Spoiler-Free Review of Blue Beetle (2023).
Rating: 4/5
Blue Beetle (2023) is a beautifully written story of family and love alongside a generic but entertaining superhero origin story.
Xolo Maridueña’s performance as Jamie/Blue Beetle, alongside the rest of the Reyes family, was the stand out part of this movie. He brought a gentle but resilient naivety to the role which was the heart of the movie.
There are funny moments, tragic moments, and really engaging action sequences, all fitting together perfectly within the narrative. You’re going to laugh when they want you to and you’re going to have your heart in your mouth when this wonderful cast of characters is in danger.
There is clearly a political message to this movie and it’s done well, unlike some previous examples from this genre of movie. You feel this message, rather than having it slap you in the face to the detriment of the narrative.
I’ll admit, the plot is pretty generic. It’s similar to Iron Man 2 (2010), and it’s a difficult parallel to ignore, but I don’t think this is wholly a bad thing. The story here is not about the action, or the villain; they are there because they need to be for it to be a superhero movie – Blue Beetle is about family, resilience, and hope.
If there had been a less generic plot, this would definitely be a 5/5 movie. Don’t worry about how bad the previous few DC movies have been – Blue Beetle looks like the start of something great for the DCEU. Hopefully, James Gunn will make Blue Beetle the first hero of his new take on this universe.
If we don’t get more of this character, it’ll be the most wasted opportunity of this franchise – and that includes removing Henry Cavil’s Superman.
