My initial exposure to the Blue Beetle/Jaime Reyes character was through the popular animated series, Young Justice. He was this laid-back guy who occasionally brought humor, often engaging in banter with the Blue Beetle Scarab and its A.I. Being on Superboy’s (Connor Kent/Kon-El) team, Jaime and Superboy would jokingly refer to the Scarab’s voice as his “inner demon,” urging him to act against his will. Over time, Jaime and the scarab formed a more understanding relationship. With the rise of A.I. in the real-world, this Blue Beetle film almost seemed like the perfect time to make all the jokes about it.
The film depicted the same Jaime Reyes but with a slightly altered origin story compared to the animated show. He’s portrayed as a recent college graduate returning home full of dreams and aspirations. However, he discovers that his family is on the brink of homelessness as their rent had tripled. As he seeks employment and a place in the world, Jaime stumbles upon an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab. This comes into his possession during a chance encounter with Jenny Kord, the daughter of tech CEO, Ted Kord.
The Scarab selects Jaime as its symbiotic host, equipping him with an impressive suit of armor that boasts a myriad of unique and sometimes unpredictable powers—it’s akin to a blend of Venom, Moon Knight, and Iron Man. Yet, Jenny’s aunt, Victoria Kord, has other intentions for the Scarab’s capabilities. She becomes determined to reclaim it, enlisting the aid of her henchman, Carapax.
Coming in hot off Warner Bros.’ hit Barbie film, the dream of them continuing to smash the box office could be done with this hero’s debut. As the first DC Universe’s character under the new cinematic universe (DCU), Angel Manuel Soto invited audiences to connect with this new character on a heart-to-heart level.
And surprisingly, it did not hit me over the head with an overload of lore—it was a bit of subtle hints dropped as easter eggs to go back to find in a second watch. The heart of story leaned into a lot of Latinx roots and struggles they have faced throughout the Latinx diasporic outcomes in the United States and beyond.
Despite the story taking place in a fictional DC Comics city called Palmera City, it very much echoed sentiments of places like Los Angeles or Texas, with its major Latinx communities who continue to struggle against issues like deportation and gentrification of immigrated zones. Blue Beetle touched upon many of these issues that were not too on-the-nose, but enough to draw parallels to the real-life comparisons.
“Two standout performances for me in Blue Beetle were Xolo Maridueña’s Jaime and George Lopez’s Rudy Reyes.”
Family was a significant point of the film, something I can relate to heavily coming from a family which my parents came to Canada in their twenties. The classic feelings of relatives living with me is all too real as Jaime lived with his parents, sister, uncle and grandmother. I thought the film nailed the right levels of the family theme without making it seem too family-friendly, but held back enough where it did not go crazy like Deadpool.
Two standout performances for me in Blue Beetle were Xolo Maridueña’s Jaime and George Lopez’s Rudy Reyes. Maridueña brought the charisma and heart I loved about him in Netflix’s Cobra Kai, and elevated on the big screen—making it his biggest debut yet. Lopez brought the jokes out that had me laughing out loud, something I have not done since watching his classic show The George Lopez Show.
As for the villains, Susan Sarandon’s Victoria and Raoul Max Trujillo’s Carapax roles were respectively one-dimensional and complex. Sarandon’s portrayal felt purely evil from beginning to end, similarly to Lucy Liu’s Kalypso in Shazam! Fury of the Gods or Ciarán Hinds’ Steppenwolf in Justice League. Carapax was a much more compelling villain that ended up having a more dynamic backstory in an almost anime-adjacent way with a flashback. I found that hilarious but a lot more nuanced for younger, modern audiences.
The VFX shots blended with the practical were a major selling point for this movie, in my opinion. For a hero that could let their imagination run wild, it was able to deliver a great visual experience with near-perfect VFX work. Using practical suits tends to be a better choice for both the actors and audiences. I loved the first transformation shots of Jaime’s suit and the villain’s (Carapax) suit, which was reminiscent of how the first Iron Man suit-ups used to look with all the nuts and bolts coming together to form the full suit. It just felt super satisfying to see that level of work again.
In comparison to some of the previous DC films like The Flash, Shazam! Fury of the Gods or Black Adam, I felt like the CGI and VFX shots were more grounded, and felt more natural. I thought it was a lot closer to the Marvel Studios level, which made sense as they had shots done by Digital Domain and Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)—two major companies who worked on major Marvel Studios productions.
With Blue Beetle’s 127-minute runtime, the film had enough meat to savour. I thought the debut of Jaime and the Blue Beetle was endearing and funny—with a good amount of cheesiness to not make me feel lactose-intolerant of the overall viewing. The jokes really landed well for me, and I hope audiences enjoy them too. The tone and themes of the film almost had me in tears, but not quite there yet as some of the other superhero movies. Stay tuned for one mid-credit scene that will be a setup in future films, and a post-credit scene for the giggles.
