Into the DC Murderverse: Blue Beetle

 "Blue Beetle" (2023)

I'm going to be honest. I thought about not finishing up these last two movies in the Murderverse. I'm ready to jump into the James Gunn reboot because I've never seen "Creature Commandos" and I'm ready to cover season two of "Peacemaker." That being said, I decided to just finish, because, you know, this isn't a bad movie. It didn't do great at the box office, but it should have. And James Gunn has said that Jaime Reyes is going be part of James Gunn and Josh Safran's rebooted continuity. There's a follow up animated series in the works and I'm hoping we get to see more of the Reyes family and Ted Kord. 

Principal photography on "Blue Beetle" began in May 2022 and concluded in July 2022. The film stars Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle, Adriana Barraza as Nana, Damían Alcàzar as Alberto Reyes, Elpidio Carillo as Rocio Reyes, Bruna Marquezine as Jenny Kord, Raoul Max Trujillo as Ignacio Carapax/OMAC, Susan Sarandon as Victoria Kord, George Lopez as Rudy Reyes, Belissa Escobedo as Milagros Reyes and Harvey Guillén as Dr. Jose Francisco Morales Rivera de la Cruz. It also features the voice of Becky G as Khaji-Da, the sentient entity that lives inside of the Scarab. The film was written by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer. It was directed by Ángel Manuel Soto. "Blue Beetle" premiered on August 18, 2023.

This bus scene is not the same as Shang Chi's.

I saw "Blue Beetle" in the theater and I remember enjoying it a lot and when I watched it again today, you know what? I also really enjoyed it. Listen, this movie isn't re-inventing the wheel when it comes to story beats. We've kind of seen the bones of this story before. It's kind of similar to the first "Iron Man" but I feel like there are tweaks that happen that make this film feel like it's own unique story. 

The first thing that is great about this movie is the cast. There truly are no duds. Xolo Maridueña is a star. He is incredibly attractive. He's got the face, the smile, the hair, the body, but that's not enough to be the lead in a superhero movie. Luckily, he's not just relying on his physical attributes. He's oozing charm and charisma. You need to be rooting for Jaime and from the moment he walks on screen, you are and that is all thanks to Xolo. He has chemistry with all the other actors in the movie. He spends most of his screen time with Belissa Escobedo, Bruna Marquezine and George Lopez and he easily matches the energy and it's difficult to do that with George Lopez.

Speaking of, George Lopez is pretty great in this too. He's not doing much but playing himself but with a distrust of the government (same) but if Jason Momoa can do the same thing in every movie he's in, its fine for Lopez. Escobedo's Milagros is a delight. She's snarky and funny. She's got an edge, but there is still a softness to her particularly when she has solo scenes with Xolo. 

The whole Reyes family just feels real and fully fleshed out. You believe these people are family and it's really refreshing to see a Mexican American family take center stage in one of these movies particularly in the DCEU. The DCEU has not been really known for its diversity so this is kind of a better late than never situation. Everything the Reyes family does feels legit. From not telling Jaime any of the misfortunes that have befallen the family since he was at college to the whole clan following him to Kord Industries for his potential job interview, it's easy to relate to them. 

Susan Sarandon joins the ranks of big name actors that are doing superhero movies as Victoria Kord and she is really the worst. I will say Victoria is about as one dimensional as a movie villain can get. There's nothing redeeming about her. She couldn't be more villain coded than if she was twirling a mustache the entirety of the movie. She's spouting microaggressions from the very first moment that she appears onscreen. They really want the audience to hate her from the jump and they do. This could have gone very wrong if it wasn't for Sarandon. She gleefully chews the scenery and it's clear she's having fun. A lesser actress *cough* Gal Gadot *cough* would have fell flat on their face, but Sarandon takes this pretty poorly written character and makes it work.

The type of Nana we all want.

