It’s taken a while for Latine audiences to get here, but the moment has finally come. Blue Beetle marks the first time in movie history that a Latine superhero is headlining their own live-action film from a major studio. The end result is a charming and heartfelt comic-book movie that emphasizes not only one Latine superhero, but a family full of them. You can keep Marvel’s Avengers and DC’s Justice League. The Reyes family is the only superhero team we want right now.
In Blue Beetle, Xolo Maridueña (Cobra Kai) stars as Jaime Reyes, a recent college graduate who returns home to the fictional town of Palmera City to spend time with his family, including his father Alberto (Damián Alcázar), mother Rocio (Elpidia Carrillo), sister Milagro (Belissa Escobedo), Uncle Rudy (George Lopez) and grandmother, who Jaime lovingly calls Nana (Adriana Barraza).
Soon after his arrival, Jaime finds out his family has fallen on hard times while he’s been away. Jaime promises to do his best to get the family back on track. And when he goes to Kord Industries to get a job he’s caught at the center of a power struggle that quickly spirals out of control and ends up with him being the new symbiotic host to the scarab, transforming Jaime into the Blue Beetle.
Although Maridueña proves to be the capable new star required to carry the bulk of the action, Blue Beetle works more like an ensemble than a superhero movie reliant on a title character. It benefits greatly from its collaborative effort – from his father’s attentive nature to his uncle’s biting humor. Each family member commands the screen, not like Iron Man or the Hulk would do as a member of the Avengers, but with their authentic personality and unconditional love.
That love the Reyes family has for one another goes beyond a superhero’s ability to time travel, shapeshift or take flight. It’s especially clear during the third act when we see a group of Kord henchmen advancing on Jaime and his Nana while they’re maneuvering their way through the chambers of an island fortress. Without hesitation, Nana slowly guides Jaime behind her with her hand, so she can protect him. It’s a subtle but effective scene that illustrates everything you need to know about the Reyes family. They exhibit a different kind of superhuman strength when they’re together.
Blue Beetle isn’t resistant to superhero tropes and a few illogical plot devices, which writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer (Miss Bala) forces in at times to move the narrative forward. But director Ángel Manuel Soto (Charm City Kings) keeps the emotional core focused, and British composer Bobby Krlic (Midsommar), AKA The Haxan Cloak, gives the young superhero a stimulating, synth-inspired sound to call his own.
Blue Beetle is much more than a superhero movie. It’s a long-awaited recognition by Hollywood that Latine stories deserve the biggest platform available for today’s blockbuster-addicted audience. It’s the acceptance of our culture into a pop culture world that didn’t seem attainable only a few years ago. It’s evident the entertainment landscape is on the verge of monumental change. The work, however, isn’t done. Now, it’s up to Latine moviegoers and talent to demand that this isn’t a one-off experiment. If representation really does matter, then Blue Beetle should be just the beginning.
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, Blue Beetle being covered here wouldn’t exist.
