Anthony’s notice: This review is posted during SAG-AFTRA strike against AMPTP, meaning many major reviewers (commonly on Youtube) are either in delays, halts or having a limited review. But as for me, I wasn’t part of the SAG-AFTRA, since im working on a thrift store (though my vacation will coming to an end, as im writing this), meaning im a minor reviewer in DA that i won’t be effected from the strike to call “Promoting AMPTP products” (so I thought), since reviews are meant to sharing our thoughts of any medias like movies, TV shows, video games, etc. Of course, we shall be supportive to actors and writers for their solidarity in movies and TVs industries. Thank you.
Hey everyone, my name is Anthony and welcome back to my Movie Review.
Since I’ve review many movies, I’ve done plenty of superhero movie reviews, but in nowadays, it feels like superhero movies has going down hill in this year, especially for both Marvel and DC, the latter of which has been even worse from the sequel of Shazam that it wasn’t as good as the first one that I pretty much had to skip to The Flash is now became a Money Loser from WBD’s stupidity to Ezra Miller being actor version of OJ Simpson for being Scot-free. However, while I may know some superheroes (for better or for worse) there’s one hero that im not familiar is “Blue Beetle”. Blue Beetle had plenty of origin tales for who’s behind the masks, there’s not one, but three identities of Blue Beetle. There’s Dan Garrett who’s first introduced during the Golden Age of comics from Fox Comics to Charlton Comics, Ted Kord is introduced in silver age by Charlton Comics. But years later once DC claiming Blue Beetles, we have the one we all know, Jaime Reyes in 2006 that he became a beloved millennium superhero to this day. I guess its not hard to see why Jaime got himself a chance to be in big screen in DCEU.
“Blue Beetles” is a 2023 superhero film that was directed by Angel Manuel Soto, produced by John Rickard and Zev Foreman and written by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer.
Back in 2018, WB and DC Films are looking which heroes to be given a shot on movie, one of them they pick is Jaime Reyes as Blue Beetle, but because Jaime is a Mexican-American hero, its no stranger that they’re bringing Mexican filmmaker/writer, so Gareth Angel Alcocer stepped in as a writer to making this the first DC superhero starring a main protagonist in Latino heritage. However, this movie was originally meant to be released on HBO Max (before renamed to Max), but with a new direction (as well as possibly some ClusterF(bleep) from WB and Discovery fusion), they changed their mind be planning to releasing Blue Beetle on the big screen that maybe this could make money, after two previous DC film that they flopped pretty badly, right?
So, with all that said, is Jaime Reyes get a first taste on the big screen, or having a Scarab to become a hero isn’t in a place and time?
Well, lets find out.
The Story
Now, you think this movie could give us something original and promising for my first taste of Blue Beetle, right…? Right…??
Anyway, the movie begins when Victoria Kord and her members of her industry discovered in remote frozen tundra that has a powerful blue artifact that happens to be a blue scarab. Meanwhile, we introduce Jaime Reyes, where he came back to his homeland after getting graduated to reuniting his parents, but the reunion isn’t a happy starts, due to his parents got themselves a financial crisis from landlord to business going down that they’re about to losing their home. While Jaime and his sister working on a mansion of Victoria Kord, he saw Victoria and her niece Jenny had an argument of disagreement, that he’s on Jenny side, but Victoria (being a Karen CEO of her industries) fired both of them. While Jaime tried again to have a job opportunity in Kord Industry, Jenny sneak in the building to snatching a blue scarab to him, secretly telling him that she’s using a blue beetle to creating a clone of it for the project called “OMAC” (One Man Army Corps). Once he escaped to holding a burger box that contains blue scarab to his home, he got bonded by it that he ended fusing to gaining superpowers as Blue Beetle. Its up to Jaime for not only learning to become a hero, but also facing against Kord industry once and for all.
This may sounds like an interesting idea to introducing Blue Beetle on the big screen for first taste of movie goers and newcomers, myself included. At first, I was curiously interested to get my first taste of Jaime Reyes’s own movie, but alas… If only the writing could’ve helped. Because the story feels like just like any other superhero movies, which is about an unlikely hero got bonded to gaining superpowers while dealing with evil corporation with its project, like gee, where did I heard of it before? I know it sounds like im going hard on that, but again, the story and even the writing could’ve been better to be creative without easily stepping into cliché elements. Well sure, it does has a heart moment that Jaime trying his best as he can for his family, but again, the writing ruined to add something annoying. Speaking of annoying, like any superhero movies, it has a humor and… Jeez, I was very bored that when they trying to add the jokes, they felt flat very quickly. Well to be fair, I did have some chuckling moment that might works, but everything else is so low brow that I was either got bored and annoyed with badly writing with some characters that I got annoyed that I was begging to see some action scenes.
