superheroes, there’s only minimal references in this film. But there is a joy in watching a film that’s not so concerned with Superman or Batman cameos, in that it feels distinct.

But where the film soars is through its dedication to showcasing a Latino family. Blue Beetle is excellent representation, and a pretty good superhero film too. It might not be anyone’s favourite DC adaptation, but Blue Beetle will likely stand the test of time. People will probably remember moments from Shazam: Fury of the Gods, Wonder Woman 1984, or Black Adam. But Blue Beetle will be much more memorable as a full adaptation. This film gets a 3/5, you can watch it in cinemas now.