If nothing else, the DC Extended Universe of films stands testament as a cautionary tale for the future of shared-universe films, superhero or otherwise. Following a series of false starts and miserable half-assed efforts before striking any semblance of quality with Wonder Woman, WB’s relentless attempts at throwing out movie after movie with varying standards of neglect resulted in sporadic financial success and the uncovering of unlikely gems.
Sadly, the constant state of flux in WB leadership, intermittent attempts to reboot the overall franchise or simply outright favouring independent entries, killed any chance of the universe actually gaining any traction with characters who could actually resonate with viewers. Characters like Jaime Reyes.
Blue Beetle is an overall odd movie in many ways. A legacy character–the third to bear the name in the comics and, somehow, the movies–Blue Beetle stays true to the comics in ways that even the more iconic characters’ adaptations failed to do so. Chunks of exposition and backstory regarding the character’s heritage, dating back to World War 2, are delivered with little subtlety but always made digestible with the kind of humour so often associated with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but somehow done better here.
Although somewhat clunky, the borderline campy and clunky script is saved by the sheer earnestness and sincerity of the story and its characters. The cast is as far away from A-list as a brand-name superhero film could get, with only Xolo Maridueña of Cobra Kai fame, George Lopez, and Susan Sarandon being of any notable global recognition. But each and every actor brings with them the genuine desire to do right by the movie and the characters. Belissa Escobedo’s Milargo, is an especially enjoyable heart of the film, rooting the narrative while also providing comic relief.
Unfortunately, neither Susan Sarandon’s Victoria Kord, nor Raoul Trujillo’s Carapax function as efficiently as they should as the primary antagonists of the story. Yet they deliver a functionally menacing, if not consistent, threat to Blue Beetle and his loved ones. Some of the more familial themes come off a little more ham-fisted, but they mostly play out well enough by the end of the film to be forgiven.
The sometimes predictable (okay, fine, the movie was pretty much a story-by-numbers routine) plot is actually helped by the relatively campy dialogue and plot points, at times feeling like the best possible version of a superhero film through the lens of Spy Kids-era Robert Rodriguez. It’s a far cry from the try-hard Goyer/Snyder era of dourness of which the earlier DCEU movies were victims, and actually presents a decent starting point for a new universe of superheroism.
Those who find Blue Beetle “too Latino” or “too political” are probably just incredibly desensitised to the amount of White representation or the myopically narrow view of politics we get from the superhero genre. While it probably isn’t gonna be the Latino Black Panther, it’s not surprising that a lot of the non-narrative criticisms that Blue Beetle is receiving aren’t very different from what Black Panther got.
Kid-friendly, enjoyable, surprisingly competently written (for a DC movie), and actually engaging, Blue Beetle is easily top 5 for the DCEU. I’d definitely want to see a sequel but, for now, we can only hope that James Gunn at least preserves the movie and cast in his upcoming reboot.
Blue Beetle is out now in theatres, and deserves all the support it can get from fans of good superhero flicks. So, if you’ve already given Barbie all the support you can, it’s time to divert those dollars to Blue Beetle.