Blue Beetle
2023 · Directed by Ángel Manuel Soto
Original language: English
- action
- science fiction
- adventure
The story
Recent college grad Jaime Reyes returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab.
What it’s like
Warm, sun-washed Southern California light fills the family house, with its loud kitchen, crowded dinner table and lived-in clutter, then cuts to the cool white-and-glass sterility of a corporate tech lab, a contrast the film leans on throughout. The Scarab's suit glows a saturated electric blue against bright daytime streets and dusty sunlit suburbs, and its digital-glossy action is kinetic, with fast handheld-feeling cuts and bursts of hovering energy. The score is driving and synth-tinged, and the humour is quick and affectionate. Vibe: bright, buoyant, big-hearted. Gunfire and hand-to-hand fights are frequent but bloodless, with peril and some bruising rather than gore; there is no sexual content and little real cruelty. It suits a relaxed weekend afternoon, a lighthearted watch with family, or someone who wants an upbeat superhero adventure centred on a close, funny household. Its pacing is brisk, and the emotional arc follows a young man who feels he has to fit a role his family and future expect of him, slowly learning to trust the people around him.
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