DC is one of the least talked about movie studios. And for good reason, it has not produced a good movie since “Man of Steel,” which came out over a decade ago. “Justice League” was nothing special. “The Flash” was hot garbage, and that’s coming from me, a big Flash fan.
After so many poor movies, DC needed a turnaround. Luckily for fans, we got just what we wanted. Screenwriting began all the way back in 2018, and due to COVID, almost became a straight-to-streaming movie but was thankfully brought to theaters for fans to fully enjoy.
In short, “Blue Beetle” is fantastic. The movie follows recent college graduate Jaime Reyes, played by Xolo Maridueña, who unfortunately had to return home to deal with family struggles. Jaime’s journey starts with him getting and then immediately losing a job, but fortunately, opportunity comes his way.
While Jaime is heading to an interview for a new job, he is suddenly tasked with defending a hamburger box with his life, however, the object is nothing close to a hamburger at all. Inside he finds the alien device known as the Scarab and becomes linked to it, turning him into the Blue Beetle. Now, Jaime needs to learn not only how to use this new technology and save his loved ones from the danger that the Scarab has brought to them, but also, Victoria Kord and her henchman Conrad Carapax, as they want the Scarab to make an army.
There’s no feeling that can compare to a truly entertaining movie. The compelling characters, wonderful cast, balanced comedy, and all gut-wrenching, heartfelt moments make for the absolute beauty of a movie to watch. Not even to mention the wonderful CGI, nothing ever feels outlandish or poorly done. Unlike many past DC projects, there was a clear amount of time, effort, and care put into this film to make it something good, and all of it paid off.
One big help was the variety of lessons sprinkled throughout the movie because the messages are never clogging up the film; however, they still bring importance to the plot, such as the love of family being a strength, knowing that the people who helped raise you will always be able to give you the courage and strength you need to do your best. For example, when Jaime realizes Kord Industries is making an assault on his home, he rushes into action and finally activates the scarab on his terms, leading him to defend his loved ones from the armed gunmen.
Another factor that helps the movie is that it’s all about a character many people may not know of. Most of Blue Beetle’s appearances have been in kids’ shows so it’s nice to see him on the big screen. Still, it’s good to know that people like director Angel Manuel Soto, and screenwriter Gareth Dunnet Alcocer, wanted to bring a minor character to life. It’s always exciting to watch a character you may love but not many people know about, come into the light and get the recognition that they deserve, and the entire cast and crew just did an impeccable job of doing so.
The cast, surprisingly, is quite small for such a big-budget movie of $125 million. There were only 16 cast members, but everyone played their characters perfectly which made this movie much more enjoyable. Even the main antagonist, Victoria Kord, played by Susan Sarandon, had so much thought put into her character, even though Victoria is a character you’re meant to loathe and anticipate her much-deserved defeat.
Overall, this movie is exactly what DC needed. It was such an enjoyable, funny, and easily lovable movie that fans will be absolutely hooked on and gladly watch again. It is supposed to be the beginning of a new saga for the live-action DC films, hopefully, the rest will follow in “Blue Beetle’s” footsteps.
