Blue Beetle – A Grounded Superhero Origin Story

The superhero origin story has seen countless variations over the last several decades, be it Marvel, DC, or otherwise. However, at their core, they more or less all follow the same formula. That being said, audiences keep coming back as when they hit they hit the right notes, they remain satisfying for comic book fans. An already crowded genre, it’s hard to innovate but the one major area for where it has been lacking is representation. An interesting vehicle for this has been to bring lesser-known characters to the forefront. Lesser known to mainstream audiences, seeing new characters on screen can be exciting and resonate. Blue Beetle is certainly a character that fits the bill. The first Latino superhero to appear in the new DC universe (however the role of the character and the film in the universe as a whole remains to be seen), it goes all in on representation in a way that feels fresh in spite of being yet another superhero origin story. Unabashedly Latino, that perspective is more than a gimmick and is cool and something that plays a vital part of the story. While rough around the edges in terms of predictability and flat villains, it creates a solid foundation and delivers plenty of blockbuster thrills that are grounded in humanity.

Blue Beetle follows Jaime Reyes (Maridueña), a recent Law school graduate and first-generation Mexican-American who returned home to Palmera City, Texas to his wacky though loving family only to learn, unbeknownst to him, that they were set to lose their home due to financial hardships and his father Alberto’s (Damián Alcázar) failing health. Wanting to step up for his family, little did he know, he would find himself caught up in the infighting between Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon), the CEO of Kord Insustries, and her niece Jenny (Marquezine). There was a rough history therefore they often did not get along ideologically when it came to the direction of Kord Industries. In the midst of their battle, Jaime unwittingly came into possession of a scarab, an alien artifact for which Victoria had been searching for for years and recently found, thanks to Jenny. Tasked to protect it with his life, she implored he not open the box she kept it in but that was clearly never going to happen. Urged by his family, it was paraded outside the box until it attached to Jaime, triggering an absolutely wild turn of events where he was faced with the scarab’s wide range of abilities and its feisty personality.

Adding to his list of issues, the challenge of essentially becoming a superhero was something Jaime was not ready for or was one that he was willing to take on. Nevertheless, leaning on the values instilled in him from his family, there was never a challenge he couldn’t figure out. Thankfully for him (and audiences), that his family, including Alberto, his mother Rocio (Elpidia Carrillo), his free-spirited sister Milagro (Belissa Escobedo), his uncle Rudy (Lopez), and grandma Nana (Adriana Barraza), were by his side every step of the way. On paper, the family could have easily been passengers in Jaime’s story but instead, they were each strong contributors without being a distraction. Ultimately, understanding the scarab and its history meant diving deeper into the Kord family drama as Victoria sought to get it back by any means necessary. Meanwhile, the more time the scarab, named Khaji-Da (Becky G), spent with Jaime, the more they became one as the latter reigned it in as he began to embrace his new role for which he was not the first (he was the third according to the comics).

The contrast between the Reyes and the Kord families could not be more obvious beyond the class and financial status parallels and that is what led to Jenny gravitating towards Jaime and his family. Watching that dynamic grow and evolve over the course of the film was a delight. Circumstances aside, the point of the film was basically to establish these characters moving forward but as mentioned, that foundation is there. More of a means to an end to forward that goal, the villains were flat. Victoria Kord is a thin villain and nothing about her stands out whatsoever and the same is the case for her henchman Carapax (Raoul Max Trujillo). The obligatory climax and the culmination of the journey of Jaime and his supporting cast did not disappoint. Though not groundbreaking by any means, it was entertaining and that’s really all that matters. Along those lines, while not surprising, the end was just right. With its sights on a future beyond this film, a mid-credit scene introduces a new direction for a sequel (while an end credit scene is a callback to an earlier joke).

On a technical level, while not perfect, Blue Beetle still dazzles. Jaime and the body horror influence on the early scarab transformations is there and their jarring nature works here. Also, the fact that the film is not a complete CGI or green screen fest is appreciated though there are of course moments that would not have worked without it. However, some moments of CGI are noticeable. The majority practical Blue Beetle stood out, especially set against real locations in an otherwise beautiful looking film. The inventive abilities of the Blue Beetle suit added a fun dimension to the story without ever getting out of hand. Above all else, the authenticity angle is reflected throughout and this most apparent in the predominantly Latin soundtrack which gave the film energy and set the tone nicely.

The best part of Blue Beetle is its stellar performances, led by Maridueña as Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle. Bringing a youthful energy with some naivety but also a hopefulness and a vulnerability to him that just made him that much more likeable. The growth of Jaime across the film while maintaining the same set of core values was a testament to his range, even if the story hits countless familiar story and emotional beats along the way. Marquezine was fine as the primary female protagonist and had some nice chemistry with Maridueña. However, the Reyes family were the real scene-stealers. The chemistry between they and Maridueña truly bring that dynamic to life to the point that the film would not have worked had it not been there. Though each had their moments, Escobedo and Lopez were the easy standouts as Jaime’s sister Milagro and uncle Rudy. That brother-sister bond between Maridueña and Escobedo provided some great exchanges. Lopez’ over-the-top energy as Rudy fits in here beautifully as a deceptively smart and resourceful yet paranoid uncle.

At the end of the day, Blue Beetle is a real winner with a grounded and heartfelt, relatively low stakes tale that focuses on story and characters despite using many familiar beats along the way to do it.

still courtesy of Warner Bros.

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.