Collette’s Review: Blue Beetle

Blue Beetle holds its own in a world full of the same superhero stories. While most of the DCEU has been dark and dreary, Blue Beetle is a beacon of hope for the franchise. Instead of focusing on power, Blue Beetle switches gears and puts a family’s story front and center.

This story is deeply invested in Jaime Reyes’ (Xolo Maridueña) background and family. And honestly, that’s the element that makes this movie work. It’s refreshing to see a superhero surrounded by family and not have to hide their true self throughout an entire film.

After college, Jaime arrives home to find that his family is losing their home. When Jaime and his sister Milagro (Belissa Escobedo) are fired from their service job because of an unpleasant interaction with weapons manufacturer Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon), Victoria’s niece Jenny (Bruna Marquezine) steps in to help him. After Jaime meets up with Jenny, he gains possession of a scarab that takes control of his body and catapults him through the roof, leaving his family wondering what the hell just happened.

Jaime is pretty helpless throughout the entire film, making it adorable. He’s constantly at odds with the AI in the suit as he tries to navigate how to use it. Most of the time, the suit takes over and does all the fighting while Jaime just yells in the background. However, his family is a force to be reckoned with. They are all charismatic and chaotic, which is a delight to watch. His Uncle Rudy (George Lopez) is an eccentric tech genius and is absolutely hilarious, while his grandmother (Adriana Barraza) is a scene stealer and will quickly become your favorite character.

Blue Beetle is a surprisingly good superhero movie that’s centered around family. It has a great soundtrack and charismatic characters. Newcomer Xolo Maridueña is a delight to watch and has a big career ahead of him. The visuals were okay, but the practical suit left a little more to be desired. This is a great movie to watch in theaters with your whole family.