We must admit, coming into the film, we didn't know much about "Blue Beetle". So we had serious concerns if we would actually find this a compelling experience. Especially in the context that superhero film fatigue is a very real fact in our lives right now. But with its family-focused and grounded approach, the character of Blue Beetle was one of the most relatable superhero characters yet. And in that sense, this was surprisingly unique and memorable.
With his college degree, the Reyes family has fully invested their life savings and more into their son Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña). But living in Palmera City, success is hard to come by and soon Jaime finds himself unable to get a job even with his pre-law degree. As he searches for his purpose, Jaime unexpectedly finds an ancient relic: the Scarab. When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers - forever changing his and his family's destiny.
Family is a powerful concept for us Filipinos and "Blue Beetle" revolves around family so much that we can't help but feel that even though this is a Latino based character, most Filipinos will be able to relate with the Reyes family so well. Maybe its the Spanish connection but we found the film's narrative, concepts, settings, even jokes very close to what we personally experience day to day in our country. But beyond the relatable story, we found this film quite entertaining because of its effective comedy. While Xolo Maridueña as the lead was one of our highlights, George Lopez completely stole the show. He was funny throughout the film but he was also able to mix it up with emotional scenes that we didn't expect from him at all. We won't deny though that "Blue Beetle" had problems. One of the major issues for us is a lack of context to what the Scarab actually was. For us who didn't know Blue Beetle beforehand, we wished there was more back stories. Additionally, while Susan Sarandon was effective as the villain, the handling of her character could have been more effective. Overall, "Blue Beetle" surprised us with how entertained and interested we were from start to finish. At minimum, this was a film experience that punches above its weight.
Blue Beetle Movie Review: Family Matters
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