Movie Review: Blue Beetle (Releases 8/18 In Theaters)

The Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle is a DC Comics character that has been teased for live action for quite some time. There was the short directed by Alex Winter that served almost like a “proof of concept;” and then there was the Smallville episode “Booster.” But in the end, it took 17 years from his first appearance to perfectly bring the character to life in the Blue Beetle film directed by Ångel Manuel Soto and starring Xolo Maridueña in the title role.

The actual history of Blue Beetle is much longer — the Dan Garret/Garrett version (depending on when you’re reading) was a Green Hornet pastiche at first and lasted for several years in the 1940s and 1950s after receiving a more unique look. This version was revived by Charlton Comics in the mid-1960s and featured some of the earliest comic book writing by Marvel legend Roy Thomas. Soon after the short Dan Garrett revival, artist Steve Ditko — yes, that Steve Ditko who co-created Spider-Man – developed a new Blue Beetle, Ted Kord, who was the longest-serving Beetle in the comics. It was Ted who had the role when the Charlton characters were purchased by DC Comics in the 1980s; Ted was also best known for his role in the Justice League International comic where he was often paired with Booster Gold, and the two got into a lot of antics together.

But back to Jaime! Writers Keith Giffen & John Rogers and artist Cully Hamner created the character for what would be Blue Beetle’s longest-running comic book series in 2006, spinning out of DC’s Infinite Crisis event which took Ted Kord off the table. Jaime was quite different from Ted in that the mystical Khaji Da scarab chose him and gave him superpowers, whereas Ted had to rely on his own inventions. Also unique for the time (and frankly, to this day) is that Jaime and his supporting cast were primarily Latino and this Blue Beetle was a young person. It is this version that we see in the new film.

So, now that we had a little history lesson, some thoughts on the film… I’ll just start with the notion that this might be one of my favorite comic book-inspired films of the modern era, and certainly of the post-Christopher Nolan years of the DC Comics films. I think I feel this way because it was almost as if the filmmakers took a list of all the aspects I disliked about the recent DC films — especially the recent Flash movie — and did the opposite. For example, Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen(s) was exhausting and annoying to have to watch (though I will give them that they had a good scene near the end of the movie), but Xolo Madurieñas Jaime, in particular, was fun to watch. It was easy to care about and understand Jaime’s life concerns even if I couldn’t identify with all of them myself. This ability to break through to the audience was also evident with the film’s supporting cast; I found that I would have liked these people and I would have wanted to see more of these characters even if there wasn’t the comics/superhero aspect. Writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer deserves so much credit for giving us a family of characters that feels genuine and real.

The set design for this movie is great, with a lot of blue and purple lights throughout, but also, the notion of class is very touched upon visually in addition to what we hear in the dialogue. The Reyes family struggles in a part of town that is sadly being gentrified and taken over by the folks who live in bright lights of Palmera City right across the way. This neighborhood has heart, as the Reyes family has heart. A lot can be said about everywhere the characters go. The look of the film is also complemented by the soundtrack which gives a somewhat 1980s feel, and as a Child of the Eighties, I absolutely approve.

A lot of praise goes to Xolo Madurieña who plays Jaime as someone that the audience can’t help but like, who often tries to keep from cursing around his family [and doesn’t always succeed], cares for his family and those around him, and learns some lessons along the way in the around 2 hours we see this movie. If I had any criticism of the Jaime character in this movie at all, it is that aside from Jenny Kord (Bruna Marquezine) and his family, Jaime does not seem to have any friends! I guess this can be handwaved by the thought that he has just returned home from college and that most of the people he knew might still be off to college or busy working.

Susan Sarandon‘s character of Victoria Kord also gives Blue Beetle something that I think is often missing from comic book movies lately because it’s so hard to perfect — a villain that you can legitimately hate, or at least strongly dislike. All of the character’s mannerisms, even, are aggravating. I especially felt bad for Harvey Guillén’s character as well as Victoria’s bodyguard Carapax for having to be around her all the time. Jenny Kord also doesn’t have a good time around her aunt, who has taken over Kord Industries and turned it into something Ted Kord would have never approved of. (Side note: Why does every project Harvey Guillén appears in have to pair his character with someone awful? Victoria Kord, Nandor, Miranda Sings… I’m seeing a pattern here!)

A lot of reviews will surely mention Uncle Rudy (George Lopez) who might be the closest thing we get to being Jaime’s “guy in the chair,” and rightfully so. He stands out and gives a vibe that exceeds expectations, and he often gets the funniest lines. Also, Jaime’s Nana (Adriana Barraza) needs her own spin-off movie or TV show…. maybe kidding, maybe not, but she is amazing. I think there’s also a lot of great stuff to come from Jaime’s younger sister, played by Belissa Escobedo, who absolutely can wield a high-tech upgraded Nintendo Power Glove! (Now we’re playing with power!) Bruna Marquezine is great as Victoria Kord’s niece Jenny and it is fun to see her chemistry with Jaime developing. We’ll see that something, at least, comes up whenever she is around.

Without going into spoiler territory, again I state that this movie avoids certain annoying comic book movie tropes in great ways. There is one, though, that I was a little unsure of, which made a lot more sense in context when you’ve seen the whole movie. You’ll know it when you see it.

Action scenes are great, as is to be expected or hoped for in a comic book film, and the Blue Beetle costume is the best we’ve ever seen it in live action… we’ve come a long way from Smallville’s Blue Iron Man. It’s interesting to see how Jaime’s fighting style changes and improves as he gets more and more used to being the Blue Beetle. The suit is practical, which helps; the VFX flourishes and weapons and such work. (The only time the VFX really took me out of things was when a certain asset seemed to change size and scale depending on the shot.)

Finally, the other thing I really appreciated about Blue Beetle that we haven’t seen in many comic book movies in a very long time: Perhaps partly due to the changes at DC Films lately, this movie is its own thing, not giving the appearance that it’s there to set up a universe or be part of one. (See: The cringe sequence of Batman v Superman that felt like a bunch of movie trailers for upcoming DCEU films, or, the blatant sequel bait sprinkled all through The Amazing Spider-Man 2 which killed that version of the franchise.) There are some DC Easter eggs within — listen carefully when the Reyes family are trying to wake Jaime up in one scene, if you understand Spanish, and definitely look on tables for certain DC cues — and yes, there are references to other heroes, but aside from the previous Blue Beetle costumes that are already seen in the trailer, we don’t see any of them — but that allows Jaime and his story to thrive. I do wonder if a suit of armor seen in the movie intentionally looks like the power suit that Lex Luthor often wears in the comics, but that is a question we’ll probably see answered in two years or so.

With press for the movie being limited due to the writers’ strike, it might be harder for audiences to discover Blue Beetle, so hopefully word of mouth will get people in the theater. I don’t want this to be the last we see of Jaime Reyes and his family, and the representation seen in the film will certainly appeal to people who don’t normally see themselves on the screen. The screening I saw for this film was in IMAX and I would recommend taking that route, too, if you can. In a world where we get so many comic book movies that are just average at best in recent times (see: Thor: Love and Thunder, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, The Flash, etc.), it’s nice to see one that I would gladly love to go to the theater and see again. Five stars out of five for this one. Great job from everyone involved! Now go see the movie, and tell your friends to see it too! And stay ’til the end, you never know what you might find during the credits…

Krypton Rating: 5/5