Blue Beetle

Tucked safely away from most of the cinematic universe shenanigans, Blue Beetle is a self-contained and smartly crafted film that ranks among the DCEU’s very best. Even though, admittedly, that doesn’t say nearly as much as it ought to.

While Blue Beetle isn’t the same representation achievement the first “Black Panther” was for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the movie works on a canvas broad enough to include some wrenching emotional sequences along with the usual superhero selling points.

Maridueña, playing Hollywood’s first Latino superhero, proves an appealing star. And the novelty of casting a comic-book blockbuster with a mostly unknown crew of vibrant Latino actors finds its emotional grounding in Jaime’s family.

It all makes for an appealing blend of flavors and influences, and despite its minor flaws, “Blue Beetle” combines family, history and culture with an upbeat tone to introduce a character who offers an exciting new direction for DC.

I'm happy to report that Blue Beetle doesn’t suffer from the ponderousness that weighs down so many other DC movies. It's lighter, more fun, and delivers the jokes, bright colors and nods to ridiculousness that you want from a superhero movie. And speaking of the superhero, the Blue Beetle emerges as relatable and easy to cheer for.

Though it may have some novel elements, the franchise already feels tired, and isn’t much more promising than recent DC efforts “Black Adam” and “The Flash.” This beetle doesn’t have much juice.

In practical terms, this just means he’s Iron Man with a spray-paint job. The film’s draggy middle act has to confine Jaime in Victoria’s secret lab, or there would be nothing for the non-superpowered rest of his family to do: at long last, he’s pitted against the grievance-harbouring Indestructible Man (Raoul Trujillo) in one of those climactic clashes we know all too well, which is just a slam-bam VFX-off.

Il film è scorrevole, tratta contenuti profondi come l'amore e l'unità della famiglia. Gli effetti speciali sono ben curati e il tutto è piacevole da vedere. I film DC sono presi mira a prescindere, fidatevi, dategli una chance per una visione in famiglia, non ve ne pentirete! A mio avviso è promosso a pieni voti!

Blue Beetle has its flaws but does build a strong legacy as it keeps the essence in the heart as it makes us question what do we believe in that makes us stronger.

Finally, Nickelodeon's first superhero movie is here. I'm all for representation but doing it in a bland way using the language of generic American superhero fare is always disappointing, and even worse, when it looks and feels authorless and cheap it's a wasted opportunity in a field already stacked against it. Blue Beetle has a cheap kid's TV-movie look and feel most of the time. I enjoy the social commentary, some of the horror leanings, the film's anime action and some dialogue and character moments stand out. But beyond that, it's sadly, predictably, nothing especial.

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[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]