BLUE BEETLE (2023)

BLUE BEETLE (2023)

Tagline: He's a superhero, whether he likes it or not.

(Sci-Fi, Action, Don’t Mess with Nana) [PG-13]

What do you think the government is gonna do when they figure out some kid has this military tech?

In this one, we meet the close-knit Reyes nuclear family who are all just trying to get by after some threats to have their house taken by the wicked Kord corporation. Jaime Reyes is the first in his family to attend college and his family has high hopes for him. While getting ready to interview for a new job opportunity with a subsidiary of Kord, the Reyes family’s life is changed forever as Jaime is given an alien scarab that uses him as its symbiotic host. Jaime Reyes is...the BLUE BEETLE. 

First off I don’t know anything about BLUE BEETLE from the comics. I am primarily a Marvel guy, but I love a LOT of the DC films. I was super excited to see this because I love Xolo Maridueña as an actor. The first thing I saw him in was the TV show Cobra Kai as Miguel. So naturally I ran right out to the first viewing I could find and bam, here we are.

Starting with this movie's issues, I have to say there are a few self-inflicted wounds here that didn’t really need to be part of the movie but were put in there anyway. The first thing is a weird conversation between Jaime Reyes (played by Xolo Maridueña) and his sister Milagro early in the film that just seems off given the rest of the movie’s tone. I won’t get into spoilers, but it’s definitely cringe. Unfortunately, there are also a few other scenes that felt shoehorned in for pc reasons, but that is pretty much par for the course. Another issue is that in the last half of the film, we get some ultra-cliché dialog that literally feels like it was ripped out of dozens of other films word for word. I am not going to say this stuff ruins the movie, but just a bit of changing up some of the dialog would have gone a lot way to fix at least those issues. Finally, on the negatives, the storyline does feel pretty paint-by-number almost replicating a plot from an iconic Marvel movie, but you can judge that for yourself. 

Acting wise this cast is incredible. George Lopez (BALLS OF FURY) is good in this as Rudy. He is a bit of a conspiracy theorist in this film which turned some people off during the trailer, but that is the character. Rudy has a warm side and a clear love for his family allowing the audience to embrace him in spite of his flaws. Belissa Escobedo is fantastic as Milagro, Jaime’s sister. As far as the character goes the consistency with the writing for her was hit and miss. Xolo Maridueña who I mentioned earlier was fantastic. I did feel there was good consistency with his character and Jaime almost has a Peter Parker-like quality about him that is easy to embrace. Probably my favorite character in the movie is Alberto, played by Damián Alcázar (THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN). Damián’s range is really incredible and his character in this is kind of the father figured you would want leading the household. Adriana Barraza (THOR) is awesome as Nana, but like the rest of the Reyes family after the events of this movie, I have so many questions about the character. Elpidia Carrillo (PREDATOR) is great as Rocio. This was already a 2-hour movie so I am not going to say they should have spent time expanding on her character, but it would have been nice. Susan Sarandon (ROBOT & FRANK)  is just okay as Victoria Kord. I thought her delivery in a lot of scenes was a bit stiff. Bruna Marquezine rounds out the main cast as Jenny Kord. She is also very good, but I haven’t seen any of her other projects. 

One of the strong points of this film is that we finally get a nuclear family unit in a blockbuster movie that is portrayed as positive, strong, and wonderful. We get some vibrant characters that a fun and engaging. There are lots of really cool concepts in this thing. Faith is shown in a positive light which is nearly unheard of these days. Some people are claiming that the Reyes family is stereotypes, I don’t see that at all and I have spent years of my life living with and around Latino families. This film gives a good mix with everyone having different personalities but all having their family and values at the core. 

We get some amazing design work and cinematically it’s really well done. This movie is also well paced, there aren’t any lulls where I just felt myself wanting them to push things along. The soundtrack is also absolutely spectacular. 

Overall this thing gets a solid 6 out of 7. Saying it’s better than SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS is fair, but saying it’s the first good DC film of 2023 is a bit of a stretch in my opinion. 

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