Blue Beetle Review: Xolo Maridueña shines in solid, self-contained origin story

A charismatic star turn by Xolo Maridueña, the Reyes family dynamic and surprisingly good CGI help Blue Beetle become the best 2023 DC comics film.

Jaime is a similar protagonist to Peter Parker. He wants to do right by his family and has aspirations to make the world better, but at the same time, he always feels like he’s on the outside looking in. Maridueña carries the film with the right balance of comedy, pathos and even terror.

The Reyes family is the beating heart of the film. George Lopez steals a few scenes as the conspiracy theorist Uncle Ruby. Belissa Escobedo also stands out as Jaime’s straight-shooting sister. There are some obvious comedic moments that don’t land, but overall the supportive family atmosphere gives Jaime something worthy of protecting as Blue Beattle.

Similar to Venom, Kaji-Da (the consciousness that controls the suit) and Jaime have a symbiotic connection that exists beyond when Jaime’s in the suit. Unfortunately, not enough time is spent developing this dynamic outside of the suit. The interactions between Khaji-Da and Jaime are cool.

Fight sequences and CGI are pretty impressive given the budget. The CGI is much better than The Flash, which had a significantly higher budget.

Blue Beetle‘s biggest issue is the lackluster villain. Susan Sarandon doesn’t offer much as Victoria Kord and Ignacio Carapax’s only purpose is to fight Jaime. There are opportunities to dive deeper into Victoria. She’s basically Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) from the first Ant-Man film without any of Cross’s personality quirks.

Overall, when the focus is on Jaime, the Reyes family or Khaji-Da, Blue Beetle is a fun film to watch. Jaime, in particular, should have a spot in future DC films.

With the overview out of the way, let’s take a deeper look at DC’s newest cinematic origin story. There may be some minor spoilers. DC films are available to stream on HBO Max.

Becoming Blue Beetle

Jaime Reyes is a college graduate who simply wants to make his family proud. After returning home, he finds out his family is in a dire financial state. Jaime is determined to find a job and save his home. Unfortunately, the job prospects are slim.

Jaime and his sister Milagro (Escobedo) lose their menial jobs at Victoria Kord’s estate. Out of sympathy, Jenny Kord (Bruna Marquezine) offers Jaime an opportunity at Kord HQ. When Jaime arrives, he’s given a burger box and told not to open it. At the behest of his family, Jaime opens the box and merges with an alien creature becoming Blue Beetle.

There is a sweet romance between Jenny and Jaime that gets overshadowed by their families. Jaime’s family is always around and tends to appear at inopportune times. Jenny is more weighed down by her family’s past.

After the painful transformation comes the customary superhero sequence. Iron Man learning how to operate his suit, Superman learning to fly in Man of Steel or Spider-Man learning to web-sling around New York are examples. The biggest difference between Blue Beetle and these other heroes is Jaime doesn’t really control any part of the suit. There are times when the suit operates according to Jaime’s wishes (mostly near the end of the film) and there are plenty of times when they aren’t on the same page.

Also, unlike Iron Man, Kaji-Da connects to Jaime’s brain, so even when Jaime’s out of the suit, there’s still a connection. Blue Beetle doesn’t delve into the out-of-costume dynamic between Kaji-Da and Jaime often enough.

Overall, Jaime is a terrific protagonist. His strict no-killing policy paints him at odd with Kaji-Da at first, but Jaime is a hero worth rooting for in the process.

The Reyes Family

The interactions between the Reyes family are the unique strength of Blue Beetle.

Alberto and Rocio are Jaime’s parents. There are a number of strong father-son moments between Alberto and Jaime. There’s even an odd scene that looks like an afterlife in Black Panther. Sadly, Rocio gets lost in the shuffle as Jaime’s mother.

The clear standout Reyes members in addition to Jaime are his sister Milagro and his Uncle Rudy. Outside of Jenny, Rudy has the most screentime of any of the supporting characters. He’s a conspiracy theorist and helps Jaime and Jenny fight back against Kord Industries. The comedic elements involving Rudy’s conspiracy theories are pretty broad, but Lopez makes them work for the most part. Milagro comes the closest to being a black sheep. She loves and shares her family’s faith in Jaime, but doesn’t share her parents’ positive disposition.

Rounding out the family is Nana, Jaime’s grandmother. She doesn’t play a major role in the story until near the end of the film. In an attempt to rescue Jaime, she reveals her past as a resistance fighter.

Everything about the Reyes family is delightful, which enables the carnage unleashed by Victoria to land as hard as it does.

Kord Industries

In addition to the Reyes family, Blue Beetle features another, more contentious family dynamic between Victoria and Jenny Kord.

Victoria is the CEO of Kord Industries. She took over the company after Ted Kord (Jenny’s father and her brother) disappeared. Victoria was passed over for the CEO role by Jenny’s grandfather. When Ted took over, he had a Tony Stark-like change of heart. He turned the company away from creating weapons and found alternative ways to protect the planet. When Victoria took over, she reversed Ted’s decision and uses Kord Industries resources to make weapons.

Victoria wants the scarab so she can create supersoldiers. Jenny opposes Victoria’s handling of the company and steals the scarab. She hastily hands it to Jaime.

Once Jaime saves Jenny, she brings him and Uncle Rudy back to her father’s house which is complete with a lair for the original Blue Beetle. Returning to the home gives Jaime and Jenny some time to connect.

Unfortunately, Victoria just isn’t an interesting villain and the Jenny-Jaime romance is a little underdeveloped. However, the latter has room to grow in future installments.

Blue Beetle final thoughts

Blue Beetle is a strong return to form after the disappointing Shazam sequel and The Flash. Focusing on a smaller scale, giving Maridueña room to carry the film and creative action scenes lifts Blue Beetle above the weak villains and some comedic blunders.

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