Blue Beetle (2023)
Dir: Angel Manuel Soto
Writers: Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer
Starring: Solo Mariduena; Bruna Marquezine; Becky G; George Lopez
by Paul Bernardo paulieb2003@gmail.com
Angel Manuel Soto has been directing short films for about 7 years before DC gave him his first big break with this film. Angel was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, and Blue Beetle tries to bring Mexican heritage, and awareness to the forefront of this film. Problem is, you can tell Angel Manuel Soto has no clue what Mexican heritage is. Every aspect of this film is a cliche and a stereotype. Even the grandmother of this Mexican family looks and acts like something from an Adam Sandler film. Nothing here feels or seems authentic at all. Plus it’s a superhero film, so it becomes a very tough pill to swallow.
The writer, Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer was born in Queretaro, Mexico. It is his voice that screams to be heard, that Angel buries deep into the shallow waters of stereotypes. I don’t know if Gareth was on set or not, but clearly, Angel was not listening to him. Gareth’s voice here is admirable, and his main theme here is family – especially a down and out, poor as dirt family. Unfortunately Angel treats it all with a grain of salt, maybe hoping to get more eyes on the film, or maybe through pure misunderstanding. Either way, this is a Mexican film, that
does not portray Mexicans or Mexican culture. It is a complete misfire, and a complete miscommunication from behind the scenes.
Maybe the studios thought it was too ethnic and wanted Angel to make it more mainstream? I don’t know – but whatever it is, this film is stripped of any authenticity and of any honest betrayal of any culture.
This film forewent the superhero movie plot and went straight for the family demographic. They wanted a tight, Mexican family, who stuck together no matter what, and by the way, their first kid who graduated college has this army tech welded to his spine and his brain.
This army tech turns him into Robocop, but for some reason, looks like a blue beetle and can fly and stuff. So the kid is not Robocop, but is a Robo Beetle. I think the government only made one, and also a bad version of a prototype maybe? The program was shut down and never used again, until now. So why not make more? We don’t know. Why not just shut down the device that is connected to his body? We don’t know, I don’t think we’re supposed to ask such questions.
Rounding out everything is a Kim Kardashian type of rich attractive young girl who is the daughter of the guy who started the company. Unbelievably, she falls in love with Blue Beetle guy. Wow, how convenient. Her name is Jenny Kord. She stands to inherent the tech company and is filthy rich and super
attractive and has a thing for the poor Mexican college graduate who is now the Blue Beetle.
This movie ties everything up nicely, it’s made for kids, nothing too serious, nothing too complicated, nothing too involved. If anything, it’s so simple and nice it kind of talks down to kids. I’ve seen video games more intellectual than this.
Blue Beetle does try and hit a wholesome note, and for that it should be congratulated. The family, yes even Grandma, learns how to fly machines and how to use complicated tech gadgets to help save their boy. They can’t get good jobs, but I guess they can learn expensive equipment with no training at all. Interesting.
If you’re looking for something intellectual or that makes sense, look elsewhere. If you’re looking for a movie to babysit your kid for 2 hours while you go to the store, this is the movie for you. I get the feeling movies are mostly made for the latter these days anyway.
Put the tv on, hide the remote, and go the store knowing the kids are in safe hands with Blue Beetle.
