DC's Blue Beetle Review: Dive into the Exciting World of Jaime Reyes - The First Latino Superhero
In today's review, I have an insightful review of the latest superhero movie from DC, "Blue Beetle." This action-packed film marks the debut of James Gunn's new DC universe and is directed by Angel Manuel Soto.
Let's dive into the plot of the movie without giving away any spoilers;
Recent college grad Jaime Reyes returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab. 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 Super Hero BLUE BEETLE.
Here are some facts I found about Blue Beetle. Did you know that there have been three different Blue Beetles throughout comic history? The first Blue Beetle, Dan Garret, appeared in 1939 and is now in the public domain, available for anyone to use in their own stories. Additionally, "Blue Beetle" was originally planned for an HBO Max release but in 2021 was later changed to a theatrical release by DC. Which I think was the right decision.
While I enjoyed "Blue Beetle," there were a couple of aspects that left me wanting more. The process through which the scarab chooses its host is never fully explained, which left some unanswered questions. Additionally, the trailer may have given the impression that certain characters, like Jaime's grandmother, had a more significant role than they actually did. This led to some surprising character developments in the final act but I wished for a better foundation in the earlier parts of the film. I also had mixed feelings about Susan Sarandon's portrayal of the villain. While her character showed potential, I felt that the portrayal lacked the necessary oomph to truly stand out. Furthermore, her henchman, who gradually transformed into a blue beetle-like entity, felt reminiscent of other similar characters in the superhero genre.
Here are three key takeaways from my review:
🔹 Representation Matters: Blue Beetle marks a historic moment as the first Latino superhero in a major blockbuster film. It was refreshing to see a Latino family represented on the big screen, with nods to Latino culture and experiences. As someone from a Latino household, the callbacks and dynamics showcased in the film were relatable and made the viewing experience even more enjoyable.
🔹 Xolo Maridueña Shines: Xolo Maridueña's portrayal of Jaime Reyes, also known as Blue Beetle, was a standout performance. From the moment he discovers the alien scarab and becomes the superhero, Xolo brings a sense of thrill and authenticity to the role. His chemistry with the cast, particularly the family dynamics, added depth to the story and made it all the more engaging.
🔹 Suit Up! The Blue Beetle suit and its mechanics were visually captivating. The seamless integration between Jaime and the scarab technology showcased an impressive arsenal of abilities, making for some thrilling action sequences. The suit's transformative properties, allowing Jaime to conjure various weapons at will, added a level of excitement and unpredictability to his superhero persona.
Overall, "Blue Beetle" is an enjoyable superhero film that introduces a compelling new character to the DC universe. With its representation, engaging lead, and exciting action, it is worth a watch for superhero fans and moviegoers alike.
Transcript
Please note: This transcript is auto-generated, so there may be spelling and grammar mistakes.
Hello, and welcome to today's video. My name is Giovanni. If you are new here, welcome. On today's video, I'll be reviewing the movie blue beetle, which is the latest superhero movie from DC. This is the first character from James Gunn's new DC universe. Blue Bureau was directed by Angel Manuel. So, though, this is his first, major superhero movie that he directs And the movie stars, Cobra Kai's, star Zolo Marinduenya as Jaime Regis. also known as blue beetle.
Alright. So the plot of the movie reads as follows, recent college grad, Jaime Regis, returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology, the scarab. When the scarab suddenly chooses hymet to be its symbiotic host, he is stowed with an imprintable suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers. Forever changing his destiny see as he becomes the superhero blue beetle. Alright. So here are some fets about blue beetle, just FYI, I am not a common book historian or, you know, comic book guru. this is stuff that I found online.
This is something that I'm I'll try to do more and just kinda give you some fets about the movie that I'm reviewing, some fun fets are behind the scenes stuff. Okay? So here's the stuff that I found about blue beetle. There's been 3 blue beetles throughout comic history, The first blue beetle appear in the Fox feature syndicated comic book series mystery men comics number 1 in 1939. as archaeologist, Dan Garrett. And then if you are a comic book writer and you wanna have maybe an appearance by Blue beetle, The original blue beetle, the Dan Garrett blue beetle from 1939 is now in the public domain and free to use tool for anyone who wants it. So DC better get it together and go get the rights back from the 1939 Blue Bureau. And the last fact Well, this movie is that Will Beetle was actually supposed to premiere on HBO Max, not in theaters, but in 2021, DC changed their minds, and they decided to release it to the world to see in theaters, which I thought was the best plan and a good idea on their part. Alright.
So, I'm not going to spoil the movie. Chancey just came out. I'm gonna tell you what I like, what I did on Mike and overall what I think. overall, I thought it was a fun film. it has some action. So what did I like about this movie? I liked that it was the 1st Latino superhero. You don't often see that. I was nice to see a Latino family represented on the big scream in a major blockbuster film.
The last time we saw a Latino hero was noir, and he was really an anti villain. no more was aesthetic, you know, from Mexico. I think he was aesthetic or Mayan. I think he was Mayan, actually. But, you know, he was an anti hero. He wasn't, like, a superhero. So it was nice to see Blue Viro being this Latino guy that just graduated college and trying to find himself and trying to find work and, just being a normal fine two year old until he becomes Filipino, obviously. And, you know, as a Latino, I grew up in a Latino high households.
