A funny hero, a simple but effective story, sparkled with some great representation… With Blue Beetle, DC has found the perfect recipe to introduce us to a new endearing superhero.
A quick resume of Blue Beetle…
Jamie Reyes returns home with a license in his bag and big dreams. Unfortunately, he’s forced to forget them when his family situation brings him back to reality. New goal : Roll up his sleeves and gain enough money to help his parents financial crisis. Even if he has to clean tables from chewing gum… But as soon as he starts, he gets fired. Fortunately for him, he is offered a place in the famous Kord company. Obviously, nothing goes as planned. Soon, Jamie is in possession of a scarab-like object that chooses him as its host ! He soon has to accept his new identity : Blue Beetle, a superhero with an indestructible suit and (very) unpredictable powers.
Blue Beetle : a new superhero in the DC universe
Xolo Mariduena (Cobra Kai) portrays Jamie Reyes a.k.a Blue Beetle, a lesser known DC hero you’ve probably never heard of if you haven’t read the comics (I’m not throwing you any stones, I have never read any comics myself !)
His blue, he has wings – a shell- and customs powers, he’s Blue beetle and he comes straight out of the comics to introduce us to his funny and colorful universe backgrounded by his hispanic culture.
This first movie is more of the hero’s “origin story”. We follow him as he navigates between his double identity and his newfound abilities to save his family from an evil business woman. Granted, the scenario is pretty basic and predictable, but the approach chosen suits perfectly the movie and finally, it work pretty well !
The contribution of the (side) characters
Endearing and funny, the Reyes holds an important place in both Jamie’s life AND in the movie. In fact, it’s one of the reasons it works so well : they’re far from being passive secondary characters. Indeed, they have an actual purpose in the story, like helping Jamie (or alternatively, lightening the mood). So yes, this is above all a superhero movie, but between fighting and clashes, love, sacrifice and family are important values portrayed by the Reyes’s. Have you ever heard about good clichés ? While I can’t defend the movie in terms of it and cheesiness, this is a good example of it.
The movie also managed to represent Mexican culture and approach with humor the struggles and clichés of the community in America through almost all the characters (Jamie, his family, even the one on the villain’s side).
What to expect next
The post generic scene (let’s forget the second one) will certainly confirms the suspicion you’ll have all along the movie, but also offers an opening for a potential sequel. In the future, Blue Beetle has all the potential to become even more interesting as a hero. We can hope that next productions will show more mature and serious content and that his evolution will involve greater powers and more responsibilities.
My conclusion
At its beginning, Blue beetle was often compared to Spider-man : Homecoming (2017). Though both of them target the same audience and has a certain similarity in terms of themes and style (like the humor), the movie still stands out with its own identity. What do you think ?
If you haven’t seen it yet, Blue Beetle is in theatre since august 16 !