Blue Beetle
Starring Xolo Mariduena, Bruna Marquezine and Susan Sarandon
Rated M
4/5
Blue Beetle is an exciting, moving, character-driven superhero movie.
Mexican law student Jaime Reyes (Xolo Mariduena) unexpectedly bonds with an alien weapon called the Scarab, becoming the superhero Blue Beetle.
Blue Beetle explores themes of loyalty, strength through hardship and imperialism, the latter through main villain Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon) seeking to claim and appropriate ancient technology that doesn’t belong to her. Jamie’s family are all well-developed and endearing, and Jaime’s devoted family life, his growing abilities as Blue Beetle and Victoria’s resolve to steal the Scarab’s secrets all feed into each other in the brisk, energetic narrative.
Blue Beetle has an unabashedly nineties vibe, with its bright colour palette, plucky young heroes and Power Rangers-inspired action. The basic plot and Blue Beetle’s character design are reminiscent of the 1991 film The Guyver (including the note of body horror in Jaime’s initial transformation).
The action sequences are dynamic, creative and well-composed, and Jaime’s haphazard first flight as Blue Beetle is full of fun physical comedy, but the final battle, which feels more like a fight between robots than humans with heightened abilities, is a slight let-down. The bone-crushing intensity of the fights also clashes with Jaime’s honourable aversion to killing.
Blue Beetle exists in an odd limbo: one of the final films in the outgoing Snyderverse, but absorbed into James Gunn’s new DC Comics film era. Thankfully, Blue Beetle is very entertaining on its own terms, with almost no connection to the broader franchise baggage.
Blue Beetle is a character-rich, deeply moving superhero adventure, and is playing in most Victorian cinemas.
– Seth Lukas Hynes
