TL;DR – It was an enjoyable time, and I wish it were not placed in such an awkward position in the franchise. 

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid and post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Blue Beetle Review –

Well, if there was ever a film that was affected because of cinematic universe issues out of its control, it is today’s film. No matter what merits the movie is coming in on, it will find difficulties because the DC Universe is one film out from a considerable reboot, and we have already seen that torpedo good films like Shazam. But if nothing else, you could tell the cast was throwing their all into this, and I am glad I watched it.

So to set the scene, Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) is returning to Palmera City after graduating from Gotham Law University. His family Alberto (Damián Alcázar), Rocio (Elpidia Carrillo), Molagro (Belissa Escobedo), Rudy (George Lopez), and Nana (Adriana Barraza) all meet him at the airport and take him out for tacos before dropping the bomb that they are losing their house. Jamie tries to find a good job but gets stuck cleaning the home of Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon). Still, a chance encounter with her niece Jenny Kord (Bruna Marquezine) changes his life when that blue scarab statue Jenny gives him comes to life and gouges into his skin.

One of the biggest strengths of this film is its focus on family. Family is not just a token word that gets thrown out to justify the narrative. Here, family is embedded into every moment of the film. We have the cornerstone of the Reyes family, which the whole movie is centred around. It is not a perfect family, and they sometimes cause trouble for each other. But when the rubber meets the road, there is no greater bond. More than this, every relationship in the film is positioned in contrast to the Reyes for better and worse.

I think it helps that every member of the Reyes family is such a delight. Xolo Maridueña has the charisma you need for a role like this, and he is such a joy on the screen. Belissa Escobedo is the perfect sibling, and I love their banter. Rocio Reyes and Damián Alcázar work well as the heart of the film; theirs is the strength that you need, and the film uses. Finally, you can’t help but love every moment Adriana Barraza is on the screen.     

Blue Bettle is a film that is not at all subtle about the themes that it is exploring. Class inequalities, forced gentrification, race, and imperialism, to name a few. For example,  Victoria Kord clearly represents the American Military-Industrial Complex and its long, sordid history in Latin America. On the one hand, I was surprised to see just how far they let the film go, but this is still a corporate film, so they do hold back from going as far as they could. This leads to some weak villains, but that is not a dealbreaker. From here, we also get the interplay of biological vs. mechanised.  

From a narrative perspective, I would say that the vibe of this film is what if they did the Tom Holland era Spider-Man films but went with Miles Morales instead of Peter Paker. Full of joyous earnestness but with wild swings in tone into darker territory. You will probably find the first half of the film works better than the second when it has put on more of its comic film baggage, but I still enjoyed it. For better or worse, there are links to the greater DC Universe, but they are just references. It feels almost like a self-contained film, and I think it is better for it. The production was fine on the whole; a couple of shots clearly needed some more time in the oven, but most of it worked.

 In the end, do we recommend Blue Beetle? Well, I had a lot of fun here. Xolo Maridueña is an instant star, and the whole family is a delight. I hope we get to see more of this cast going forward, I am not sure we will, but I do hope. If you liked Blue Beetle, I would recommend to you Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.  

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you watched Blue Beetle?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 


Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Blue Beetle
Directed by – Ángel Manuel Soto
Screenplay by – Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer
Based on – Characters from DC
Music by – Bobby Krlic
Cinematography by – Pawel Pogorzelski
Edited by – Craig Alpert
Production/Distribution Companies – DC Studios, The Safran Company & Warner Bros. Pictures
Starring – Xolo Maridueña, Adriana Barraza, Damián Alcázar, George Lopez, Elpidia Carrillo, Belissa Escobedo, Bruna Marquezine, Raoul Max Trujillo, Harvey Guillén, Becky G & Susan Sarandon  
Rating – Australia: M; Canada: PG; Germany: 12; New Zealand: M; United Kingdom: 12A; United States: PG-13