Blue Beetle
Blue Beetle
Streaming on: HBO Max
Director: Angel Manuel Soto
Writers: Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer
Production: Warner Bros & DC Entertainment
Theater Release: August 2023
Tagline/Quote: “He’s a superhero, whether he likes it or not”
I read numerous negative reviews of this movie, so my expectations were rather low going in. Happily, the movie was not as bad as all the reviews. I wonder how many of those reviews were from people who have no personal experience with the Latino community.
The original comic from 1939 had a different character, Dan Garret, as the Beetle as did the 1966 version, Ted Kord. The comic version with Reyes as the Beetle came about in the early 2000’s. For those readers from my area of the country, Reyes was from El Paso. This movie intertwines the stories of Ted Kord and Jaime Reyes with a little young love.
Xolo Maridueña plays Jaime Reyes who is chosen by the alien scarab to become the Blue Beetle. Jaime reminds me a little of Spiderman and a little of the Ant Man. This character and his family are just your average family who suddenly find themselves in the midst of an adventure.
This is a cute family superhero movie. Yes, if you don’t understand Spanish you will need to read some subtitles. They aren’t excessive. Considering all of the really bad Marvel shows released, Blue Beetle was a nice change. Enjoy.