Adriana Barraza

‘Blue Beetle’ Movie and 4K Review

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.

For those of you who keep up with my reviews on this website, you are familiar with my feelings on most superhero films. It is not my favorite genre, but I’m always willing to give it a try and hope for the best.  It hasn’t happened in a while, which is why I was so pleased to be completely enamored with “Blue Beetle.” I went into the film knowing absolutely nothing about it, and it ended up being one of the more enjoyable viewing experiences I’ve had this year.  When you sit down to watch a movie, you truly never know what is going to transpire on screen. It’s the beauty of cinema.

Prior to seeing “Blue Beetle,” I had never even heard of this character in any shape or form. After watching this movie, I hope to see more of this character, especially if he’s played by the uber-talented Xolo Maridueña, who is terrific on “Cobra Kai.” However, after the low box office numbers, I wonder if it’s a realistic expectation.

Maridueña stars as Jaime Reyes, a recent college graduate with a degree in pre-law, who returns home to Palmera City to discover a plethora of problems for his family.  They are struggling to keep their heads above water as the father had a heart attack, recently lost his job, and they are about to lose their family home.  However, he believes if they stick together, they can find a way to make it work.

Family is at the heart of “Blue Beetle,” and the film has a big old heart attached to it which I absolutely adored. This is a family of fun, eccentric and entertaining characters.  You have the wise-cracking sister, Milagro, played wonderfully by Belissa Escobedo. You have the tough, no-nonsense Nana Reyes played by Adriana Barraza. There is also the pot-smoking conspiracy theorist Uncle Rudy played by George Lopez. All of these characters are unique and fun in their own way. They feel like a real family as the chemistry between all of the characters on screen is off-the-charts.

When Jaime discovers that jobs are hard to come by after college, he gets one with his sister working for the CEO of Kord Industries, Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon), at their mansion.  After Jaime and Milagro end up losing their jobs when they are caught eavesdropping on a conversation between Victoria and her niece, Jenny (Bruna Marquezine), Jaime must figure out what to do next.  Jenny was impressed by the way Jaime stuck up for her and might have a job opportunity for him. When he goes to meet up with her, she hands him the Scarab, an artifact which holds special powers. She tells him not to open it, but when his family opens it for him, he soon finds out that his life will never be the same again.

With this Scarab, it chooses you, you don’t choose it.  It has chosen Jaime, and he has to figure out how to handle the responsibilities which come with it. He’s also dealing with a nosey family, a newly developing crush on Jenny, and having to fight off Victoria who wants to have the Scarab to create a series of One-Man Army Corps. He also learns that Jenny’s father was Ted Kord, a vigilante named Blue Beetle who left the family company because they were more interested in creating mayhem instead of working for the greater good. Victoria is also not pleased she was overlooked by her father in favor of her brother when it came time to take over Kord Industries.

“Blue Beetle” is a film I was able to follow with relative ease, which is a huge accomplishment considering I didn’t know anything about it or the character as previously mentioned. I do believe a comic book movie should be able to stand on its own two feet for first-time viewers and long-time fans.  This film does this for first-time viewers, and I imagine fans of the “Blue Beetle” comic will not be disappointed.  I was also quite pleased to see the film really lean into the ethnic dynamics of the family.  It’s rare to see a film which is almost entirely composed of Latino actors. Even though I’m an Italian-American, I felt as though the film was accessible to everyone.  Although, I imagine you will enjoy it even more if you are Latino as some of the jokes and TV shows they reference will be more in your wheelhouse.

This film is about 15-20 minutes too long, but it is never boring or uninteresting.  Some of the scenes involving lasers, blades and various high-flying actions can be a little repetitive, but I thought the special effects looked terrific and they were still fun to watch. This is one of the best superhero movies I’ve seen in a while.  As a matter of fact, it’s my favorite superhero movie I’ve seen since 2022’s “The Batman.” It has so much going for it: the cast, the love story, the backstory, the acting, and the fact it wears its big heart on its sleeve.