So it was nice to see, a lot of callbacks that you will get if you grow up in Argentina households, like the TV, the shows that we watch, and Telenovelas. So I love the aspect of the film. I also like Zolo as blue beetle. I thought he did a really good job. I thought he was fun, the way he portrayed the character, when he became when he sorry. That was my neighbor. I don't know if you heard that, but my neighbor just slammed something in the background. anyway, so Zolo was really good at Boodle beetle, the way he portrayed him.
When when the scarab, when he found the scarab, and he, like, you seen his nephew in the trailer. And the carib just, like, jumped to his face. And the way he becomes a little bit, though, that was a really funny scene because the family's, like, watching him screaming and, Zolo, it's just, panicking and it's they he destroys the house, becoming blue beetle, but that was a really fun scene. And I, like, And I just thought he did a really good job as Blue beetle. I enjoy the family dynamics between Blue beetle and his family. I thought that was really well done. And I, wish there was more of that into an incorporated into the film. I also like the movie to suit and how it works and all the mechanics about it, how it kinda becomes, like, you kinda interwine.
Eventually, towards the 3rd act, you know, you kinda intertwine with this carib and you become 1, it was really cool to see, like, when he's fighting, he just he can just get any weapon that he wants, and he's like, his hands will transform into that weapon. So I like the mechanics of that suit and how it works and how it looked. So here are the things that I didn't like about the movie or that I was confused about. So in the film, they just say that the scarab chooses you. But it is never explained how he chooses someone or what are the qualifications or, like, what you need to be in order for this character to choose you. And it's never fully explain, like, how he chooses someone or why Zella was the chosen person? Like, we all know in Thor, you have to be worthy and my goodwill to be able to pick up Thor's hammer. you know, it is explained who are the people that are able to pick it up. It's just like Thor in Captain America because Captain America like, a goodwill individual.
And, you know, he's a hero, and he's he has a good heart, etcetera, etcetera. So that was, like, like, he was the only one of the avengers that picked up the hammer. But, anyway, It is to explain why people are able to pick up this hammer. This scarab, it is not explained why the scarab chooses who he has chosen. So I wish they will have delve into that a little more. I also didn't like that the trailer was kind of misleading. It makes you think that the family is a little more involved than what they actually are. Like, The grandma, for example.
The grandma, the first hour and a half of the film, she's just there. You know, she's like, drinking tea or watching TV or, like, making some clothes. She's not really she doesn't have a purpose in the first two apps. So in the in the set in the last act when they're, like, trying to find Jaime, she out of nowhere becomes this warrior grandma, this, like, killer grandma, that I wish they would have hinted tours. So when this happens, we're more decided to see her in action, then, like because if you were to remove her from the story, no one would even know because she didn't really have, like, anything exciting happening to her, or she didn't have, like, a conversation or some sort of monologue something where where it hinted that she was this badass. I think there was like one line right before she started shooting people that said she was part of some revolutionary thing. I don't know. But I wish that we have given her a little more to do at the beginning instead of just standing around being a grandma.
Because then the 3rd act, she turns into this badass, And I it's so it's surprising, but I wish we would have known a little more of her background. I also didn't like Susan Sarandon as the villain of this movie. I don't know. I just didn't feel like she was a villain enough. And her henchmen, she has a henchmen when that she turned into this, like, killer machine. He's like human, but he has some robotic parts. And the whole point that she's trying to turn him into like a blue beard of pretty much. eventually, he turns into a blue beetle.
I mean, not a blue beetle. Well, he was just blue beetles technology, this caraps technology. and he becomes this, like, killer machine and he just felt like a knock off Ironman. And even at the end, during the big scene between him and Lobedo, like, his suit is this red suit that was channeling Ironman, and I wish they would have picked a different color. I don't know if, like, there is a list of evil colors that superheroes can you use? But I don't know. We use I don't know. If he would have used purple, then I would have been like, well, channeling Thanos. So maybe a a a blackish brown, maybe brown.
You can use brown. I don't know. But with a red sued, it was giving Ironman And I just didn't like that. And I was really confused about the time frame or setting. Like, it's giving nineties. It looked like the nineties, The music was very nineties. the fonts that they used was really retro. It's there's a lot of retro aspects to the presentation of the film.
So, I it felt like the nineties. And, like, if you're Latino and, like I say, if you grew up in So you would know that, like, a lot of the references that they mentioned is stuff from the 90s. Like, they keep referencing this telenovela, Mariela Delvario, which came out in the nineties. And then they show the Grandma watching that the Anawala, which, unless I don't remember ever seeing a rerun of Venezuela. and, like, even there's a show called Sabahigante, the the, episode that they showed is set it's like a nineties episode. because I remember I don't remember the particular episode, but I remember how he looked back then as opposed to how he looks in the 2000. So those, you know, it was like a 90s presentation, but everyone were dressed. Like, it was the 2000s.
They had modern cars. So I was I was really confused about where is this movie set? Is it 19 in the nineties, or is it 2000? It wasn't clear. overall, although the movie has some flaws. I thought this was an entertaining, fun, origin story with some heart. And I'm glad that they released it in theaters and not on HBO Max. I gave this movie 2 stars. And if you're into Super Youth movies or you're fan of the DC universe. this is a fun one to watch.
And that is my review for a blue beetle, which is out right now. Thank you so much for watching. I hope you enjoy this review. Please subscribe to the channel. I've noticed that YouTube has been adding ads to some of my videos. and I can promise you, I am not monetized. I am not getting any of that absence. So if you wanna help me out and make sure that I get the absence and not you too, Please subscribe to the channel and comment them below and share if you're watching Lovedo or what is your favorite superhero movie of all times.
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