Blue Beetle
Blue Beetle (2023)
Image From IMDB
Being a massive fan of Cobra Kai the main reason I wanted to watch Blue Beetle was to see whether Xolo Mariduena’s charm and enthusiasm would transfer to the big screen (spoiler, it did)
I’m definitely one of those suffering from Superhero fatigue, but I can still enjoy them when they’re their own thing, and Blue Beetle was. Sure, there was mention of Batman, Superman, and Flash, but they weren’t jammed into the story in some awkward cameo, or bullshit post credit scene (that i’m aware of) For what felt like the first time in a long time, Blue Beetle was it’s own movie, rather than part of some connective multiverse cinematic universe madness.
The story follows Jamie Reyes (Xolo) as he accidentally becomes the all powerful superhero the Blue Beetle via some alien scarab thingy. His new found powers give him the ability to protect those around him, and he’s going to need it, because weapons developer Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon) will do anything to get the mystical scarab back as she needs it to create an army of super killer soldiers.
The plot is standard superhero affair with all the conventions you’d expect in an origin story. There’s nothing here that Spiderman hasn't been through, but like the OG Spiderman, the film spends a lot of time focusing on the human side of things rather than just Hulk smash, and that’s what won me over.
I liked spending time with Xolo and his lovely family. His wise and caring parents, loyal sister, insane uncle, and badass Nana. I’d have gladly watched a drama about that family trying to save their home, and that’s when these things tend to work best. The superhero action was a bonus, rather than the whole story.
Unlike most recent DC movies the film had bright colours and happy characters. Baring the one dimensional evil of Victoria Kord everyone was just trying to be kind in a world that had some feeling and texture to it, despite an abundance of CGI. The film lacked the cynicism that has become standard in recent superhero movies, and thank fuck for that. Anytime Jamie was in trouble, and things looked bleak, he had nice people around him to pick up him.
My one bugbear (I couldn’t help it) was that like most modern movies, the film couldn’t help but have the characters tell you the themes and subplot of the film as they happened, because obviously people can’t work it out for themselves anymore. (that’s sarcasm by the way… see what I did there?) It’s not a Blue Beetle problem, it’s a modern Hollywood problem, but those little moments always take me out of the scene. Show don’t tell needs to make a big comeback, and fast!
As mentioned, Xolo was excellent, and I hope he gets another shot at the role as there’s clearly more story here to tell. I’d go as far to say it’s the most fun i’ve had in a Hollywood superhero film post End Game, as Madam Web was an all together different kind of fun. I can’t tell whether this movie is part of the old DC universe or new, but honestly, it doesn’t matter. The film stands alone in more ways than one, and I think we could do with a lot more of that. I’m happy and a little surprised to say, I really enjoyed this one.
