Blue Beetle Review

Theatrical Movie Review - Comic Book/Superhero Movie

Since “Iron Man” started the superhero Renaissance, it feels as though we have seen more origin stories than anyone needs. Person gets some kind of superpower, has to figure out how to use it (usually by destroying some public property), then eventually has to fight a guy with the same superpower, but dressed in a color different enough to tell them apart in the third act battle. It’s always the same thing, and frankly, I’m pretty over it. Even so, I decided to go see what Angel Manuel Soto had to say with “Blue Beetle,” the latest DC movie to hit theaters.

Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) is returning home to his family after college. He is met by his parents Alberto (Damián Alcázar) and Rocio (Elpidia Carrillo), his Nana (Adriana Barraza), his sister Milagro (Belissa Escobedo), and his uncle Rudy (George Lopez). They tell him that they have lost their business and are about to lose their house. While Jaime is trying to find a job to help his family, he meets Jenny Kord (Burna Marquezine), the niece of Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon) of Kord Industries who gives him a scarab (voiced by Becky G) that connects with Jaime and gives him superpowers. Through the movie, Jaime will have to determine where his true power lies.

I want to be clear, this movie follows the story beats one expects from a superhero origin story to the letter. And yet, I was fully engaged for the whole movie. Because along with all of those rote aspects, there is a genuinely funny and heartfelt story. 

The entire cast does a beautiful job in this movie. They play off of one another beautifully and they truly felt like a family. Lopez brings most of the humor to the film and both Maridueña and Escobedo bring so much soul. I found myself laughing and crying at various points in the movie, and I don’t remember the last time that happened in a superhero movie. My only complaint about the cast is that Harvey Guillén is criminally underused.

This is an unabashedly Mexican film. There is both subtitled and non-subtitled Spanish spoken and it is filled with nods to both Mexican and broader Latin influence. Writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer and Soto said that they wanted the movie to be a love letter to their ancestors. 

The third act is definitely the weakest part of the movie, probably because it is the most by the numbers part of the film. But even there, it ties to the overall theme of the power of family well enough that I didn’t feel checked out. And there were stakes in this movie that I feel like we’ve been missing for a while. 

DC has had a tough year for movies with both “The Flash” and “Shazam: Fury of the Gods” doing poorly in theaters. I don’t know if “Blue Beetle” will be a huge box office success, but as superhero movies go, this is the best one I’ve seen in a while.

This review originally appeared in The Dominion Post on August 20, 2023.