So, I watched “Blue Beetle” in theaters and I was surprised to actually like it. Of course, it wasn’t as good as “Man of Steel”, “Wonder Woman”, or “The Flash”, but it still works well enough to suffice as a thrilling popcorn feature.

The story centers around a young college graduate named Jaime Reyes who struggles with his family losing their home and is forced to get menial work as a busboy to help support his family. However, an evil corporate entity named Kord houses a scarab-like trinket with omnipotent power and guess what happens. Reyes is the recipient of that omnipotent power and, in superhero origin fashion, learns to harness his power for the greater good.

Let’s get started with the positives of the film. 

The Lead

The lead actor Xolo Mariduena is incredibly gifted and fits the role of Jaime Reyes. He almost reminds me of Tom Holland when he was playing Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Homecoming. He has enough charisma to supersede any shortcomings that the script might have.

It’s always nice to have a fresh face in the crowd of old superhero veterans to liven the workplace up a little bit even if the hero is not as well-known as Batman, Superman and The Flash. It is wonderful to see a new hero come into the fold and have him show the audience that he means business. 

George Lopez

I think the highlight of the film has to be George Lopez’s performance as Jaime’s uncle Rudy. Lopez has always been a hilarious character whether on film or stage. His comedic timing is totally worth watching to get through any rough patches. His performance seems so care-free and never seems to lack any energy or muster to get him in high gear. 

That is what makes George Lopez such a natural performer in comedy and films. It’s almost like watching Lopex do a set in NYC to a crowd and he never misses a beat in his routine, which is definitely another breath of fresh air. 

Visual Effects

What I really appreciated about this movie was its magnificent visual effects. It’s amazing to see such vibrant visuals flash across the screen with as much zippy energy as its lead. Whether I’m looking at an alien-like, mechanical piece of armor. 

It’s also great to see that they combine enough visual effects with practicals to make the CGI look even more realistic. I’m just happy that the film isn’t crowded with CGI like so many other superhero films that came before it. Lucily, the visual effects never seemed like a distraction from the rest of the film and are grounded very well. 

Origin story issues

That was all the good parts of the film. Let’s skip to the bad parts. While the superhero origins are funny and vibrant, it seems like a rehash of what has already been seen before. The film seems to go on a long tirade or soliloquy about a young hero trying to hone in his powers and, at the same time, take care of his family. 

It’s not a bad hook but it too often feels like another Spider-Man reboot for Marvel that used a scarab instead of a spider. As a result, it didn’t seem to hit the right notes in that department.

Villain issues

Another issue with the film happens to be the villain. Ignacio Carapax, played by Raoul Max Trujillo, is the bodyguard of Victoria Kord, Susan Sarandon, and has an OMAC prototype on his body which is similar to the Blue Beetle suit. However, throughout the movie, we find out that Carapax seems to be nothing more than a pawn in Victoria Kord’s plan to capture the Scarab for her own selfish deeds. 

The villains never seem to go any further than that and have a few very surface-level and hollow motivations that don’t seem to resonate too well with audiences. The writers could have done a little bit better fleshing this one out. 

Final Consensus

This film does suffer from the old “been-there-done-that” fatigue, but that doesn’t mean that it’s terrible. It’s still plenty of fun for families and has a high bar for superhero entertainment. The cast is extremely talented and the visuals are top-notch. It’s not perfect but it does seem like a fresh start for DC and a positive step forward.