Review: 'Blue Beetle' is an incredibly funny superhero caper that triumphs mostly due to its Mexican ensemble

Blue Beetle

DC seems to have entered a time machine and turned back to the time when several minds came together to ideate and execute the first Shazam! Movie. This time, it is done for the studio's latest superhero caper, Blue Beetle. Setting another example of inclusivity, the film stars an almost all-Latino ensemble cast with pivotal characters and is led by a Latino-American leading star, Xolo Mariduena, as Jaime Reyes.

The last two films for DC have been absolute duds despite belonging to the more 'popular' category, and now here we have a film whose awareness is almost negligible. Thus the pressure to deliver a film that rides on being good and positive word-of-mouth is more than ever. Having had the chance to see Blue Beetle beforehand, here is what I thought about it-

The Humor & Family

Often criticised for its lack of humor, DC has improved in this department exponentially. We return to Shazam!, one of its better films with abundant humour. And here, with Blue Beetle, the treatment is similar as humor becomes essential in driving the story forward and keeping you invested. As we deal with an origin story, we need to care about the protagonist and the other people associated with him - which Blue Beetle does brilliantly. 

And this becomes all the more possible owing to the absolutely adorable and supremely hysterical Latino ensemble at display, who play protagonist Jaime's family. They are relatable as they bid their son goodbye in the loudest manner as he goes to apply for a job, they cannot stop taking digs at each other, just like families, but most importantly, they stick together and love each other to death. If ever a sequel is made - I would love it to be centred around them - Blue Beetle: The Reyes Shenanigans. 

The Heart, The Music & The Suit

Once again, apart from being as much a family-oriented film as it can be, the heart of Blue Beetle is always in the right place. The subtle nuances of Jaime constantly reiterating that he doesn't want to kill even though he now has superpowers to the patriarch of the Reyes family always keeping a smile and positive approach to things even when they are at their worst; the film's beating heart is what makes it unique.

Additionally, an engaging and rousing background score by Bobby Krlic compliments the film just in the way it is supposed to. It is never too much and never too less. And finally, THAT suit. It has been such a long time since I have missed DC installing a good suit for its superhero character, but it delivers on all fronts with the Blue Beetle suit. The suit is slick, fun, eye-pleasing and even extremely useful. I wouldn't mind having a beetle suit on myself, indeed. 

The Antagonist & Patches of Shoddy VFX

A problem that has been recurring in DC and even Marvel films for a while now is the need for a genuinely formidable antagonist. Don't get me wrong! Susan Sarandon does her best as the evil Victoria Kord, but she barely gets anything to do apart from being - evil. There are scarcely any nuances to her character, and right from the get-go, when you see her character being the villain, her fate towards the end can be predicted earlier.

Another constant with DC movies and a few Marvel lately has been long patches of shoddy VFX. One cannot forget how bizarre Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania looked with the VFX and how shoddy and cartoonish, The Flash also looked. To not entirely diss the special effects in Blue Beetle, most of the film has some well-executed graphics, but the portions with patchy works are unavoidable, thus slightly taking away from the overall experience.

The Fantastic Ensemble

I have collectively praised the cast, but they deserve more. The entire ensemble is absolutely fantastic as the Reyes family, with two standouts - George Lopez as Rudy and Adrianna Barazza as Nana Reyes. The two-to-three moments given to Barazza had me give an extra half-star to the film's rating. If not anything else, the film deserves a watch for this cast being their best. 

The Verdict

Going to the movies has been a lot of fun in the past couple of weeks, but if you have mostly been yearning for a rather fun superhero movie that stays away from the fatigue that became a real factor and still engage in the story and its characters - Blue Beetle is the just the kind of watch you wouldn't want to miss.

Rating - ***1/2 (3.5/5)