Blue Beetle (English) Review {2.5/5} & Review Rating
BLUE BEETLE is the story of a young guy who gets extraordinary powers. Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) returns to his home in Palmera City, Mexico during an academic break. His whole family – father Alberto (Damián Alcázar), mother Rocio (Elpidia Carrillo), grandmother Nana (Adriana Barraza), sister Milagro aka Mili (Belissa Escobedo) and uncle Rudy (George Lopez) - arrive at the airport to welcome him. Once he's home, he learns that they are about to lose their residence since the rent has been hiked three times. A lot has changed in Palmera City as Kord Industries headed by Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon) have been trying to expand their base. Jaime and Mili work in Victoria’s mansion as housekeepers. They get fired when Jaime interrupts a fight between Victoria and her niece Jenny Kord (Bruna Marquezine). Jenny appreciates that Jaime stood up for her and calls her to Kord Tower the next day, promising that she’ll help him land a job in the company. Jenny is against Victoria’s idea of implementing OMAC (One Man Army Corps), a deadly project that can cause havoc in the world. The next day, Jenny enters the lab in Kord Tower and realizes that Victoria has unearthed Scarab, a piece of extraterrestrial technology. She steals it but is unable to escape as word spreads in the building that there has been a robbery. This is when she bumps into Jaime. She puts Scarab in a hamburger box, hands it to Jaime and tells him to guard it with his life. She also instructs him not to open the box. Jaime goes home with the Scarab. His family members open the box and start playing with the Scarab. This is when the Scarab attacks Jaime and in no time, enters his body. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer's story is entertaining. Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer's screenplay is replete with hilarious and dramatic moments. But it is nothing new as viewers have seen several such superhero origin stories. It’s also predictable. The dialogues are hilarious.
Angel Manuel Soto's direction is decent. To give credit where it's due, he tries his best to keep viewers gripped with his characters, the idea that family makes you stronger and of course the VFX-heavy action scenes. Some of the films that stand out are Jaime’s fight with Carapax (Raoul Max Trujillo) outside Kord Tower, Jaime arriving to save his family and the fight in the climax.
On the flipside, the film gives a been-there-done-that feeling from start to finish. A few aspects of the film are bizarre. Jaime transforms into a superhero and goes into space. The family members, however, don’t seem very panicked, as if something like this is a common occurrence! Even a demise in the family doesn’t shatter them, it seems. The death is, in fact, quickly forgotten.
Xolo Maridueña, however, performs ably and has good timing. Bruna Marquezine is decent. Belissa Escobedo shines in a supporting role. Susan Sarandon is passable as the villain. George Lopez is too good and steals the show. Damián Alcázar delivers a lovely performance. Elpidia Carrillo doesn’t get much scope. Adriana Barraza is too cute. Raoul Max Trujillo gives a first-rate performance. Harvey Guillén (Dr Sanchez) is hardly there but manages to shine. Becky G as the voice of Khaji-Da is great.
Bobby Krlic's music is apt for a film like this. Pawel Pogorzelski's cinematography is spectacular. Jon Billington's production design is rich. Mayes C Rubeo's costumes are realistic and yet glamorous. Action is exciting. VFX is top-class. Craig Alpert's editing is neat.
On the whole, BLUE BEETLE is average fare due to the beaten-to-death storyline and predictable narrative. At the box office, it’ll face a tough time due to GADAR 2 and OMG 2.