While I appreciate the idea to give us the first taste of Blue Beetle for the build up and has some heart moment, but I just wish the story could’ve gone better based on cliché and unfortunately, a boring writing.
The Production
I think it safe to say the budget’s focus is the film’s presentation and its action scene and it definitely shows pretty nicely, especially with the budget of $104M.
For starter, the filming location is pretty nice to film, since Jaime Reyes is born in El Paso, Texas, its no stranger that they actually filmed in El Paso, sure they also filmed in location, such as Decatur, Georgia. But the most fascinating part of filming is in the third act of filming, it takes place in Castillo San Felipe del Morro, a more than 500 year old Spanish fortress located in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. I should also point out that due to filming in low budget (sorta), the filming is mainly heavy use of practical effects, even though they did use a CG in post-production.
Speaking of the latter, I gotta say the effects are pretty good for practical during their filming, sure the CG is also use in post-production, especially for the creative use of Blue Beetle’s weapons and other parts.
Speaking of the latter again, as for the heroes costumes, only two characters has that. The Blue Beetle’s suit looks pretty good to look at, even if it looks like a bug version of Iron Man. But in their defense, the design of this suit is based on the mix of Infinite Crisis Number 3, Injustice 2, Young Justice and Batman: The Brave and The Bold, pretty nice fact what they came up for the costume design. Of course, Blue Beetle’s suit is actually made practical when they’re filming, which again, il give a credit for their saving cost to do practical designs and effects. Though that can be exception is OMAC, since its more like it was done with a mix of practical then to CG, but I will say, the suit design of OMAC is pretty cool, specially the second form of its suit that it looks badass and kinda scary for Blue Beetle trying to put him down. I should also pointing out the Blue Beetle’s gadgets that gave us are either fascinating or creative, one gadget that surprising to me is Beetle’s gauntlet that happens to be a Power Glove. You know, the earliest attempt of motion control to NES, but poorly functioned? Yeah, the Power Glove itself as a cult following thanks to “The Wizard” with “I love the Power Glove, its so BAD”. (Maybe il review The Wizard in the future)
Of course since this is DC superhero movie, what better way to including the action scenes, and shockingly… Its pretty minimal. I get this is the focus of Jaime Reyes’s build up to becoming a hero as Blue Beetle, but if this is a DC Superhero movie, why do we have only second and third act of action scenes, its pretty disappointed how the action scenes are lackluster for the focus of unoriginal story with cringing jokes (not as very badly cringe as TTG movie…!). For my knowledge, it has about 3 action scenes, but I won’t give details of those scenes without spoilers. But in fairness, the action scenes are pretty good from Jaime trying to fight bad at the soldiers of Kord Industry to showing off Beetle’s weapons and gadgets, again, creative and pretty good.
While the action scenes are kinda lackluster, but the production of this movie is pretty impressive for its heavy use of practical effects and nice designs.
The Characters
But because the writing is a problematic, its no stranger that the characters in the movie are mixed bag, even if I may have nothing against the casts. However, the character list is rather small what I’ve gathered.
So lets start off with Jaime Reyes (played by Xolo Maridueña), the main protagonist who’s trying to help his struggling family up until he got bonded to becoming the hero Blue Beetle. I find him to be mixed, he may have a promising development, but once he’s fused, he’s pretty much going into a panic mode for what he has that when he all like “Oh my god, I got something on back or my ass!!” or “I don’t what to do with it, do I really becoming a hero?!”, I mean, I was like “Yes!! You have a scarab on your system and you’re gonna like it!!”. I know I’ve been nitpicky for the writing on him, but most heroes is supposed to be curious at first, but using it as an opportunity to be a hero, kinda like Spider-Man, but here, he had no idea how he becomes a hero until he learned about it, the latter of which wouldn’t be until about the second half of the second act. And before you ask, no, I have nothing against Xolo, I think he did a nice work of his role, but its the writing that I questioned how he becomes a hero.
