The Stream: Feels like it’s missing something to make it truly memorable.

The Big Screen: Hilarious family fun with solid action sequences

The Final Bill: With the family stealing the show from the superhero, it leaves viewers missing something.

– S2S: Movie Review & Trip Fontaine
Director: Angel Manuel Soto
Writers: Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer
Stars: Xolo Maridueña, Bruna Marquezine, Damián Alcázar, George Lopez, Adriana Barraza, Susan Sarandon, Harvey Guillén
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of action and violence, language, and some suggestive references
Runtime: 2 hours
Production Companies: Warner Bros., Warner Bros. Pictures Mexico, DC Entertainment
Platform: Released in theaters August 18, 2023
Notable Trailers: My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, Trolls Band Together, Dune: Part Two

Streamers, it’s time to hit the theaters again. Yes, that’s what we did this week to see the DCEU’s Blue Beetle. Blue Beetle follows an alien scarab that chooses a recent college grad, Jaime Reyes, to be its symbiotic host. This relationship bestowed the young man with a suit of armor that’s capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes a superhero. Let’s see how the DCEU’s first Latinx superhero comes across the big screen.

Honestly, we all know the DCEU has its issues in the live action movie realm. We know the leader at the helm has changed, but Blue Beetle is the last film from the previous regime. This film was set to be a streaming movie on Max but for whatever reason it was given the courtesy of debuting on the big screen. Just like Blue Beetle is currently missing from Max, there is something missing from this movie being great. The great part of this movie is Jaime Reyes’ family unit led by George Lopez as his uncle, Rudy. Lopez and crew are full of energy, funny, familiar and bring life to the movie.

What lacks from this movie is a discernable character that fits a superhero. Xolo Mariduena, as Jaime, does a nice job toeing the line of culture, nerdy, cool but something just was missing. Maybe it was the predictable and foreshadowing storyline and writing or maybe it was just me. Either way, something just felt not engrossing about the story. What was a joy to watch was the action sequences. Unfortunately, a few of the better sequences were displayed in the trailer which contributed to the lackluster response I probably had in viewing. Speaking of lackluster, the bad guys in this movie were kind of boring. It’s hard to have an invested villain in a movie with a character that is pretty unknown himself to the masses but here we are. The major question is where this movie will fit into the James Gunn version of the DCEU. I hope he continues this franchise going forward.

Trip: To me, Blue Beetle felt like a pilot to a HBO Max/Max television show. It did not feel grand enough to warrant the big screen treatment. Everything felt so basic. I appreciate the diversity of the depiction of a Mexican-American family in one of these superhero movies, but I wish the film had been more interesting. Yes, the family was cute, especially Nana played by Adriana Barraza. She was spunky and fun. However, I didn’t find the family as funny as the rest of the audience I saw this with, but I do agree that the family brought the movie to life. They are a necessary component of what makes this movie work, if it works. Other than that, while the villain, Victoria Kord, has such a basic agenda and no real ethos behind her plan, Susan Sarandon was really fun playing her. She really sank her teeth into the villainy.

I’ll put it out there, if this had gone straight to streaming this would be a big box of fresh popcorn to enjoy at home. Since it hit the big screen, of course the action needs to be seen large but we couldn’t help but feeling like something was missing from making this movie good. George Lopez and family steal the show from the superhero and that’s not a great sign for a superhero movie. Needless to say, go check out Blue Beetle with a bowl of popcorn during the matinee time but definitely when it hits Max (formerly HBO Max).