The Blue Beetle character may date back to 1939, but the culturally specific incarnation of Jaime Reyes graced DC comic book pages much later, in 2006. This Warner Bros - DC- Latino led franchise opener has Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer scripting and Ángel Manuel Soto directing a heart-touching, eyeball-grabbing, culturally specific comic book flick
In Pic: Film's poster
Cast: Xolo Mariduena, Adriana Barraza, Damián Alcázar, Susan Sarandon, Raoul Max Trujillo, George Lopez, Elpidia Carrillo, Bruna Marquezine
Director: Ángel Manuel Soto
Rating: * * * 1/2
Runtime: 127 min.
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The Blue Beetle character may date back to 1939, but the culturally specific incarnation of Jaime Reyes graced DC comic book pages much later, in 2006. This Warner Bros - DC- Latino led franchise opener has Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer scripting and Ángel Manuel Soto directing a heart-touching, eyeball-grabbing, culturally specific comic book flick. While world-building has good versus evil seriousness, there’s nothing savage about it. Our hero doesn’t even want to kill his enemy. And that pure goodness of heart is not something you find in superhero movies anymore.
When college grad Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) returns home to fictional Palmera city, he finds that home may not exist as he left it. For a poor Mexican residing in the disadvantaged Edge Keys neighborhood, bridging the gap between haves and have-nots is not an easy task. Jaime and his sister Milagro (Belissa Escobedo) start work as help at a resort but before you know it, they get kicked out by the ruthless owner of Kord Industries, Victoria (Susan Sarandon). Even Jaime’s childhood home is in danger of being repossessed by Kord Industry. Then fate intervenes and Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology known as the Scarab, through Jenny(Bruna Marquezine), Victoria’s niece.
The family-oriented scripting also has political ramifications that go beyond the obvious and remind us of the Reyes family’s not-so-distant past. The family-bound narrative springs forth from a culturally rich vein of genuine affection and the comedy swings back and forth without lampooning any of the characters. Granted, much of Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer’s scripting is convenient and is meant to push the narrative to its next beat. Jaime’s attempts to learn how to navigate his new powers, the tentative sparks that may lead up to a romance despite the class disparity, and the family’s rambunctious enjoyment of life -- may all seem rather raw and unfinished but the feeling of genuineness comes through in spades.
Victoria may be considered the high priestess of doom here, but her villainy is grounded by a feeling of rejection and alienation. Sarandon is more than up to the task of representing Victoria as a woman who knows what she wants and works hard to get it. Victoria’s henchman, Conrad (Raoul Max Trujillo), goes through the entire film as just that… before the climactic moments in which we get to see how he became what he is. What we experience throughout the film is the deep-seated unstinting affection that the Reyes family have for each other. Their fearlessness in times of danger and survival instinct honed from experiences past, give them a steely resolve that a corporate malefactor with a full militia at her command fails to crush.
The buoyancy of warmth, humanity, freshness, and fun, lend this effort a heart that is not so common among superhero efforts. The action sequences may not be spectacle happy but they add up to the entertainment value here.
Adriana Barraza as the grandmother scores big with every punchline, George Lopez as the conspiracy theorist Uncle Rudy pulls off hilarious one-liners with ease but above all this is Cobra Kai recruit Xolo Maridueña’s breakout effort. The captivating young actor looks capable of spearheading the DC Extended Universe’s latest attempt at cornering box-office glory.
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