It is not easy to tell a new superhero story after fifteen years that the genre became one of the most popular in cinema. Much more complicated, if the main protagonist does not belong to a saga or a specific team. Hence Blue Beetle, by Ángel Manuel Soto, takes the risk of doing it with a minimum of personality. But he’s late, and despite her sensitive history, offers far too little, making it yet another failed attempt to DC Studios. Although, even so, it could be the best film in the dying franchise in recent years. At least, it has a somewhat more solid script than the others and a carefree humor that only seeks to make people laugh.
The film that adapts the superhero created by Keith Giffen, John Rogers and Cully Hamner is the true farewell to the epic atmosphere of zack snyder. In fact, everything in it is developed on a modest scale. From the familiar narrative that surrounds the main protagonist, to his fight for good.
There is no trace of universal purposes like saving the world or fighting against an unbeatable force. His great enemy is the ambition of third parties and he confronts them with a practical and simple attitude. Blue Beetle is a transition between what is proposed by Flash —and his glimpse into the multiverse— and a more modest setting. Presumably, the one that will host the next movie Superman: Legacyof James Gunn.
Ángel Manuel Soto’s film mixes an origin story with a transition story between two narrative styles. But the combination is unsuccessful due to its lack of originality. Blue Beetle it has nothing to offer either to the DC universe —which once again shows its weakness— or to the superhero genre. Messy and with a predictable plot, it just repeats all the commonplaces of an inexperienced hero. The script is incapable of proposing anything new or interesting and is diluted between a succession of visual and narrative topics. Which makes the movie a failed project in an increasingly worn-out franchise.
a loose story
The decision —which impacts both Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer’s script and the visual section— seems coherent. Blue Beetle he is an accidental hero, young and inexperienced. So, like so many other origin stories of the great current franchises, the story takes the time to introduce its main character. jamie reyes (Xolo Maridueña) is a recent university graduate who must start adult life without having much idea how to do it. So, he returns to his city, Palmera City, while making a decision about what to do next.
The preamble is unnecessary, because, later on, the film will forget the previous information in favor of the action. What it will retain is the ethnic identity of its protagonist. Blue Beetle insists that family is central and showcases Latino customs, traditions, and emotional connection. In fact, one of her most relevant points and the reason for which she will possibly be remembered is for her affectionate homage to Mexican culture. So much so that several of her best moments have direct references to television heroes, characters and even the political situation in Latin America. Jaime’s siblings, parents, and love interest are part of the hero’s landscape and his growth.
But while that loving and supportive environment gives the film a way of storytelling unlike any other DC production, it’s not enough. In general, Blue Beetle it is an experiment, which does not become good, lacking a true purpose. His script wants to introduce his hero, but it doesn’t do much to narrate his possible future. If you have any.
an inconsequential hero
Blue Beetle it repeats the formula that might have been of some interest ten years ago. However, now it seems anachronistic, so repeated that there is nothing to tell that is not obvious. From the moment that James becomes the unwitting host to an alien biotech artifact, it all happens in a predictable succession of events. The young man will first feel terror and then the thrill of newfound power. He will have accidents, he will learn to fly and he will even tell those close to him the secret.
You will also need to interact with khaji-da (Becky G), the entity that inhabits the spacesuit and has its own consciousness. The relationship between the voice—sometimes a kind of explicit guide for the hero—and James it is dysfunctional. However, it is not intriguing or a real obstacle. In the plot, the conflicts are stirred quickly, without major inconveniences, and progresses without any setback to show that a new masked figure has arrived in the world of DC.
the script of Blue Beetle not only is it completely lacking in originality, but it also gradually becomes tedious due to the accumulation of clichés. James he discovers between accidents the variety of things his suit—which lends itself to comparisons to Marvel’s Iron Man—can do. Speed, strength and sophisticated weapons that are barely given importance. The digital effects, more precise and better finished than those of Flash, support part of the action scenes. But the director lacks the expertise to make them exciting or interesting enough that they’re not commonplace.
Blue Beetle is an ordinary adventure
We see the typical air chases and huge explosions going up behind the characters. Blue Beetle has an air of deja vu, as if it were the unfinished and messy version of a stronger proposal. It also doesn’t help that those mentions to the DC Universe Be generic and seem forced. It seems the plot has no real relationship to a larger universe, which he mentions in passing.
Even the supporting cast and villains have trouble being more than fill-in figures. From Jenny Kord (Bruna Marquezine), the stereotype of the girl with conflicts and divided loyalties, to the Reyes family, characters as charming as they are expendable. Blue Beetle He does not put much interest in demonstrating the reason why the interaction of Jaime and his family is important.
worse luck runs Carapax (Raoul Trujillo), a mercenary whose concept of evil is almost ridiculous. Also victoria kord (Susan Sarandon), a villain with a social conscience—who embodies a kind of lex luthor feminine—that decays when she has to sustain her discourse on greed and power. So inconsistent that she disappoints from the first inevitable monologue.
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Blue Beetle not only does it not meet the already low expectations, but it becomes another failure for a franchise full of them. One that also comes at a particularly difficult time and that suggests that the film saga is weaker than ever.