We have to talk about the real star of this movie and it is Adriana Barraza. Nana is a fucking star. I would watch a solo movie about her. I'd watch a whole TV series about her. Even before you find out that she is a former revolutionary, she's a hoot. She doesn't speak a word of English the whole movie, but you don't need to be a Spanish speaker to feel what she's saying and emoting. When Alberto Reyes dies, the speech that she gives about now not being the time to cry is rousing and emotional and when she finally gives the family permission to start crying and grieving if you don't start crying too, then there is really something wrong with you. 

Nana is a fucking badass. When she takes her braids down you know she is getting ready to fuck shit up. Barraza is phenomenal here. She transforms the moment that she gets Kord's futuristic weaponry in her hands. She goes from this kindly, kooky Latina grandmother to a bloodthirsty warrior woman with a look on her face that is slightly unhinged. It's a joy to watch and I maybe re-wound her scenes a couple of times. 

Even though I did genuinely enjoy watching this movie and it's a lot of fun, I do have to point out again that the movies story does at times feel like a re-hash of superhero movies that we've seen before. The plot of a missing CEO and their company being used to become an evil manufacturer of weapons feels just like the plot of "Iron Man." Susan Sarandon may not don her own set of armor but she does have her own pseudo Iron Monger in the form of Ignacio Carapza aka OMAC, the One Man Army Corps. Some of the action sequences also feel really reminiscent of other superhero movies. It's difficult to see Blue Beetle cut that bus in half without also thinking of the bus fight scene on the streets of San Francisco in "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings." 

The Bug!

But there are a ton of things that I really love about this movie aside from some of the actors performances. If there is one thing I love it's an opening montage that gives the audience some necessary backstory and exposition but does it in a really fun way. Give me fake news clippings and reports and I am here for it. I don't care how many times I see it, I will always love it.

I love the aesthetics of the movie. We get so many superhero movies set in like big cities or suburban areas so it is a nice change of pace to see one of these movies set in a Miami style city like Palmera City. It's bright and sunny and neon and beautiful. It's cool to see the way that technology has been integrated to the outside of the skyscrapers and the buildings. At one point, Jaime and Milagros are checking out the skyline and you see the distinct difference between the haves and the have nots. It's not subtle at all, but these movies don't necessarily need to be subtle.

I enjoyed how they integrated both Blue Beetles into the story. In the comics, Ted Kord was the original Blue Beetle. A millionaire inventor, but he was goofy and fun. He frequently teamed up with the time traveling con man Booster Gold. If you're ever curious to read more about Ted, I'd recommend the classic Justice League International stories by J.M. DeMatties and Kevin Maguire from the 1980's. This movie definitely pulls from that that era with Rudy talking about how Blue Beetle was a superhero back in the day but was definitely kind of a tool. And that is said with love. Ted disappeared searching for the Scarab. When they are at the Kord mansion, they locate his lab and all the Easter eggs are there for Blue Beetle fans. I love seeing the Golden age and modern age Blue Beetle costumes on display. I definitely paused to study them even more. It was great to see the Bug in action. It was just a great meld of the classic character and the modern character.

The mid credit scene reveals that Ted Kord is alive and he is looking for help. I really do hope that this movie does make the jump into the new DC continuity. Jaime and the rest of the Reyes clan deserve to have more (better) stories told. I want Ted Kord in this universe. Superman, Batman and The Flash are name dropped and if you've seen James Gunn's "Superman" you know that it's entirely possible that they do exist in Gunn's world even though we haven't seen them yet. A "Blue Beetle" animated series is in development with Xolo reportedly onboard to voice Jaime. It hasn't been officially announced that it will follow the film but I think that it will and I'm hopeful. 

All in all, if this summer's "Superman" renewed your faith in DC live action films (and it should have), I'd give "Blue Beetle" a shot. It's streaming on HBO Max.

Next up, we finally wrap up the Murderverse with "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom."

What did you all think? If you've seen "Blue Beetle," did you love it? Indifferent? Did you hate it? Do you hope that Jaime keeps going in this new DC era? Let me know in the comments.