Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon) is the acting head of Kord Industries, a technology company that has recently changed its focus towards the military. For the past 15 years, Victoria had been searching the globe for the Scarab, and has finally managed to obtain it. She plans to harness the powerful artifact for the company’s latest weapon technology, the OMAC (One Man Army Corps), an AI-based armor that integrates with a soldier’s nervous system, turning them into an unstoppable force. Victoria’s niece, Jenny (Bruna Marquezine), whose father helped to create the company, doesn’t like the idea of the company making weapons, and decides to steal the Scarab before it can be weaponized. However, after the device falls into the hands of 22-year-old Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña), it suddenly starts glowing and attaches to his body, creating a supersuit around him and transforming him into a superhero. Jaime can hear the Scarab’s control system, Khaji-Da (voice of Becky G), inside his head, and the two start to form a symbiotic relationship. The system can activate the armor whenever it senses that Jaime is in danger. It can make him fly, or create any weapon Jaime can dream up. And this will come in handy as Victoria is desperate to get the Scarab back, and has dispatched her right hand man, Lieutenant Carapax (Raoul Max Trujillo), to take any means necessary to do so. Carapax has been the test subject for the OMAC, which has been painfully attached to his body, giving him super strength and abilities that rival the Scarab’s. Jaime never asked to be a superhero, but he’s going to need to step up and accept this destiny if he’s going to stop Victoria Kord and her plans to deploy an army of OMAC super soldiers.
The DC superhero films generally fall into two categories—they are usually either very dark and have brooding superheroes (the Batman, Superman, etc. films), or they are much lighter, with the characters constantly joking around and enjoying their newfound powers (Shazam, The Suicide Squad, etc.), though still putting them into situations with real stakes, and some more serious dramatic moments. Blue Beetle definitely falls into the latter category, which are the kind of comic book films I generally prefer. Jaime Reyes was the first one in his Mexican-American family to graduate from college, and he was excited to return home to Palmera City to help his family. However, things didn’t go quite as planned with his career, and now he’s suddenly become a superhero. There’s very much a nerdy, Peter Parker/Spider-Man type feel to this character. However, Jaime still has his morals and boundaries—he doesn’t want to kill anyone, which is what Khaji-Da initially suggests when he first faces off with Carapax.
One of the core themes of this film is family, and right from the start as Jaime obtains his powers, his entire family—father Alberto (Damián Alcázar, mother Rocio (Elpidia Carrillo), Nana (Adriana Barraza), Uncle Rudy (George Lopez) and sister Milagro (Belissa Escobedo)—are there to witness it, and become part of his journey. The Reyeses feel like a real family, constantly joking around and razzing one another, cheering Jaime on as he goes to his job interview, etc. They are also the source of one of the most hilarious superhero transformation scenes I’ve seen on film, screaming in horror as the Scarab takes over Jaime’s body, but in a way that will have the audience roaring with laughter. As Jaime picks up the mantle of the Blue Beetle, which once belonged to Jenny Kord’s father, Jenny and the rest of Reyes family members quickly become a superhero support team. Uncle Rudy is a bit odd, always rambling on about government conspiracy theories, but he’s also a wizard with technology and becomes Jaime’s man in the chair (or truck). The rest of the family also serve a purpose, whether it’s his father giving emotional support, or Nana’s surprising revolutionary past coming in handy. They find themselves up against some powerful forces, but when the Reyes family gets together, they can be unstoppable!
Xolo Maridueña (Cobra Kai) is excellent as Jaime Reyes, delivering both on the more physically-demanding aspects of the role as well as the more light-hearted humorous moments. He is joined by an amazing supporting cast, especially George Lopez who constantly makes the audience laugh as Uncle Rudy, Belissa Escobedo whose Milagro really feels like she could be Jaime’s sister, and Adriana Barraza whose Nana really steals the show in the final act. The film is filled with lots of great action, humor and heart—it is the very definition of a popcorn movie. I had never heard of Blue Beetle before watching this film, but it has definitely made me want to check out the various other iterations of the character. The film also does an excellent job of both embracing and celebrating Mexican-American culture in the story and characters, making this family feel both very specific and well as universally relatable. As you watch the movie, you just want to be a part of this fun, loving Reyes family! I had seen some negative reviews of this film, and I don’t understand why. This was easily one of my favorites of the recent DCU films. It’s just a really fun, entertaining watch.
