Blue Beetle (2023) - Came In Late Even Though It Works For DC - REVIEW

1 day ago

Blue Beetle dropped in 2023 and honestly I wasn't expecting this movie to see the light of day after all the drama that went down with DC's constant reboots and James Gunn taking over so it took me a while to watch any DC content and after watching now Superman (2025) and Peacemaker decided to catch up and this piece was missing for me, so I finally got to watch it after hearing mixed reactions from everyone but for the most part good reactions. This movie had me feeling kinda conflicted because on one hand it delivers some fun moments and great family touching scenes but on the other hand it feels like every other superhero origin story we have seen a million times before just with a Latino twist that works better than I thought it would. Xolo Maridueña really carries this thing on his shoulders and you can tell he put in serious work to make Jaime Reyes feel like a real person rather than just another random superhero, the dude has charisma and makes even the most cliche moments ok ish to watch. The whole thing about his family being his strength instead of his weakness is what makes this movie stand out, instead of keeping his powers secret like every other superhero, his entire family gets involved and becomes part of the adventure which is similar to the theme on Thunderbolts (2025), even if it leads to some pretty ridiculous moments. After I kept watching I started to care about the Reyes family and not only him, from the supportive father to the badass grandmother who apparently has a violent past, these characters feel both real and ridiculous but in the good way even when the script gets a bit over the top with the cultural references and Spanish dialogue that sometimes feels forced but I can understand this were dark times for DC.

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9362930/
Platform: AppleTV+

Rottentomatoes Rating

Source

The story itself is pretty straightforward and nothing amazing, you actually might think ok they took the Spider Man story like and mix it with another bug? yup kinda, Jaime comes home from college to find his family about to lose their house, gets a job through Jenny Kord who steals this alien scarab from her aunt Victoria and boom he becomes Blue Beetle when the scarab chooses him as its host, Im 110% sure that in the comics this has to be more complex than that although thats the basics, I dont want to make it feel like Im trying to push it under the rug but it aint complicated at all. Victoria Kord played by Susan Sarandon is supposed to be this menacing villain but she comes across more like a generic corporate bad guy who wants to weaponize alien technology, nothing we haven't seen before in a dozen other movies and her motivations never really feel threatening enough but so far until 2025 I havent found a Thanos in the DCU, at least not yet. The whole thing with Carapax the indestructible man being her personal weapon has some interesting backstory about trauma but it gets rushed through with very little content and we dont have time to process the deeper meaning of what they are trying to say about imperialism and military intervention and a bunch of other themes that get lost within the movie. What works better is the relationship between Jaime and the scarab itself, the way they communicate and learn to work together feels like proper character build up and the visual effects when he transforms are impressive for a movie that didn't have a massive budget. The action scenes are nothing spectacular but just seen Xolo into the Blue Beetle learning his powers is fun enough with all the comedy in between, there is some good practical suit work mixed with CGI that look convincing and the final battle in the family backyard has this weird charm where everyone gets involved in fighting off the bad guys, again like Thunderbolts (2025).

Source

Source
The best parts of the movie either when having fun, supporting Jaime and fighting the bad guys, thats the core of this movie since its not about the born superhero but the one turn into with his family next to him always so supportive, like when Jaime's father gives him advice about finding his path in life or when the grandmother reveals she had a some what violent past mixed with her been a revolutionary. These scenes have heart and emotion that uplift the more generic superhero stuff and you can tell the script put real thought into making the Latino culture feel respectful rather than stereotypical, something I was afraid from the start, even if they do lean a bit heavy on the family theme at times. The romance between Jaime and Jenny works well enough without taking over the entire movie, they have decent chemistry and the fact that she is Ted Kord's daughter adds some interesting complexity to their relationship that could pay off in future movies if they ever get made but I think this character will turn into the Moon Knight of the DCU, everyone love it but forgotten since it came up during very dark times. George Lopez as Uncle Rudy is kinda of a breather for the movie without being annoying every time he is on scene breaks the ice and his character gets some very emotional moments when he talks about protecting the family and dealing with immigration that honestly is one of the most hilarious aspects of the movie. The whole cast seems to be having fun with their roles and even when the script gets cheesy or the situations become ridiculous, everyone commits to selling the emotion and relationships that make you care about what happens to these people.

Source

The costume design for Blue Beetle looks great and feels like it could exist in the same universe as other DC heroes without looking cheap or fake, I think would mix just great with the recent Superman (2025) movie as its very comic like and not so dark as The Batman. For the time this movie came out there is a nice visual style that feels different from other DC movies without being too flashy or distracting from the story plus the music and how the sound effects were use hits the right notes when it needs to, with superhero music with some Latino influences that make it feel more connected with the rest of the movie, there is also the sound effects during the transformation scenes that really sells the alien technology aspect of the scarab. I also find interesting how the story kinda sells a one and done situation, the movie doesn't try to set up a bunch of sequels or connect to a larger universe, it tells its own complete story while leaving room for more adventures but for the most part it does bring enough closure so at the end you are satisfied with how much the story advance. The hole thing about developing a universe where there are all this superheroes is that at some time they can collaborate with each other but Blue Beetle does great at been just a one guy army as he also has his family to back him up.

After sitting with it for a while, I think this is a perfectly decent superhero movie that succeeds more on charm and family theme than on innovation or action, it knows exactly what it wants to be with a clear vision even if it doesn't try to be the best DCU movie, its like the director knew by the time Superhero exhaustion was a thing and didnt want to go over the top with it, just try to hit that sweet spot of not been just more of the same and not trying to break the mold. The family aspects and latino representation feel original and important, Xolo Maridueña proves he can carry a big budget movie and there are enough fun and emotional moments to make it worth watching even if you are getting tired of origin stories, this is a movie you can watch at any time but not one you would want to watch over and over, you might not fall in love with the character either since there is more than just Bluee Beetle on this movie. My biggest complaints are that the villains feel underdeveloped and the plot hits all the expected boxes without many surprises and thats the thing the movie doesnt take any risks but honestly those problems during the movie are not that heavy as the characters and relationships work well enough. This feels like the kind of movie that will do just great in streaming platforms, especially among latino viewers who have been waiting to see themselves represented in superhero movies in a respectful and authentic way. I would definitely watch a sequel if they make one and I hope James Gunn finds a spot to incorporate this version of Blue Beetle into whatever he is planning for the future of DC movies or tv series just as how most of the Superman (2025) cast had appearances on Peacemaker, Im probably giving it a high score but I really enjoy and have fun watching aside from the Superhero stuff.