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Xolo Maridueña. © 2023 Warner Bros Pictures, DC Studios, and The Safran Company.
Directed by Ángel Manuel Soto.
Watched it in IMAX @ AMC Theaters
A New Superhero Rises, In The New DC Universe A new DC universe is now set and the foundation begins with Blue Beetle. The first Latino lead superhero film is finally here and watching this film was an emotional rollercoaster. As a first-generation Latino, this film not only really hits with its representation but also its family themes and the direction of this film. This is easily the most underrated superhero film of the year and I'll tell you why this film should deserve more recognition. Let's visit Palmera City and enjoy the breeze of fresh air until Kord Industries takes over the city. Story: When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the Blue Beetle. Jaime's journey throughout this film is full of emotions, action, and excitement because of the struggles that he battles way through. Not just as a superhero, but as a young kid who is trying to make it out alive with his family. Jamie keeps getting in dangerous situations where he thinks he may die or doesn't have the capacity to become the superhero he was promised. This is the center of his story. His personal and superhero struggles. We see that a lot in superhero origin films but this feels like a breath of fresh air with the Latino representation and his character being a young adult, trying to live life. We haven't seen this being portrayed up until Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and we get to see it again but for a DC superhero flick. What makes this one even more special is his family's relationship battling it out with his new superhero life. The family dynamic is strong and authentic with the cast's performances. The chemistry between each character works very well and it adds emotional stakes between one another. Alberto Reyes, the father of Jaime, played by Damián Alcázar, is the strongest and most compelling character in the film. I really loved his chemistry between father and son with Jaime and his important scene with Jamie got me in emotional tears. In other films, it would have been weak if it wasn't the prime focus within the dynamic but the script allows both the father and son's relationship to be at the forefront of Jaime's personal journey. Plus, Alcázar 's performance rose the emotional stakes in the film which made me care about their relationship even more. That is the strongest component within the storytelling and while it feels familiar, with Ángel Manuel Soto's directing, it makes it strongly compelling. As for the other characters in the family, their dynamic with Jamie is also very solid but the father always steals the scene and it helps strengthen the core emotional stake for Jaime's journey. As for the other characters outside of Jamie's family, they are good with their performances but Bruna Marquezine's character, Jenny Kord is easily another great stand-out.
Her character and performance were very solid and her love relationship with Jaime felt natural instead of being forced. I'm surprised that they get enough screen time for their relationship to grow and it helps the emotional stake for Jaime's love interest and his family. I like the balance of those relationships and it didn't ruin the overall pacing of the film. The overall story is also solid and while the actual origin story of this character isn't different from other comic-book films with their origin story, the directing made the story unique. The plot can be predictable and straightforward, but I was still engaged with some of the unexpected twists, especially in the final act. The pacing of the story was surprisingly fast. Even though the film was two hours long, it felt like ninety minutes and it didn't waste its time. Plus, with the action in the film, it felt like a breeze and it was fun. There were a lot of action sequences which surprised me for a superhero origin story but it felt well-balanced. Well-choreographed, creative, and grounded which is somewhat of a rarity in comic book films now these days. Through Soto's direction, I liked his creative vision for the character and he delivered a lot of emotional stakes throughout the film. You can clearly see that his style is present and there is a level of creativeness throughout, unlike Marvel who are gatekeeping their directors. Soto delivered a solid origin story that is packed with good old superhero fun. Through its technical elements, with a somewhat mid-budget for a superhero film, it looks very solid on the big screen.
Originally, this film was going to debut on HBO Max (now Max) but later on, it was given a theatrical release, and production kept going as usual. With this being an original streaming movie that has been released in theaters, the film will look a bit different on the big screen. Yet, it still looks good with some clear VFX changes, color grading, sound design, and more. In terms of elements being captured on-screen, the costume design of Blue Beetle is fantastic. Probably one of the best comic book suits in film. With its blend of practical and visual effects, it looks very smooth and it does not look completely CGI compared to the Spider-Man suit in the MCU. In terms of CGI and VFX, it looks good for its budget. It is a well-shot film with interesting camera shots and coloring. Surprisingly, there is a lot of film grain but it didn't ruin the visual quality that much. The production design inside Jaime's home is very lived in with lots of unique and authentic props, art design, and homage to Latino culture, especially Mexican culture. Outside of that, there isn't much to praise except that Blue Beetle spaceship which looks pretty dope. From what the film offered originally through its technical production, it looks well-made with care behind the scenes. However, like every other comic book film, there will be flaws and this film has some of those common flaws. One of the biggest flaws that is common within some comic book films is the villain. The villain Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon) was weak and unfortunately, uncompelling. I didn't like her character and while her performance was good, I wasn't digging her character that much. As for the other villain character, OMAC (Raoul Trujillo) wasn't that strong until the very end. He was just a one-side-off villain character until the last minute. I'll give credit for that but if that didn't happen, I wouldn't care what would happen to him in the end. This film unfortunately falls flat on its villains but it also falls flat on playing it safe. The film outside of its Latino representation, doesn't add much to the story. It's the typical origin story that you have seen multiple times. Nothing new, nothing crazy. It falls into some of the cliches and tropes that have been stretched out like it's nothing which numbs the film. One more flaw that not a lot of people haven't noticed is the visual clarity of the film and the VFX. It is clear by some of the night visuals and VFX visuals, it makes out that it was a streaming movie in the first place. Even with the film grain as I mentioned earlier, it makes the film look low res in some shots. I saw this in IMAX and it looks clear, night and day on screen. Even with those technical and story flaws, I still enjoyed Blue Beetle with its unique direction and Xolo Maridueña's wonderful performance of this iconic DC character. Blue Beetle is a simple superhero origin film that takes its own spin on the character and makes it as fresh as possible. It has charm, excitement, and emotional stakes that strengthen the story. Maridueña's portrayal of the character is excellent with the father-son relationship being the strongest element. Even though the villains are weak with the story being the same old origin superhero film, it still has that creative flare that makes this film unique and I enjoyed every minute of it. I hope we get more adventures and stronger stories from this character and the director as well!
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Vizeit Score: "A-"
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Copyright © 2024 Vizeit Reviews / Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. Editor In-Chief/Owner of Vizeit Reviews | (Chicago Indie Critics Member [CIC])
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