It’s been a rough year for DC movies so far, with the 2023 release schedule having already delivered Shazam! Fury of the Gods and The Flash, both of which critically and commercially underperformed. But there are still two more upcoming DC movies on the immediate horizon, the first of which, Blue Beetle, arrives later in the month. However, reactions to the superhero blockbuster are in, and it looks like Jaime Reyes, the young man in the title alien armor, is getting a terrific theatrical debut.
Starting off, The Wrap’s Umberto Gonzalez first praised Blue Beetle for delivering positive representation of Latino culture, then complimented the movie as a whole for spicing things up for the superhero genre.
#BlueBeetle is here & Latinos FINALLY have a superhero of their own reflected on the big screen. The film is so incredibly good, so unique & delivers on all fronts giving the superhero genre much needed sazón! The film 's Tangerine Dream inspired synthwave score also rocks! pic.twitter.com/C6QgvexlTxAugust 11, 2023
POC Culture also enjoyed Blue Beetle immensely, describing it as their favorite DC movie to come out since Christopher Nolan wrapped up his Dark Knight trilogy and appreciating how well it explored Jaime Reyes’ Mexican family culture and, as seen in a later tweet, its pop culture references.
#BlueBeetle is my favorite post-Nolan DC film.It’s an action packed, highly entertaining superhero story about family…& there’s nothing more important than family.The film is unique in that it lovingly & unabashedly shares the Reyes family’s Mexican culture. @bluebeetle 🧵 pic.twitter.com/o6Q9kUrbeCAugust 11, 2023
While Brandon Davis from Comicbook.com wasn’t as effusive with his praise, he still found DC’s third theatrical movie of the year to be a good time at the theater, specifically shouting out George Lopez, who plays Rudy Reyes, the uncle of Xolo Maridueña’s Jaime.
The #BlueBeetle movie is mostly a blast.Some is too silly or childish for me, a lot had me laughing loud (George Lopez!). Practical suit rocks. The Latino representation is awesome.Enjoyed the family-centric stakes, solid action beats. Overall, it’s fun. pic.twitter.com/5qzWIkmDyEAugust 11, 2023
CineXpress' Fico Cangiano started off declaring that Blue Beetle effectively handles Jaimes Reyes’ introduction and exploration of Latino culture, then shouted out the movie’s actions, visual effects and Maridueña’s leading performance.
Happy to report that @angelmanuelsoto’s #BlueBeetle is definitely a great time at the movies! Not only is it a fantastic introduction to Jaime Reyes as a character/hero, but also a love letter to the Latino culture, that focuses on family as its foundation. @bluebeetle 1/3 pic.twitter.com/ieVw0DSR2ZAugust 11, 2023
Finally, Collider’s Steve Weintraub threw love out to Blue Beetle director Angel Manuel Soto and how he delivered a “fun” blend of action and humor.
Happy to report @angelmanuelsoto's #BlueBeetle was so much better than I expected. He's added his own flavor to the superhero genre by having the film focus on a tight-knit family and Latino culture. It’s fun, extremely funny, and he got away with a few jokes that floored me. pic.twitter.com/TA6I5a9sGlAugust 11, 2023
As if the all of the above positive reception wasn’t notable enough, Zack Snyder also showed support for Blue Beetle earlier this month, saying he was looking forward to taking his kids to see it. Xolo Maridueña and George Lopez are joined in the Blue Beetle cast by Damián Alcázar, Adriana Barraza, Elpidia Carrillo, Bruna Marquezine, Harvey Guillén, Raoul Max Trujillo, Susan Sarandon and Becky G, while behind the scenes, Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer wrote the script. Although Blue Beetle is coming out while the DCEU is still active, not only is this feature more of a standalone offering, DC Studios co-head James Gunn said that Jaime Reyes is the new DC Universe’s first character, so it sounds like we’ll be seeing more of him in the years ahead.
You can judge Blue Beetle for yourself once the movie opens wide on August 18. Meanwhile, Max subscribers can easily stream Jaime Reyes’ animated appearances, but those looking to watch his live-action TV debut on Smallville more than a decade ago will need a Hulu subscription. Following Blue Beetle’s release, 2023’s final DC movie, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, hits theaters on December 20.
