2023, Angel Manuel Soto (Charm City Kings) -- download
I am not going to do my usual recap of the plot of the movie, not even a fun-panning one, because ... well, I just cannot be bothered. I did not really enjoy this movie, and it all comes down to the expected reason -- superhero movie formula fatigue. While striving to make a superhero movie for the latinx experience in the US and a nostalgic feel for "classic superhero movies", it ends up just feeling like an off-budget movie with lots of money. It has a tenuous connection to the DC Universe at large, and as we know from the Gunn and Safran takeover at DC, it will have little inclusion going forward. Think of this as just another abandoned property like Black Adam was. If you want a really, true to form, superhero movie franchise for the latinx experience, go watch the Sharkboy and Lavagirl movies from Robert Rodriguez which are way more fun.
Why wasn't it fun? Primarily, for me, because it comes from the scream-at-you school of film making. Everybody in the movie is always screaming for one reason or another. Jaime screams when the blue beetle scarab merges with his body. His entire family screams when they see it. The Bad Guy screams when he absorbs the blue beetle energy converting it into red Bad Guy energy to make his own tubes & nanites (???) armour. Jaime's Crazy Uncle screams for many reasons, including the constant destruction of his pickup truck, which strangely continues to function until the plot no longer wants it to. His Nana screams as she slaughters black suited henchmen with her disco light chain gun (?!?!!). His family screams and moans at the death of a key character. The supporting characters scream every time something tense happens. Since the movie is so intent on going from scream scene to scream scene, it gives us lots of stock tense moments to be screamed at.
At this point in the waning golden years of superhero movie making, I am not sure what they can do to make a movie I will enjoy. Not everything needs to be uber-gritty The Batman but I would prefer if they would at least attempt to be as characteristic as that movie. I mean, if you want an example of how to do a movie from a DC character but to stand out from the crowd.... <waves two arms maniacally in the direction of The Batman>. Sure, it draws upon some of its predecessor energy, but it is still so distinct. This movie just felt like someone made a vision board of all the other superhero movies they wanted to be like, tossed in some purple neon synthwave Hotline Miami obsession and flipped through the comics for some names and cute connections.
I am a fan of Blue Beetle as a character in his many different variations, so I can honestly say that there's not a lot of name recognition here for what comics fans likely see as a third-tier character. As a fan, who should be over the moon for a Blue Beetle movie, I felt very apathetic based on the trailer, and I couldn't even bring myself to the theatre to see it. It's out on VOD and I still am just waiting for it to port over onto HBO/MAX. I'm hoping to be surprised, but it sounds like there's absolutely nothing surprising about this.
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