MARCUS CHEONG finds ‘Blue Beetle’ marred by its messaging…
Blue Beetle (AU-M/UK-12A/US-PG-13)
In A Word: Inconsistent
Xolo Maridueña as Blue Beetle in Warner Bros Pictures’ action adventure ‘Blue Beetle’. PICTURE: © 2023 Warner Bros. Ent. All Rights Reserved. TM & © DC
As DC tries to catch up with Marvel’s cinematic success they have tried anything and everything with mixed results. This time, they have taken a lesser known comic book character whose greatest claim to fame is that he is the first Latino superhero headlining a feature film. So is Blue Beetle as groundbreaking as it hopes to be?
“The focus on the family is the freshest part of the film. Jaimie’s eccentric uncle, impertinent sister, wise father, supportive mother and revolutionary grandmother are as much a part of the action as the actual Blue Beetle. They are witnesses, cheerleaders, accomplices and soldiers fighting alongside the “hero”. Unfortunately, the problems with this buggy film outweigh its good qualities.”
Jaimie Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) is a struggling Mexican college graduate looking for a job to help his poor family from losing their home. He unwittingly becomes a mule for the idealistic rich, white girl Jenny Kord (Bruna Marquezine) who is stealing an alien artifact known as the ‘scarab’ from the high tech headquarters of her family’s mega-corp, Kord Industries, run by her malicious aunt Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon).
The scarab transforms Jaimie into the titular Blue Beetle, who has the super suit of Iron Man, the symbiotic alien presence of Venom, the strange bug appearance of Spiderman and the family values of the Fast and the Furious.
The focus on the family is the freshest part of the film. Jaimie’s eccentric uncle, impertinent sister, wise father, supportive mother and revolutionary grandmother are as much a part of the action as the actual Blue Beetle. They are witnesses, cheerleaders, accomplices and soldiers fighting alongside the “hero”. Unfortunately, the problems with this buggy film outweigh its good qualities.
Blue Beetle has a jarringly mixed moral message. On the one hand, Jaimie is adamant about not killing his opponents. Meanwhile, his family have no such qualms as his grandmother mows down dozens of soldiers with a mini-gun while shouting, “Down with the imperialists!” His uncle brutally impales enemies with the spiked legs of a giant mechanical bug tank, while his sister yells cheerfully “20 points!” with each kill. This same bug tank that is murdering soldiers left and right also gratuitously sprays green bug “fart” gas for comic effect. It is part ridiculous, part brutal action, part melodrama and part moral message – however none of it adds up to a cohesive experience.
We rely on our readers to fund Sight's work - become a financial supporter today!
For more information, head to our Subscriber's page.
The recurring theme is one of family with the predictable trope that “Family doesn’t make me weak, it makes me strong”. There is also a muddled message of finding your purpose. In what are supposed to be poignant moments where characters are guided by the spirits of their deceased parents, one vision encourages Jaimie to embrace becoming a superhero. A second vision at the film’s climax leads a redeemed child soldier to commit murder-suicide.
Blue Beetle is a film about family that unfortunately is not really appropriate for families to watch. It is entertainment that is marred by its messaging. DC, unfortunately, blew it with this bug.
