Blue Beetle Review: A Neon RoboCop for Kids
WB’s Blue Beetle is in cinemas now but will it save DC from a confused mixed universe? A film that already has everything against it, Blue Beetle is a fun romp that mixes 80s neon violence with family at its heart.
DC and WB have had a bad run of it. Whatever they do they just can’t get it right. The biggest casualty was arguably Henry Cavill’s Superman, who was cruely sacked by James Gunn (DCU’s new head) just weeks after announcing his return to the role.
Arguably however, no film has suffered more than The Flash. An excellent film that saw Michael Keaton’s Batman Return, a movie that got hit in the crossfire of a dead franchise and troubled star Ezra Miller.
Superman and Batman exist in Blue Beetle’s Universe
So where does Blue Beetle lie in all this? And that’s the problem, no one’s quite sure. There’s no mention of the DCEU or the newly formed DCU, though both Superman and Batman do exist, if only by mention. For movie goers this is confusion exacerbated. And if us nerds aren’t sure where Blue Beetle belongs, the general public won’t have a Scooby.
But does this matter if the film is any good? And really it shouldn’t matter. The joy should be in the cinema experience. Personally I will sit in an empty theatre if it’s a film I want to see. And for Blue Beetle I did, apart from my companion and an old man who impressively sat solo through the superhero flick – even if he didn’t stay for the end credit scenes.
The 80s neon stylings work well and Blue Beetle is a delight
There’s also a weird niggling feeling when you watch Blue Beetle, knowing that it was once destined to be a TV movie. Fortunately this proves unfounded baggage. And at the heart of Blue Beetle is Jamie Reyes played expertly by Cobra Kai’s Xolo Maridueña. And it’s great see the actor doing so well. Central to Jamie’s story is his family, a dynamic reminiscent of the Miss Marvel or She-Hulk TV shows.
The film is slow at times and rather predictable but it’s also a lot of fun. The 80s neon stylings work well and Blue Beetle is a delight every time he’s on screen. The fight scenes show promise and there’s echos of 80s sci-fi-action films, with Blue Beetle best described as a super-cool neon Robocop for kids. But despite its big coporation bad guy it lacks the satire of the aforementioned classic.
Blue Beetle’s only real problem is it plays it a little too safe
It’s therefore a shame director Angel Manuel Soto doesn’t lean into this more. The soundtrack is good but a little lacking. But above all there’s room for more style. It gets so close but misses the mark of Leigh Whannell’s excellent and under-rated 80s homage ‘Upgrade’. And therein lies Blue Beetle’s only real problem, it plays it a little too safe. It probably wouldn’t have made a difference to the bottom line but by leaning more into its B Movie inspirations it could have been a cult classic.
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