BLUE BEETLE (2023)
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Director: Ángel Manuel Soto
Stars: Xolo Mariduena, Bruna Marquezine, Damian Alcazar Rating: 4 out of 10 This had potential. Especially for me. A cheesy character, synthwave visuals and I have a soft spot for Xolo. This film should have been like Stargirl: The Movie, taking all its cues from that brilliant TV show. However, whilst it took the tone and vibe of Stargirl it did it all with the grace of the Batwoman TV show.
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No jokes were funny. None of the characters are likeable, including our main protagonist, Reyes, who doesn't ACTUALLY do anything until the final 15 minutes, as the suit is doing everything. And even then the suit kicks in at the end because he goes to do something wrong. Which, by the way, you see coming a mile off because the entire plot is massively lazy. I found myself predicting each character's journey within 10 minutes of them being on screen and correctly guessing the entire plot of the film, something I'm actually not good at.
The only unpredictable players in this are Reye's family who are completely unrealistic. They do not act and behave like any person would in relation to Reyes. They constantly go out to sabotage him out of pure stupidity and ignorance yet in the second half of the film are a well oiled machine comparable to the A Team. This complete lack of realism takes you out of the movie and then makes you wonder why anything on screen is happening. You begin to realise how silly everything on screen is.
The only unpredictable players in this are Reye's family who are completely unrealistic. They do not act and behave like any person would in relation to Reyes. They constantly go out to sabotage him out of pure stupidity and ignorance yet in the second half of the film are a well oiled machine comparable to the A Team. This complete lack of realism takes you out of the movie and then makes you wonder why anything on screen is happening. You begin to realise how silly everything on screen is.
Also, the beetle itself is never REALLY explained. It exists. It's alien. That's it. We don't get how or why it works. Why it chose Reyes. Why it changes its behaviors. It's just 'there'. At least the Venom Symbiote explains itself to Eddie. Reyes gets nothing explained because, in all honesty, he asks nothing. Xolo does what he can to bring character to this role but the script holds him back. Reyes doesn't act and behave like anyone else would either. He goes into space, comes back down, ISN'T pissed that his family caused all this and is more bothered that his shoes are ruined and his family might see his purple beetle (weirdly, the family are also far more worried about this).
The story is so basic yet has been implemented as a hot mess. For example, the police should have shown up several times and the United States Government/US Air Force at least once. And you're definitely thinking that during the scene I'm talking about. This should have been FAR more grounded and, without giving away any spoilers, there's a far more interesting story being teased at the end that maybe should have been the central focus and made someone else in the film the focal point. At least to be original.
This is about as messy as the film's links to Gunn's DCU (which I have read several times and still do not understand what universe it is canon in). This could have been so much more than what it is. Instead it is as memorable or as important as a bug I accidentally stepped on.
By Jay Burdett @ProJub
Tweet at us @talknerdyuk
Or Email us [email protected]
The story is so basic yet has been implemented as a hot mess. For example, the police should have shown up several times and the United States Government/US Air Force at least once. And you're definitely thinking that during the scene I'm talking about. This should have been FAR more grounded and, without giving away any spoilers, there's a far more interesting story being teased at the end that maybe should have been the central focus and made someone else in the film the focal point. At least to be original.
This is about as messy as the film's links to Gunn's DCU (which I have read several times and still do not understand what universe it is canon in). This could have been so much more than what it is. Instead it is as memorable or as important as a bug I accidentally stepped on.
By Jay Burdett @ProJub
Tweet at us @talknerdyuk
Or Email us [email protected]