Blue Beetle (2023)
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Blue Beetle Movie Review
Blue Beetle is a 2023 superhero film directed by Angel Manuel Soto and starring Xolo Mariduena. It’s a flawed, but charming DCEU flick.
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“Whatever you can imagine, I can create“
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Jaime Reyes suddenly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology called the Scarab. When the Scarab chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he’s bestowed with an incredible suit of armor that’s capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the superhero Blue Beetle. This movie came out at a period when the DCEU is in deep turmoil and a transitional period, resulting in the flick becoming a box office bomb. But when all is said and done, it’s a surprisingly solid entry in the series.
This is a rare superhero movie that focuses on family values as it is infused with so much charm, warmth and pleasant humor that the end result is a wonderful flick for the whole family to enjoy. The Latino family in question is actually quite well realized both individually and as a group, resulting in so many scenes that were very heartwarming.
But as a superhero story, the film struggled quite a bit. The mythology is underexplained and every single detail that should have been crucial for the story at hand was discarded and brushed aside. This led to more focus on the main family, which was wonderful, but still the storytelling was undisciplined and so was the editing, pacing and directing.
Xolo Mariduena actually did a terrific job in the main role, elevating significantly what is in an essence just another bland genre protagonist. George Lopez is another standout and the moments between the two were delightful. Others are less memorable, though Susan Sarandon was actually a lot of fun. Yes, her villain character was ludicrously one-note, but how she chewed the scenery throughout was quite entertaining to witness.
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Blue Beetle does not have a distinct visual style and it, in fact, looked rather cheap. Still, the costume worked for me and so did the powers. Some of the action is so good that I wished that the movie made more use of these powers and its central premise. The third act was a gigantic mess as is usual for DC movies, but by now I have become quite impatient with all these movies ending with the same audio-visual clutter.
Blue Beetle is a surprisingly solid DCEU flick that was particularly heartwarming in its emphasis on family and their charming dynamic. The movie is also quite fun in some well executed action scenes, but its mythology was entirely underrealized and the overall storytelling was chaotic and weak. The bombastic third act was also a mess. It’s a flawed flick, but it does have a lot of heart.
My Rating – 3.5
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