Next up is Jenny Kord (played by Bruna Marquezine), she’s a niece of Victoria Kord, but she’s didn’t have a nice treatment from Mama Victoria for the project OMAC that she goes rebellious against her with giving blue scarab away to Jaime, and she’s the obvious build up love interest of him. I find her cliché, but in a good kind, since she’s more of a character giving plot details to our main hero when it comes to be a hero as Blue Beetle, from the aforementioned snatching blue scarab to bringing him to a secret hideout about the scarab. We know that most female character are meant to be rescued, but here, I find her pretty nice for again, helping our main hero to becoming… Well, a hero. And I think Bruna did a fairly descent role of Jenny.
Speaking of Kord, we have Victoria Kord (played by Susan Sarandon), she’s the main antagonist for her evil goal is to creating her clone after blue scarab in her OMAC project for the purpose of give her project to the military. I find her to be the most cliché villain like any villains in many movies, an evil corporate doing an evil project based on one artifact on her purpose of the world, but found out she’s a mean mother that she cared about experiment and being careless at her daughter. She’s basically the equivalent of Karen that she has the right of her project than most people like her daughter or even Jaime Reyes. Again, nothing against Susan, she did a good job, but its just her role is just plain cliché like many villains out there.
And as for her henchman Ignacio Carapax (played by Raoul Trujillo), he’s the main subject of OMAC after being brought over from Victoria and… That’s pretty much it, he’s just a big bruiting Victoria’s henchman for OMAC project and his purpose to punishing Blue Beetle. While Raoul did fairly descent too, but again, his role is pretty much cliché with nothing new.
As for the rest like Jaime’s family, they’re ranging from ok to annoyance, sure they have some heart, but wasn’t helping to make them nearly annoying.
There’s Rudy Reyes (played by George Lopez) who’s the uncle of the family that he’s surprisingly acknowledge of technology, which I find him fascinating, along with his obvious product placement of Toyota Tacoma (Jeez, first, Barbie’s Corvette, and now this? What’s next, another big movie with placement of Ford Mustang?), Alberto Reyes (played by Damián Alcázar) is the father of the family that he has a good heart to Jaime, Rocio (played by Elpidia Carrillo) who’s the mother who’s just annoyed that im pretty sure she’s in paranoid when she sees Jaime into Blue Beetle, Milagro (played by Belissa Escobedo) who’s Jaime’s sister who’s just there, and Nana (played by Adriana Barraza) who’s meant to be a comedic role, but I find her “meh”, until she does getting better in third act.
The characters in this movie are ok to mediocre at best, but it doesn’t meant I have against them, cause I think the actors in this movie are good to give a credit, but the writing they gave are either, again, ok to annoyance.
And now for my final opinion of this film.
Overall, Blue Beetle is the film that while some people liking it, but for me, it didn’t worked out for me, its the film that im disappointingly disagree in my take.
While il give an appreciation for the action scenes, the costume designs, the effects, the casting and some of the heart moments that il give a credit what they’re trying.
But sadly, it went down very quickly based on both boring and cliché writing, the jokes are slightly fun, but everything just felt flat of cringe and annoying, lackluster actions to more focus of character driven, but could’ve been better and the character are ranging from ok to forgettable.
Yeah, this is the film that im sadly disagree on critics and some viewers, if you like this movie, that’s fine, but its just that I wanted to liking this movie for my first taste of Blue Beetle as a newcomer since Jaime was introduced in 2006. But what this movie gave to me is a disappointing result with my problems on this movie. I know its harsh for my opinion, but we all have a right choice whether you love or hate this movie, in case of Blue Beetle, it didn’t work for me. As long as you wanna be pissed or toxic on my disappointed take of Blue Beetle at the comment section. Though im sure some people will recommend to watch this movie, but for me, I decided to let it pass, cause like I always said, 2023 is the biggest farce year for WBD with two flopped movies, and im sad to say, Blue Beetle will be the third victim of box-office flop, perhaps as im writing this.
For my rating, im gonna give this one a 4.5/10. Again, I know its a let down rating, but its my right if I like or dislike the movie.
So this ends of my movie review, if you guys have your opinion or any suggestions, let me know at comment bellow and support me on KO-FI.com/blackevil.
Thanks for reading, and im Anthony, signing out.
