Courtney Howard// Film Critic
BLUE BEETLE
Rated PG-13, 2 hours and 7 minutes
Directed by: Angel Manuel Soto
Starring: Xolo Maridueña, Bruna Marquezine, Susan Sarandon, Raoul Max Trujillo, George Lopez, Adriana Barraza, Damián Alcázar, Belissa Escobedo, Elpidia Carrillo, Harvey Guillén, Becky G,
BLUE BEETLE is at its best when delivering something boldly original and heartfelt, though it’s boxed in by more than a few reductive, stereotypical superhero story beats. Blessedly, director Angel Manuel Soto (CHARM CITY KINGS) breezes past the prerequisite generic elements in favor of a tale about family, purpose and turning pain into power. Its greatest superpower is blending body-horror (this will be a gateway genre picture for youngsters in the audience) with poignant, forcefully-charged sentiments on gentrification, colonialism and empowerment – making this innovative cocktail work to masterful effect.
Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) has just returned home from his college graduation when he learns his Mom Rocio (Elpidia Carrillo), Dad Alberto (Damián Alcázar) and Nana (Adriana Barraza) are being forced to sell the family home in the Edge Keys. The wealthy of Palmera City are swallowing up all the real estate, pushing out the poor and less fortunate, creating a massive divide between the classes. To make matters worse, Alberto has lost the car mechanic shop they owned, and suffered a minor heart attack. Jaime scrambles to find a temporary job working with his acerbic, spitfire sister Milagro (Belissa Escobedo, who’s a revelation), housekeeping for rich clientele. But as one door quickly slams shut, a window of opportunity opens.
A chance meeting with Jenny Kord (Bruna Marquezine) sets Jaime up with a job interview at Kord Industries. Since her father Ted went missing years prior (and is assumed dead), her wicked aunt Victoria (Susan Sarandon) has taken his place running the company and is busy reviving a dangerous high tech military operation. Once Jenny catches wind of her aunt’s underhanded dealings, she acts quickly, stealing an alien scarab from the company lab and giving it to Jaime for safe keeping. However, that scarab symbiotically attaches itself to Jaime, bestowing him with extraordinary powers, causing chaos and drawing the evil eyes of Victoria and her grizzled henchman Carapax (Raoul Max Trujillo), who’ll stop at nothing to get their possession back. Hijinks and hilarity – thanks to zany Uncle Rudy (George Lopez) – ensue.
Soto and screenwriter Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer put the care in scare. Right off the bat, they give us a loveable family with lots of rooting interest. There’s clear-cut, emotional drive to the Reyes’ circumstances that lead them to take action and be authentic, fully fleshed out humans. So when the scarier aspects occur (like Jaime’s transformation sequence, which mixes horror and humor to great effect, the visceral, harrowing raid on the Reyes home, and Carapax’s inevitable tech-enhanced upgrade) we’re totally invested in their compelling struggles. Maridueña’s performance is full of endearing heart and charm, balancing vibrant and vulnerable overtones in the material, providing a deepened connection with the character. Victoria’s white feminism (in addition to her and her receptionist’s micro-aggressive and overt racism) being the ultimate villain is a solid choice and Sarandon plays this part to a campy hilt. Plus, Barraza shades her assured abuelita with all the emotional colors of the rainbow. She’s delightful and I immediately wished for a prequel centered on Nana.
The filmmakers admirably carve out ample room for palpable grace notes that don’t pander. The young Latino boy who stares out a bifurcated bus’ window in awe-struck wonder at Jaime’s reluctant superhero fills our souls with pride and genuine emotion. Later, the heart swells again when Nana rallies her family after tragedy: “There’s a time to cry and a time to fight. It’s time to fight.” Still, its most potent and eye-opening detail is when it hurls a mind-blowing hard truth grenade in the 3rd act – intertwining a very real and shady, shameful side of American history (i.e. the School of the Americas) with a character’s backstory – going where no other superhero feature has ever dared to go. That risk pays off in dividends, ingeniously sneaking in necessary, educational messaging through the back door.
That said, though it engages with a “chosen one” storyline in a thoughtful, meaningful way, some of its other narrative construction isn’t as clever. Sequences like Jamie’s suit discovery, as well as Jamie and Carpax’s first faceoff, feel cloned from IRON MAN and IRON MAN 2. Even Jamie’s evolving relationship with his Jiminy Cricket-like suit guide Khaji-Da (voiced by Becky G) is reminiscent of SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING’s Peter Parker and his “suit lady” Karen. While a majority of its run time feels like we’re seeing authentically lived-in lives on screen, there are also moments where the characters seem guided by the script’s convolutions, demonstrably acting as if they’re chess pieces moved by the screenwriter versus autonomous characters propelling the plot forward themselves. Given how integral Jenny is to Jaime’s arc, it’s a shame the filmmakers didn’t attempt to subvert the dreaded “daddy issues” from which she suffers. It’s a regressive approach towards character development (and for a newly created character at that!) in a notably progressive film.
With satisfying action sequences featuring immersive visual effects, profound sentiments on grief, perseverance and community, as well as protagonists displaying a gargantuan amount of heart and spirit, BLUE BEETLE marks a strong start to a new era of DC superheroes.
Grade: 4 out of 5
BLUE BEETLE opens in theaters on August 18.
