Blue Beetle (2023) review

Is DC's latest comic book movie the breath of fresh air the brand needs after the box office disaster that was The Flash, or is this flick proof that DC is beyond saving on the big screen (with the exception of The Batman films helmed by Matt Reeve and Joaquin Phoenix's Joker films)? Let's find out as we look at:

Blue Beetle follows Jaime Reyes, a young college graduate who, upon returning home to Palmera City, finds his family is in financial straits, with his father and uncle having been forced to shut down their auto-repair business, putting the Reyes at risk of eviction. Jaime's search for employment to aid his struggling family leads to a series of events that culminate in him unexpectedly becoming the latest host for an extraterrestrial artifact called the Scarab, which grants Jaime an array of superhuman abilities produced from a set of futuristic armor that forms around his body. With the nefarious Victoria Kord, CEO of Kord Industries, gunning for the Scarab as the final piece of her OMAC (an acronym for 'One Man Army Corps') military project, can the Reyes family, with the help of Victoria's benevolent niece Jenny, figure out how to get the Scarab off of Jaime?

At first glance, Blue Beetle's premise doesn't seem much different from superhero flicks such as the first Sam Raimi-directed Spider-Man and 2008's Iron Man before it. However, what sets this movie apart from the aforementioned Marvel flicks is its focus on not just Jaime, but his family as well. Unlike numerous similar supporting characters in previous comic-book movies, the Reyes family are present to witness Jaime being 'chosen' by the Scarab and subsequently becoming Blue Beetle for the first time. As a result, the Reyes clan have a greater role to play alongside Jaime as the plot subsequently unfolds, and the stakes that are produced end up feeling more 'personal' since they're "All in this together" (to borrow a phrase from one of the most iconic musical numbers of High School Musical). This sense of personal stakes even extends to the climax (WARNING: SPOILERS), as while stopping Victoria Kord’s OMAC project is an objective, the primary objective for the Reyes is rescuing Jaime, who’s been captured by Victoria for the Scarab embedded in him (END SPOILERS). Jaime and his family's dynamics with one another and the struggles they go through together are what give the film a beating ‘heart’ (emotionally speaking), and therefore can make viewers more readily invested in seeing the Reyes come out on top over the daunting odds stacked against them.

What is also commendable about Blue Beetle is the message it communicates of how not all well-off people are arrogant, condescending jerks, which is epitomized through the dichotomy between Victoria and Jenny Kord. On one hand, Victoria is pretty much what one expects from a usual ‘upper-class scum’ type of antagonist, even going so far as to derogatively refer to the Reyes family as “Edge Keys trash”. Jenny, conversely, is stated early on to be regularly engaged in philanthropic work (using the resources afforded to her as a member of the board of Kord Industries), and is shown to be deeply compassionate toward the Reyes family, offering to find Jaime an alternate means of employment at Kord Industries after his sticking up for her (when a confrontation between Jenny and Victoria over the latter’s OMAC project goes sideways) contributes to his dismissal from his current lowly gig (as a cleaning person for Victoria’s estate) and actively works to help the Reyes in the mission to try to get the Scarab off Jaime.

Furthering this theme of showing that not all affluent people are bad can be seen in the progression of the Reyes’ relationship with Jenny Kord. At the start of the film, the family, especially Jaime’s Uncle Rudy, have disgruntlement/disdain for virtually anyone & everything with the Kord name, due to the negative impact the company’s activities are leaving on the Reyes and their neighborhood. This isn’t helped when Jenny spontaneously handing off the Scarab to Jaime ultimately leads to the alien tech unexpectedly bonding to the latter, which later puts Jaime and his family in Victoria’s crosshairs. However, Jenny sticking by the Reyes’ sides and doing what she can to help resolve the main conflict (along with revealing that her missing father, Ted Kord, had been Blue Beetle decades prior to the film’s events, much to the surprise of Rudy in particular, who turns out to have been a great admirer of Kord’s hero work) leads to her becoming an extremely close ally of the Reyes by the end of the movie.

Although Blue Beetle’s plot doesn’t exactly break new ground in terms of superhero film narratives, the great amount of heart offered by Jaime and his fellow Reyes family members, along with the deep care they have for one another, can make it rather easy for viewers to become invested in seeing them triumph against everything Victoria Kord throws their way throughout the plot.

