Blue Beetle, more by default than intent, could be another The New Mutants: a DC/WB (Charlton-born) equivalent to Marvel/Fox's truncated, X-Men spinoff. That means it's there to engage if one should so chose, but in the developing tapestry (now steered toward a radical overhaul), it might be a one-shot. (It was, after all, designed as a direct-to-streaming event and not a high-profile, theatrical submission, but no matter the categorization, it at least reached completion, which is more than the missed-it-by-that-much Batgirl can claim.)
In addition, Blue Beetle is DC's most Marvel-ous movie: a mix of Iron Man, Spider-man and non-derisive Deadpool, with some Zorro, El Santo and Blue Demon squeezed in (and I mentioned the latter trio only due to the movie's publicized, Latino component, which proclaims this particular Blue Beetle to be the first superhero to stem from such an honorable heritage, when he's more later-down-the-line).
Anyway, even with its Marvel-tinged trimmings, this DC exploit keeps one boot planted in its individualized lore, with a number of off-the-cuff references to its fringing, multiverse mythologies (like "Batman is a fascist" ... ahem; I wonder which Batman), accelerated by Bobby Krlic's atmospheric, techno score, which allows this lesser-known but enduring persona to occupy his own stylized center ring.
Director Angel Manuel (La Granja) Soto and writer Gareth (Miss Bala) Dunnet-Alcocer keep the concept tight and trim, with the eager and conscientious college grad, Jaime Reyes, played by the likeable Xolo (Cobra Kai) Mariduena, coming upon the legendary, bio-mechanical, scarab-device, aka Khaji-Da (voiced by Becky G), which turns him into an armor-clad, weapon-jutting, Tick-looking crusader, albeit one who goes through severe, Greatest American Hero, growing pains.
Naturally, there's a baddie on Reyes' tail, Susan Sarandon's Victoria Kord, an unscrupulous, cyborg-soldier entrepreneur, who believes she's more deserving of the ancient, symbiotic technology than some bumbling kid (or one may presume, even The Beetle who came before; hint hint), and from that entitled conviction, the battle begins.
Kord is assisted by her henchman, Lt. Conrad Carapax, aka The Indestructible Man, enacted by Raoul Maximiano (Apocalypto) Trujillo, who once geared-up, sports an overlapping resemblance to The Hulkbuster and The Black Hole's villainous robot, Maximillian, customized by Judge Dredd. Harvey (What We Do in the Shadows) Guillen costars as Dr. "Sanchez," Kord's torn-at-the-moral-core adjutant.
Reyes' family is aware of what's been heaped upon the youngster, since (for one) they witness his jolting transformation in their living room. Reyes' physical change creates understandable concern for all involved; and Dunnet-Alcocer's writing and the movie's supporting cast deserve a major thumbs-up for giving the unsettling situation a down-to-earth texture.
George Lopez plays Reyes' scene-stealing uncle, Rudy; with James Alcazar as his father, Damian; Elpedia Carrillo as his mom, Rocio; Belissa Escobedo as his sister, Milagro; and Adriana Barraza as his grandmother, Nana, comprising the sort of family that might mirror one's own (maybe a tad downtrodden, but despite it, full of love and hope). To intersect the family dynamic, Bruan Marquazine portrays Reyes' burgeoning girlfriend, Jenny Kord, niece of Blue Beetle's prime foe, as sardonic misfortune would have it.
This rudimentary yet worthy ensemble, matched by the story's streamlined sequencing, is what makes Blue Beetle easy to digest. Indeed, in contrast to such uber-layered epics as Zack Snyder's Justice League, The Flash, Doctor Strange 2, Ant-Man 3 and the Spider-Verse movies, that may be a welcome departure for some, but then Black Adam, Man of Steel, The Batman and the DC/Marvel-inspired Samaritan are as uncluttered, though much more uncompromising in their virile displays. That's what DC movies need--one-man-against-the-odds, getting-even virility--but alas, the backlashing opposition doesn't favor that specific brand of brawn, and so ...
Blue Beetle, which could (should) have soared to neo-macho heights, ends up soft around the edges (like too many other superhero flicks), but still to its credit manages to swing upright when and where it counts, with a for-love-of-family adage at its forefront, as opposed to opting for the all-out, female-fueled, sorcery-eclipses-family sappiness of let's say, Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
The bottom line: Though Blue Beetle may be no game changer, it presents a proper motif and enough flashy violet-blue visuals to be a smash, even if DC/WB's lousy luck dictates it's not. (I'd like to see the concept expand into a streaming series, perhaps a possible prequel, and linger for a few productive runs, but that's up to the [HBO] Max execs, and we all know how hit-and-miss those turncoat sons-of-guns can be.)
