Xolo Maridueña transformed as a bionic metal insect. Photo / Supplied
Xolo Maridueña transformed as a bionic metal insect. Photo / Supplied
Blue Beetle is yet another superhero movie from DC Studios, which brought us the Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman films. But there’s no direct connection to DC’s big names. It’s at the family entertainment end of the superpowered action-flick spectrum, and there’s a Hispanic background to the guy in thesuit. The character, who dates back to 1939, has had a stop-start comic book history but has been a presence in cartoons and video games in recent decades.
So, the film takes the familiar origin-story route, charting how young Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) is “chosen” by some strange alien technology to become its human embodiment – a kinder, gentler and bluer superhero. When transformed into his scarab costume as Blue Beetle, Reyes prefers to boof his enemies with a force field rather than kill them.
But what marks out Blue Beetle as a worthwhile addition to this overstuffed genre is its representation. The Reyes family are Mexican immigrants living in the poor neighbourhood of the newly gentrified Palmera City and at risk of losing their home and livelihood.
Jaime’s transition from law student to bionic metal insect is supported by his loving parents, his sassy sister (Belissa Escobedo) and, in a hilarious turn from comedian George Lopez, their paranoid, anti-establishment Uncle Rudy.
La Familia Reyes share plenty of screen time and feel integral to Jaime’s personal drama, which mitigates the overused theme of “family” (underpinning everything nowadays from the Fast and Furious franchise to the Spider-Verse flicks).
It’s great to see a blockbuster with bilingual (subtitled) dialogue and the lesser-known Latino cast are all solid. But it’s Susan Sarandon as this one’s Big Tech villain – the sole movie star – who is forgettable.
Blue Beetle doesn’t say much that’s particularly new, and it follows the usual plot trajectory to the inevitable, overlong battle finale. Still, it’s nice to see superhero-dom being thrust on ordinary kids of colour instead of wealthy white inventors.
