The book is finally closing on the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Unfairly bashed at times, even the most Pollyannic viewer would admit the DCEU films were a monument of missed opportunities.
However, that closing door opened a new one, leading to the newly established DC Studios and rebooted DC Universe (DCU). Kicking off this fresh start is Blue Beetle, based on the DC Comics character of the same name.
Blue Beetle, the first Latin superhero film, is the story of a recent college graduate, Jaime Reyes, who returns to his hometown and inadvertently receives an ancient alien artifact that attaches to his body and transforms him into an unlikely but powerful superhero.
At this point, it feels like a DC Universe reboot is as routine as a James Harden trade request with identical results – missing the ultimate goal. Is Blue Beetle the launching pad for the DCU finally attaining cinematic greatness? Who knows what the future holds, but DC Studios could be playing for championships soon if this one indicates what’s to come.
The optimism Blue Beetle brings to DC Studios’s prospects is its earnest storytelling. Writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer and director Ángel Manuel Soto, both Latinos, move away from the overly-ambitious structure superhero films of the DCEU by honing in on the human aspects of the Blue Beetle story, which brings Jaime’s Hispanic heritage to the forefront.
Dunnet-Alcocer’s script mines the day-to-day life of a Hispanic immigrant family in America to build the world of Jaime Reyes. It showcases Latino cultural values like family and faith and the societal plights of immigrant families and makes their way of life a shared experience. Some of the typical origin story tropes remain, but Dunnet-Alcocer does a fine job of letting humor, heart, and authenticity be the guide.
From the director’s chair, Soto builds on that Dunnet-Alcocer’s foundation with well-placed callbacks to Latin TV shows and music (bonus points for the Cypress Hill song) that continues Blue Beetle’s strong representation of Hispanic culture. He also maintains the light tone by keeping the film at a quick pace and a massively downsized use of CGI. It’s a safe approach, but that’s not bad considering the trouble The Flash got into trying to do too much.
The cast is where you’ll fall in love with Blue Beetle. Cobra Kai’s Xolo Maridueña proves he will be around long after the Netflix smash ends. His Jaime Reyes isn’t much of a departure from his breakout as Miguel Diaz, as both are coming-of-age roles with a degree of physicality needed for action and combat. The growth in his abilities jumps out in how his vulnerable charm easily transfers to a bigger stage while stretching a little into some comedy.
But similar to its titular character, the acting in Blue Beetle finds its strength in family. George Lopez is the primary comic relief as Uncle Rudy, with Belissa Escobedo not too far behind playing Jaime’s sister, Milagro. If there’s a laugh to be had, it usually comes from one of them; as previously mentioned, there are plenty between Rudy’s unpredictable reactions and unfiltered commentary and Milagro’s constant humbling of Jaime.
However, it’s not all fun and games with the Reyes family, as Damián Alcázar’s excellent portrayal of Jaime’s father, Alberto, gives Blue Beetle its heart and glue guy who brings the ensemble together. He’s responsible for the film’s most affecting moments, including one that will make the heads of us who remember him from Narcos: Mexico spin in a good way.
After years of betting big on CGI, superstars, etc., Blue Beetle gets DC the win it did everything but the right thing to catch. Prioritizing what builds a hero instead of the hero finally put the studio’s focus where it needed to be the whole time.
Blue Beetle doesn’t change or transcend the superhero genre in any way. Still, it gives a struggling studio a path forward by telling an endearing, authentic story whose entertainment value is organic and not computer or celebrity-generated.
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