This review was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the film being covered here wouldn’t exist.DC usually doesn’t usually care about the little guy. While Marvel has plenty of underdogs that become heroes, DC’s superheroes are more akin to gods (or, you know, actually are gods). Even the lesser members of the DC Universe, like Shazam or The Flash, have the ability to fundamentally alter the world on a large scale. And even though we’ve seen DC attempt to introduce lesser-known characters into this world, with films like Black Adam and Birds of Prey, DC is still clearly more interested in finding new ways to tell the stories of their main characters: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman.

This is why, at least on the surface, Blue Beetle feels like a breath of fresh air. Director Ángel Manuel Soto (2020’s Charm City Kings) and writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer (2019’s Miss Bala) intentionally bring smaller stakes to the DC universe in this story of aspiring for greater things, and, most importantly, family. In introducing this new hero to the world, Soto and Dunnet-Alcocer prioritize the family as a team, while also telling a story that has a neon-infused style that makes it stand out from most other superhero films. Yet maybe we’ve just had too many superhero films in the world, since even though Blue Beetle does attempt to bring its own flair to DC—and often succeeds—it’s hard not to watch this latest entry as an amalgamation of too many other heroes we’ve seen in the past.

‘Blue Beetle’ Is a Collection of Superhero Influences
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Xolo Maridueña stars as Jaime Reyes, a recent college graduate that comes home to Palmera City to discover that his family is losing their house, have already lost their auto shop, and Jaime’s father, Alberto (Damián Alcázar) has recently had a heart attack. Jaime vows to get a job, save his family home, and help his family in any way he can. Unfortunately, the only job he can get is as a cleaner at the home of Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon), who runs Kord Industries, a company that is making its own weaponry/mechanical soldiers. Jaime soon gets himself and his sister Milagro (Belissa Escobedo) fired from their jobs, but Victoria’s niece Jenny (Bruna Marquezine) tells Jaime to come by the Kord offices, and she’ll give him a new position in the company.

Jenny doesn’t like the direction her father’s company has gone in since Victoria has taken over, so to stop her attempts at making super soldiers, Jenny steals a scarab that powers these new machines. When the unsuspecting Jaime comes to Kord looking for a job, Jenny hands off the scarab to him. Soon after, and with some peer pressure from his family, Jaime touches the scarab, which latches onto him (by going into his ass, it must be said) and turns him into a superhero with a powerful exoskeleton that gives him armor, powers, and makes him fight for control with the scarab itself.

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Blue Beetle plays like a blending of pretty much every other superhero origin story we’ve seen before. Jaime’s turning into a superhero whose body is altered by a creature he found at a major corporation can’t help but remind of Spider-Man. The suit itself, known as Khaji-Da (voiced by Becky G) is highly reminiscent of the one worn by Iron Man. The discovery of a lair once controlled by the previous owner of the Blue Beetle feels like a more pop-culture-influenced version of Batman, while a look at the afterlife borrows heavily from Black Panther, and the focus on the family unit is like a better-handled version of the family in Shazam! It’s not a terrible mixture of elements, but it is hard to watch Blue Beetle and not think of all the innumerable influences that it has been crafted out of.

The Focus on Family and Smaller Stakes Makes ‘Blue Beetle’ Work
Image via DC

What does make Blue Beetle stand out from all its inspirations is the attention paid to the family as a team. Jaime’s discovery of his newfound powers isn’t a solo journey, but one that his family goes on with him, including his father, sister, his nana (Adriana Barraza), and his uncle Rudy (George Lopez). Each member of the family brings something to the table that Jaime needs, and some of Blue Beetle’s most charming moments come from the family working together, whether to embarrass Jaime or to save him from Victoria’s prototype robot soldier, Conrad Carapax (Raoul Max Trujillo). Although if you’re not a fan of Lopez, get ready for maybe too much reliance on him, as his one-liners can grow a bit old—especially the ones that are repeated over and over. Even though Blue Beetle often feels scrapped together from the pieces of other superhero films, this focus on the family does make it feel special and imbues this tale with heart, despite the familiarity.

While this centering on the family is a smart choice, it also feels like a redirect from a story that was already going in interesting directions. Especially in the first act, prior to getting the Blue Beetle powers, Maridueña is a lot of fun, as he’s attempting to find where his character belongs post-college. Dunnet-Alcocer’s screenplay hints that Blue Beetle might delve into ideas of gentrification, as the power of Kord Industries in Palmera City has led poorer families like the Reyes to suffer, or even dive a bit into how those same people can often seem almost invisible to the wealthy. There are a lot of compelling, deeper issues that are hinted at in the beginning that don’t really go anywhere, beyond the occasional brief reminder whenever Victoria is on screen.

‘Blue Beetle’ Has a Lightness DC Films Are Often Missing
Image via DC

Blue Beetle’s villains, in Victoria and Carapax, might not be much to write home about (a late-in-the-film attempt to make us sympathize with Carapax is too little too late, unfortunately), but it is a nice surprise to see a DC film exploring action with restraint. Again, by not having world-altering stakes, director Soto can allow for smaller, one-on-one fights that feel more blunt and exciting than any of the action scenes in films like The Flash, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, or Black Adam. While DC has attempted smaller stories like this that feel disconnected from the larger universe around it, we rarely see films within the DCEU explore these grounded types of stories before. Blue Beetle is much more of a human story than a superhero story, and Soto’s direction certainly plays to that.

Soto also makes Blue Beetle feel much lighter than what we expect from the DCEU at this point. From the neon lights that illuminate Palmera City, the family dynamics, and the playful tools (one weapon is even made from an old Nintendo Power Glove), Blue Beetle is having fun with its world and mostly succeeding. Both DC and Marvel have struggled with a more light-hearted tone recently, so it’s a pleasant change to have a superhero story that doesn’t take itself seriously.

Blue Beetle might not be a unique take on the superhero origin story, but Soto and Dunnet-Alcocer do prove that a smaller scale, lighter approach within the DC Universe can work. The character of Blue Beetle might not have the name recognition of Superman or Batman, but especially with this origin out of the way, this seems like a character with promise in whatever direction James Gunn and Peter Safran take DC.

Rating: B-

The Big Picture

Blue Beetle brings a breath of fresh air to DC with its focus on smaller stakes and family dynamics, standing out just enough from other superhero films. While Blue Beetle draws inspiration from various superhero origins, its emphasis on the family as a team adds heart and charm to the story. The film explores action with restraint and a lighter tone, succeeding in creating a human story within the DC Universe.

Blue Beetle comes to theaters on August 18.