Warner Bros. DC Comic Book action/adventure movie Blue Beetle has all the prerequisite elements for a great superhero flick to take its place alongside the long litany of similar movie fare that dominates the theaters today.
Blue Beetle revolves around a very likable, attractive young hero, an ultra-evil villain who threatens to take over the world, an apocalyptic storyline replete with pyrotechnic fireworks, explosions, gun fights, and hand-to-hand combat. There’s a romantic interest, a sequel teaser coda, and a wonderful, pulsating, rhythmic Latino music soundtrack. But the not-so-secret key ingredient that makes Blue Beetle a tasty, palatable, delicious, cinematic feast is the cast.
A Super Latino Cast of Characters
Xolo Maridueña plays Jaime Reyes, a recent college graduate, the first in his Mexican-American family. Through a series of improbable events that require much suspension of disbelief, a beetle scarab possessing enormous powers becomes a parasite on his back, endowing him with powers he has no desire to have. Maridueña, who is best known for his continuing role as Miguel Diaz on Cobra Kai, is funny and disarming as the accidental, reluctant hero with superpowers he has no control over.
It is Maridueña’s affable, humorous self-effacing performance that sets the tone for Blue Beetle.
George Lopez, whose career has evolved from stand-up comic, late-night talk show host to TV sitcom star to becoming an accomplished character actor in such films as, The Spy Next Door and El Chicano, puts all that experience to good use as Jaime’s zany, eccentric Uncle Rudy who doesn’t miss a chance to chew up the scenery in his many hilarious scenes.
The talented, versatile Mexican actress Adriana Barraza who has distinguished herself in such diverse films as Babel and Thor, is Jaime’s grandmother, Nana Reyes. At first glance, Nana appears to be your typical, lovable Mexican abuela. But this granny harbors a secret past, or at least she hints at one. Nana suggests she once was a gun-toting revolutionary in some Latin American conflict.
In the exciting climatic battle, Nana shows her old revolutionary stuff by expertly firing a machine gun, much like Barraza did in Gigi Saul Guererro’s film Bingo Hell, all the while laughing out loud with obvious glee.
Jamie’s mother, Rocio Reyes, is played by legendary (and this writer’s favorite) Mexican actress Elpidia Carrillo. She has appeared in numerous big-time films like Salvador, The Border, and Predator and held her own alongside costars like James Woods, Jack Nicholson, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Carrillo has appeared in several Mexican independent films as well as starring in International and American films and TV. She has won a plethora of awards for her work on the big and small screen. She also hosts an annual film festival in her home state of Michoacan, Mexico.
Despite her impressive cinema and TV pedigree, Carillo regrettably only has a small part in Blue Beetle. But it is a pivotal part, and true to her commitment as an artist, she does a lot with what she is given.
The Family is the Real Power
Director Angel Manuel Soto (The Farm, La Carta, 22 Weeks) and screenwriter Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, (Contrapelo, Miss Bala, El Muerto) have combined their considerable talents to create a story that illuminates and brings into sharp focus the warmth, love, and humor of the Mexican American experience found in the Blue Beetle DC Comic Book stories.
There is a strong subtext to Blue Beetle that posits the idea that Jaime Reyes’ superpowers owe as much to his strong familial connections as it does to an arbitrary beetle scarab talisman. And who better to represent the strength of the family on the big screen to a wide audience than a Mexican-American one?
There are some funny Latino cultural references used in writer Dunnet-Alcoceaideser’s script, and director Soto leavens the furious action set pieces with glib, self-effacing ad-lib asides by Jaime as he valiantly tries to rein in his out-of-control, oversized beetle bug superpowers.
A Disappointment at the Box Office
Blue Beetle is a fun roller coaster ride replete with action, laughs, and quirky, likeable Mexican-American characters struggling, battling and loving within a rich Latino cultural motif that received generally positive critical reviews and enthusiastic audience feedback.
So, why didn’t Blue Beetle do better at the box office? It earned $25 million during its first theatrical week of release. As of this writing, its global box office receipts are under $100 million.
Several reasons contributed to its weak performance at the box office.
- Dump Month Factor. Warner Bros. released Blue Beetle to theaters in mid-August 2023. August, by many movie industry insiders, is considered a “dump month” for movies the studio doesn’t have much confidence in, as opposed to those released during the holidays.
- Lack of Marketing. Due to the WGA/SAG strike, Blue Beetle cast members did not appear on late night TV shows to chat up the film. TV commercials promoting the film were rare compared to the avalanche of ads for Barbie.
- Blame it on Hillary. No, not that Hillary, the other Hillary, Tropical Storm Hillary. Hillary descended on Southern California just in time for the theatrical release of Blue Beetle. It was reported that the heavy rains put a damper on theater attendance.
- The DC Cinema Universe Losing Streak. Whereas the Marvel Universe churns one highly successful adventure superhero film after another, the DC Cinema Universe has turned out one box office turkey after another. The last most recent one, in a string of many box office failures was Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
Hope “Streams” Eternal
In 1946, Hollywood iconic director, Frank Capra, saw his film, It’s A Wonderful Life, starring Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, and Lionel Barrymore, open to a universal chorus of boo bird movie critics who ravaged his film for its style and content. It suffered miserably at the box office as well.
But with the advent of television, It’s A Wonderful Life over time became an annual Christmas viewing tradition and achieved a cult status which it still enjoys today.
When Blue Beetle is picked up by some streaming platform, a similar fate could befall this movie, too. On a streaming platform, it could gain the traction it didn’t get in the theaters and become a minor cult classic. With some newfound success, Blue Beetle could result in a sequel, maybe a franchise, and who knows, eventually a Broadway musical based on the DC Comic Mexican-American superhero.
A strong streaming performance could also convince the studio executives at Sony Pictures to rethink their decision to shelve Bad Bunny’s El Muerto and bring it back to life (bad pun intended).
So, let’s not throw out the big bug with the bath water just yet. Blue Beetle has a lot going for it; a great cast, storyline, and cultural diversity, which is so badly lacking in the world of superhero films today.