Warner Bros. has released Blue Beetle on both 4K UHD and Blu-ray. I was sent the Blu-ray for review, and it looks and sounds excellent. Palmera City is a bright, beautiful place, that almost feels reminiscent of the 1980s with all it’s neon and pastels. These colors really pop, and transport the viewer to this locale. The special effects blend in seamlessly with the rest of the film—whether it’s Jaime’s transportation in the suit, the various weapons he wields, flying around the city, or the control display from Jaime’s POV inside the suit. The audio track sounds excellent, with a really immersive feel that puts the viewer right in the middle of the action, especially as the commotion ramps up and fills the room. The film also has a very unique and memorable synth-electronic score, and a wonderful Latin soundtrack.
The Blu-ray release only includes a single disc, which is packed in a standard HD keepcase, along with a glossy cardboard slipcover and an insert with instructions on how to redeem an HD Movies Anywhere compatible digital copy. The disc contains some nice bonus material, including over an hour of behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast and crew.
What’s Included:
Film: (2:07:27)
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
- Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English Descriptive Audio, English 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital
- Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
- HD Digital Copy (Movies Anywhere compatible)
- Blue Beetle Generations (46:04)
Four-part look at the making of the film with the cast and crew. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Angel Manuel Soto, producers Zev Foreman & John Rickard, writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, costume designer Mayes Rubeo, suit maker/CEO of Ironhead Jose Fernandez, assistant costume designer Phillip Boutté Jr., Xolo’s trainer Danny Saltos, art directors Ricky Aguierre & Arte Contreras, set director Jennifer Gentile, composer Bobby Krlic, stunt coordinator Jon Valera, and stars Xolo Maridueña (“Jaime Reyes”), Raoul Max Trujillo (“Carapax”), Harvey Guillén (“Dr. Sanchez”), Belissa Escobedo (“Milagro Reyes”), George Lopez (“Rudy Reyes”), Bruna Marquezine (“Jenny Kord”), Adriana Barraza (“Nana Reyes”), Becky G (Voice of “Khaji-Da”), Elpidia Carrillo (“Rocio Reyes”) & Susan Sarandon (“Victoria Kord”).- Origins (7:27)
A look at building up this story from the ground up, with the first live action representation of this character from the comics. The participants talk about the evolution of the character, leading up to this third iteration of Jaime Reyes. - Production Begins (16:11)
The initial table read, designing the suit, casting the family, the villains, and more. - In Full Flight (9:03)
Creating the look for Carapax, stepping into the role of Jaime Reyes, filming in Puerto Rico, designing the Bug Ship and the Bug Lair, the visual style of the movie, and more. - A Hero’s World (13:23)
Designing the Reyes home, positive representation of Latin-American culture, the score and musical style of the movie, creating the Cosmic realm, the big fight in the third act, and more
- Origins (7:27)
- Scarab Vision (13:25)
Star Xolo Maridueña and Khaji-Da provide an intro to this inside look at some of the film’s exciting sequences. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Angel Manuel Soto, producers Zev Foreman & John Rickard, writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, stunt coordinator Jon Valera, VFX supervisor Kelvin McIlwain, and stars George Lopez, Belissa Escobedo, Xolo Maridueña, Adriana Barraza, Becky G & Raoul Max Trujillo. Select from:- Episode One: Initiation (6:34)
Jaime’s initial crazy transformation with the family watching, and his first destructive flight through the city. - Episode Two: Mystery (6:50)
Stunt training and fight choreography, the suit’s endless supply of weapons, the characters’ journeys, and more.
- Episode One: Initiation (6:34)
- Blue Beetle’s Nana Knows Best (4:21)
The cast and crew talk about the fun character of Nana, and her secret revolutionary past. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Angel Manuel Soto, writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, and stars Xolo Maridueña, Adriana Barraza & Belissa Escobedo.
Blu-ray:
Digital (code may not be valid after 12/31/2024):
Extras:
Final Thoughts:
Blue Beetle is a very fun and exciting new addition to the DCU, and I hope that we see more of these characters in the future—not just Jaime Reyes, but his entire hilarious family. This film is one of the DCU’s lighter movies, mixing in a lot of humor along with the action and character drama. I first saw the film in the theater, and enjoyed it just as much this second time around on Blu-ray. My only complaint is , why did they stop releasing these DCU movies in 3D?!—this would have looked amazing! Warner Bros’ Blu-ray release looks and sounds great and includes over an hour of interesting behind-the-scenes featurettes. Don’t listen to the naysayers, this is a fun film that I highly recommend any comic book or superhero movie fan add to their collection, especially those who prefer the less dark and broody ones.
