Blue Beetle

"Jaime Reyes is a superhero whether he likes it or not."

2023 2h 8m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 3,295

ActionScience FictionAdventure

Synopsis

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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.

“Jaime Reyes is a superhero whether he likes it or not.”

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Cast

Xolo Maridueña
Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle
Bruna Marquezine
Jenny Kord
Susan Sarandon
Victoria Kord
Raoul Max Trujillo
Carapax
Belissa Escobedo
Milagros Reyes
Damián Alcázar
Alberto Reyes
Elpidia Carrillo
Rocío Reyes
George López
Rudy Reyes

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ángel Manuel Soto
Writers: Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer
Languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

$104M budget — tentpole studio territory.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 3 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CAST

Did you know

212+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ángel Manuel Soto, shot by Pawel Pogorzelski. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Bobby Krlic. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Craig Alpert shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Xolo Maridueña and Bruna Marquezine and Susan Sarandon carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ángel Manuel Soto directs. Pawel Pogorzelski behind the camera. Bobby Krlic scores. Craig Alpert cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Portuguese, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1$104M budget — tentpole studio territory.
2Released 3 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish.
4212+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
5Directed by Ángel Manuel Soto, shot by Pawel Pogorzelski. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Bobby Krlic. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Craig Alpert shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Xolo Maridueña and Bruna Marquezine and Susan Sarandon carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Jaime Reyes is a superhero whether he likes it or not.".
10IMDB entry: tt9362930 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 15 themes, including "armor", "superhero", "family relationships", "family".
12Released under 13 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Pawel Pogorzelski
Original score: Bobby Krlic
Editing: Craig Alpert
Production design: Jon Billington
Costume design: Mayes C. Rubeo
Makeup / hair: Jacqueline Bell
VFX supervisor: Russell Earl
Sound: Chris Terhune
Stunt coordinator: Jon Valera
Runtime: 128 min · 2h 8m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $104,000,000
Box office: $130,788,072
Return: 126% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Blue Beetle (2023)

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Ángel Manuel Soto

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What people are saying

Manuel São Bento2023-08-16
★ 7/10
MORE SPOILER-FREE MINI-REVIEWS @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/mini-reviews-2023-edition Blue Beetle follows the usual superhero origin formulas, being extremely predictable, and lacking narrative creativity, but all these issues are well-compensated by a proudly Latino cast that offers exceptionally genuine performances - Xolo Maridueña is quite impressive - and by the magnificently rich Mexican culture that encompasses the film. Entertainment is also guaranteed due to a good mix of CGI action with choreographed fight sequences, as well as an energetic score (Bobby Krlic). A movie that nonsensically finds itself labeled as part of the DCEU when it clearly belongs to the saga. James Gunn probably didn't want to risk starting the DCU with a lesser-known character, which is an understandable reason, but keeping it attached to a soon-to-be-extinguished cinematic universe is very questionable. There are no doubts: we will see Jaime Reyes again. Rating: B+
scherbakovx2023-08-21
⁃ Some months before release: 'Nah, it looks too mediocre, I don't even know who this Blue Beetle is. Okay, at least he has a sword from Final Fantasy!' ⁃ Some days before release: "Wow, what is it? Good rating? Now I'm hooked!" ⁃ Some minutes after leaving the cinema: "Ooohhhh........" In a few words, I didn't like it. Blue Beetle looks like a superhero origin combined with Iron Man, Venom, and Spider-Man, adding just a bit of the family dynamic from Encanto (or Fast & Furious, you decide). The only outstanding thing is the cringe factor: strange jokes, graphics that are far from the best, and a derivative plot — everything looks like it was made in the 00s. It's not bad, really; sometimes, it's even good — you'll definitely giggle if you're into this style. However, it's not enough to label the movie as a good one. P.S. While watching this one, I've finally come up with the thought that I'm always bored during the first act. All these character introductions and exposition setups look like they're for people who are watching the first movie in their life. It doesn't matter if I like the film; I'm always waiting for the real action to begin 🙁
CinemaSerf2023-08-30
★ 6/10
Maybe this should just have been called the "Blue Bottle" after the annoying blowfly that buzzes around annoyingly to no apparent purpose? Susan Sarandon (why?) is the megalomanic corporate mogul "Kord" who is out to create a super-soldier ("OMAC") using an extra-terrestrial scarab that can synergise an human being with an almost indestructible endo-skeleton. Fortunately for all of us, her cleaning lady likes to use the luxury bathroom at her home, and when she is caught and quite literally dumped, she and her brother find themselves out of work and introduced to "Jenny" (Bruna Marquezine) - the strong-minded niece of our baddie - who is determined to thwart the militarisation of her daddy's company. She smuggles the gadget out of their HQ and manages to pass it to the rather earnest and drippy brother "Jaime" (Xolo Maridueña) with strict instructions not to even open the box. Of course they do, and next thing he and the glowing blue gizmo are best mates - he can fly, zip around with great speed and has, of course, super-human strength. "Cord" is determined to get it back, so she energises her already semi-mechanised henchman "Carapax" (Raoul Max Trujillo) for a gradual/glacial build up to a denouement that a bat could see from space. This has all the feel to it of a standard television movie. Great visual effects but lightning pyrotechnics, cleaving a bus in half and endless explosions are no longer enough to sell a film. There has to be some semblance of originality with the thing. Aside from it's bilinguality, this has precious little by way of innovation to shout for it. The characters are largely forgettable - especially the annoying uncle "Rudy" (George Lopez) who's astonishing adeptness with all things super-tech was just plain daft! It's also way, way too long and I felt the ominous presence of a sequel looming at the end quite sad. This is a weak story with a weak cast that seems designed to fill a gap in the USA's expanding and under-served Hispanic market. I think it may work there? I'm not so sure anyone else needs this.