Jaime (Xolo Maridueña) returns home from law school with debt on his mind. Not only does he have student loans to deal with, but his family is about to lose their home following his dad, Alberto (Damian Alcazar) losing his business after a heart attack. He and his sister, Milagro (Belissa Escobedo), are hired as cleaners for evil rich lady Victoria Kord's (Susan Sarandon) mansion. But they're quickly fired. Victoria's niece, Jenny (Bruna Marquezine), promises Jaime a new job or two. But all Jaime gets out of the job interview is a Burger Box which Jenny tells him not to open.
Jaime opens it anyway and finds a metal scarab, Khaji-Da (Becky G), inside. Victoria wanted it to reverse engineer her own line of super soldiers, the OMAC. Instead, the scarab merges with Jaime and morphs him into a blue-armored superhero. Naturally, Jaime wants answers from Jenny. Victoria wants her “property” back and sends her proto-OMAC, Ignacio Carapax (Raoul Trujillo), after him. The whole family will have to chip in to stop the bad guys.
Director Angel Manuel Soto and writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer have created a light superhero film. Jaime's first transformation into Blue Beetle is more farcical mayhem than horrific. Underscoring the scene with the Spanish song La Chona accentuates the chaos until Bobby Krlic's score fully takes over. There's more hilarious chaos during Jaime's subsequent outing as he deals with his new powers. Its chipper tone keeps our eyes on the screen instead of our watches during its 127 minutes. Its most cliche elements, including Carapax's proclamation "your love for your family makes you weak," Jaime's retort to that, and a family member's seeming death (as opposed to another's actual death), aren't a detriment.
Naturally, the cast keeps our attention all the way through. Maridueña as Jaime is a likeable go-getter and incredibly selfless long before he meets Khaji-Da. His on-screen family and their chemistry are endearing. In addition to Escobedo, Adriana Barazza (Grandma), Elpidia Carillo (mom Roccio) and George Lopez (Uncle Rudy), get some great lines. Their collective likability makes the midpoint devastating, but they all bounce back when they storm Victoria's castle with Jenny's dad's (second Blue Beetle Ted) weaponry.
Now for the others. Jenny and Jaime make a good on-screen couple. She's easily more likable than her condescending aunt, played perfectly by Sarandon. Carapax is capably brutal, while his aforementioned taunt makes tragic sense once his backstory kicks in. The Kords' head scientist (Harvey Guillen) is so delightfully goofy, that we feel a bit sorry when Jenny swipes Khaji-Da under his nose. The film makes a big deal out of Khaji-Da being a planet destroying weapon, but Khaji-Da's personality barely correlates with that. Khaji-Da has some great chemistry with Jaime, too, especially when it stops him from killing Carapax.
The film's visualization of Jaime's Blue Beetle armor highlights its technical proficiency. The costume designed by Mayes C Rubeo blends spectacularly with its CGI enhancements. Its various powers and weapons are pretty cool, too. Its production design is equally impressive for turning Decatur into the fictional Palmera City. I'm pretty sure I recognized a few streets beneath their own digital enhancements. The only bit of CGI that didn't blend well was a surprising gadget in the climax. Everything else is seamless. The action scenes also blend nicely with Krlic's techno score.
Blue Beetle is every bit as fun as The Flash wanted to be. It's just as fun watching its superhero talk to his family as it is watching him fight bad guys. Its most poignant moments come when the Reyes family are comforted by their neighbors following their midpoint tragedy. You'll leave the theater hoping for more rather than being glad it's over. Indeed, the mid-credits promise a certain character's return. Overall, it's a late summer surprise that you need to see as soon as possible. It's even playing with a Spanish dub. So, you have your options.
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