Rating: 4.8/5
DC’s newly released movie Blue Beetle became the first Latino-led superhero film in their franchise on August 18, 2023 and has pleasantly, but unexpectedly, surprised fans with an adrenaline rushing movie starring Cobra Kai star Xolo Maridueña. After the catastrophic failure in the box office that The Flash produced earlier this year, DC fans were not expecting the high quality CGI, humorous dialogue, and light compelling storyline.
What truly made this movie enthralling was not just the attractiveness of the cast, but the complexity of the characters in terms of cultural and familial adversities. The story follows a young Mexican-American adult named Jaime Reyes from El Paso, Texas who had just recently graduated from college, being the first in his family to do so. However, his aspirations are cut short when he faces a new reality in which his family has been struggling financially. This imbalance prompts him to let go of his dreams and instead prioritize finding a stable income for his family. Many audience members may relate to his adversity since the disparity between personal desire and family obligation is a common issue that many first-generation Americans have to face. Jaime ends up finding his luck and love interest when he is introduced to Jenny Kord, the woman who offered him a job at her powerful company named Kord Industries as a form of repayment for an earlier good deed Jaime had performed. Unforeseeably, he gets caught up in a dangerous Kord family altercation that would turn his good luck into misfortune as he suddenly becomes a superhero after an alien artifact bonds with him physically.The transformation from an average young adult to an alien superhero turns his life around dramatically, however Jaime sees this more as a curse rather than a blessing. Unwilling to become a superhero, Jaime fights against the CEO of Kord Industries, whose goal is to create a dynamic malicious weapons company, while desperately trying to protect his family. Ultimately, we see incredible character development and scenes that feature strong cultural roots that Jaime possesses and how it ties into his identity as a person.
The recurring familial appreciation theme we see sets the movie Blue Beetle is unique from its other DC movie counterparts. In one of my favorite scenes of the movie, we see a touching scene in which the producers did a magnificent job of highlighting the importance of familial relations and the role of heritage. This particular scene ties in everyone’s character development by embracing the tragedy and struggles the family had gone through and overcome together. Despite the emotional intricacy the movie displayed, the narrative was consistent with witty dialogue and a lighter touch of distressing events. However, despite the riveting storyline, the antagonist of Blue Beetle, Victoria Kord, lacks villainous intent and complexity in comparison to other DC movies. While some DC stories do a great job of creating a dark and grueling atmosphere, the movie’s narrative did not provide an emotionally strong incentive that made the character of Victoria Kord extremely displeasing.
The eye-catching and colorfully appealing poster of the Blue Beetle film intrigues viewers who immediately set their eyes on the costume graphics. The film does not come short of the standards set by the promotion posters, and has thoroughly impressed audiences with a visually striking and intricate costume. In one scene of the movie, Jaime experiences the scarab attaching and taking over his body. This transformation was made all the more realistic when we see the scarab expanding over his skin as a black goo-like substance that envelops Jaime’s body and becomes a high-tech costume, similar to Venom’s transformation in the Marvel franchise. Dressed up in deep blues and bright glowing technology, the quirks of the suit include transparent blue tinted built-in weapons like energy blasters, tech swords, shields, and the spider-like beetle arms. With this variety of superpowers, the action sequences and fight scenes will always pique your interest and make it impossible for you to take your eyes off the screen.
I personally highly recommend and urge you to try watching Blue Beetle if you are in need of a light-hearted superhero film with an exceptionally charismatic lead, visually appealing graphics, impressive CGI, and cultural highlights that all play a significant role in the storyline and the cinematic presentation.