While the entire cast by-and-large are commendable in their respective roles, it’s the actors & actresses behind the Reyes clan that really ‘take the cake’, collectively succeeding in capturing Hispanic family dynamics onscreen in a way that feels authentic and engaging. However, in terms of this set of supporting cast members in particular, George Lopez is easily the standout as Jaime’s Uncle Rudy, as his sense of comedic timing enables him to steal the show in some of the film’s most humorous moments, whilst maintaining a likable presence. In addition, while Lopez nails his comedic bits, he also manages to shine during his character’s more somber scenes, most notably a quiet one-on-one Jaime and Rudy share during the middle of the flick’s second act (it’s the scene where Rudy’s “The universe has sent you a gift” line from the trailers can be heard). Suffice to say, if any members of the Reyes family besides Jaime return in future installments of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe (DCU) ‘shared universe’ series of films in the future, I hope Lopez’s Rudy is one of them! Finally, Xolo Maridueña (aka Miguel Diaz in the Karate Kid sequel series Cobra Kai) plays Jaime Reyes, aka Blue Beetle; after Puerto Rican director Angel Manuel-Soto was first brought on to helm Blue Beetle, Maridueña was the first actor Soto thought of to play Jaime, with Soto stating in 2021, “I couldn’t stop seeing [Maridueña] as the character”; after viewing the finished film, I can see why Soto was so fixated on Maridueña in the lead role, as while the latter’s portrayal isn’t exactly what one would consider Oscar-worthy, it’s nonetheless difficult to picture anyone else in the role, as Maridueña brings a youthful energy to the role (that’s befitting of Jaime’s in-universe age), has believable chemistry with his costars (namely Belissa Escobedo, who plays Jaime’s younger sister Milagro), and succeeds in conveying palpable bewilderment/confusion, most notably during the ‘systems test’ sequence (a highlight of which is arguably how Maridueña delivers the line, “Overreacting?!? YOU KIDNAPPED ME!”), when the Scarab, after bonding to Jaime and forming the Blue Beetle suit on him for the first time, rockets him into orbit and then propels him around Palmera City, with chaotic results. What also stands out about Maridueña's portrayal is how well he conveys emotion through non-verbal physical cues; whether it be an eye roll of exasperation or a head bow of defeat/resignation, Maridueña's execution of these non-verbal beats add a good deal to the scenes they're part of, and serve as a reminder that acting is about more than just delivering lines properly! However, the highlight of Maridueña's performance comes during the second half of Jaime’s ‘boss battle’ against Victoria Kord’s right-hand man Ignacio Carapax in the climax (WARNING: SPOILERS), specifically when Jaime thinks that his Uncle Rudy has just been killed distracting Carapax from delivering the final strike to the young hero. The way Maridueña portrays Jaime’s grief-fueled fury as he goes to town on Carapax reminded me (in a good way, mind you) of Tobey Maguire’s portrayal of the title character during the finale of 2002’s Spider-Man (specifically, after the web-slinger gets a ‘heroic second wind’ as a result of the Green Goblin making one too many taunts threatening to go after one of the former’s loved ones), and makes Jaime turning the tables on Carapax that much more impactful (END SPOILERS). While their costars did quite well in their performances, Xolo Maridueña and George Lopez were arguably the highlights (cast-wise) of Blue Beetle, and they prove that they EARNED their respective roles!

For someone whose previous works don't have much in the way of high-octane action (as far as I know), Angel Manuel-Soto made a solid first impression in terms of the 'action department' of Blue Beetle! From the Scarab's impromptu 'test flight' it takes Jaime on after bonding to him, to two instances of Blue Beetle fighting through Victoria Kord's goons, to the one-on-one bouts against Carapax, this film manages to have its fair share of action sequences that manage to be coherent without sacrificing 'flair' (choreography-wise). In addition, Xolo Maridueña manages to make an effective showcase of the martial arts skills he gained during his time on Cobra Kai, whether it be the spinning kick delivered during Jaime's first fight with Carapax, or the moment when Blue Beetle sends one of Victoria's minions into a mid-air summersault before kicking him into a wall during the film's third act. During production, Angel Manuel-Soto favored the use of practical effects wherever possible, "Not just the practical Blue Beetle suit, but we also used real locations so that we weren’t heavily dependent on visual effects." This emphasis on practicality arguably works in the movie's favor, and helps its action sequences to stand apart (aesthetically) from those of other recent comic-book movies such as last year's Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Thor: Love and Thunder.

If there was anything that could be improved about Blue Beetle (in terms of flaws), Victoria Kord could've had more screentime to be fleshed out; granted, the origin of her despicable and ambitious demeanor is explained onscreen, but providing an opportunity to give her more depth as a character would've benefitted Victoria and the movie in general. Finally, Jaime and Khaji-Da (the Scarab's real "name") could've had more scenes interacting, as this would arguably give their 'relationship' a sense of progression and (WARNING: SPOILERS) could make the moment Khaji-Da stops Jaime from delivering the killing blow to Carapax have much more of an impact (END SPOILERS).

Despite the aforementioned issues, Blue Beetle manages to be a step in the right direction for DC, as Jaime and the rest of his family are very engaging characters that aren't at all hard to root for, the action sequences are enjoyable to watch, and the film has a prominent sense of heart that it wears on its sleeve that can make it easy to get invested in what unfolds onscreen. Suffice to say, I really enjoyed this movie, and if Blue Beetle is any indicator of where the fledgling DC Universe is headed, this successor to the divisive DC Extended Universe has a promising future ahead of it!