I like when my superhero movies are grounded in reality with a sense of wonder, and “Blue Beetle” knows all of the right notes to hit. Maridueña is perfect at getting his ass kicked and being a likable underdog to root for, as we have seen in this film and also in “Cobra Kai.” He’s incredibly likable, and he has the emotional elements of the character down pat along with the physical transformation as well.  The family is hilarious, and I loved spending time with them.  This is a fun superhero movie with a tremendous sense of humor.  I really enjoyed “Blue Beetle,” and I hope it finds a second home with this physical media release.

* * * ½ out of * * * *

4K Info: “Blue Beetle” is released on a single 4K disc from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment.  It has a running time of 127 minutes and is rated PG-13 for sequences of action and violence, language and some suggestive references.  It comes with a digital copy of the film as well.

4K Video/Audio Info:  Once again, we are treated to a tremendous Dolby Vision transfer.  I loved the look of this movie on 4K. It has a gorgeous blue hue throughout, and when the suit lights up, it looks absolutely incredible.  It’s an eye-popping transfer.  The Dolby Atmos soundtrack also brings the film to life in your home theater.  Subtitles are included in English, Spanish and French.

Special Features:

“Generations: Blue Beetle” – 4-part documentary

Told in distinct chapters, explore the journeys of actors and filmmakers bringing “Blue Beetle” to the big screen for the first time ever. Audiences will be immersed in the POV of filmmakers who showcase their experiences on set and in their creative studios making the story of this DC character a reality.

 Nana Knows Best – featurette

Witness Nana’s transformation from an adorable ‘abuelita’ into a machine gun-wielding revolutionary, and stop in for a few of her most fun moments on set throughout production.

Scarab Vision – 2-part featurette

Xolo Maridueña hosts this series of scene study walk throughs that showcases how the scarab works and the role it plays in some of Blue Beetle’s most epic moments.

Should You Buy It?

I can’t tell you how pleased I was with “Blue Beetle” both as a film and as a 4K release with tremendous visuals and a powerful Dolby Atmos soundtrack.  One of the greatest joys of being a film reviewer is when you are completely caught off guard by a movie in the best possible way. You go into most movies with an open mind and open heart, but certain movies you are more excited to watch and review than others.  As soon as I finished this one, I couldn’t wait to write this review and spread the word to those who have not seen it to check it out.  It’s a film which deserves a lot more attention than it has received so far. This is the kind of superhero film I truly enjoy and want more of in the future.  The 4K was released on Halloween, and I think the Best Buy steelbook looks really, really cool. If you can pick that up, I’d recommend it. If not, the 4K slipcover is really good as well. 

Do yourself a favor and check out “Blue Beetle.”  It’s one of the most pleasant surprises of 2023.

**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free.  The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.

‘Rambo: Last Blood’ is a Disgrace to This Franchise

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

Rambo Last Blood theatrical poster

Okay, let us cut to the chase: “Rambo: Last Blood” is a disgrace to the long-running franchise. Sylvester Stallone is back as former Army Special Forces Officer and Vietnam veteran John Rambo, but I really do not recognize the character here. Whereas the previous installments observed Rambo as a soldier trying to deal with a violent past, this one instead treats him as just another guy out for bloody revenge. This does not even feel like a “Rambo” movie as it starts off like “Taken” and eventually turns into a mediocre “Death Wish” flick with a ridiculous amount of “Home Alone” thrown in for good measure. Heck, even if Stallone still had the mullet and a bandana or two on hand, my opinion of this godforsaken sequel would be no different.

Ten years have passed since the events of the fourth “Rambo” movie, and our hero has long since taken over his father’s ranch in Bowie, Arizona. While he still deals with PTSD which he combats with an endless supply of anti-anxiety medication, he has found a measure of peace with his adopted family of Maria Beltran (Adriana Barraza) who manages the ranch with him, and her granddaughter Gabriela (Yvette Monreal) who has just graduated from high school. His close bond with them helps to keep his demons at bay, but as he goes through the underground tunnels which he built under his property, those Vietnam flashbacks keep haunting him to no end.

Soon after these characters are introduced, we are quickly reminded of what curiosity did to the cat. Gabriela gets word her biological father, Miguel (Marco de la O), is alive and living in Mexico, she becomes determined to seek him out and gets answers as to why he left her and her late mother behind. Both Rambo and Maria strongly encourage Gabriela not to seek him out as he is a cold man with no heart or conscience, but she defies them both and drives across the border on her own. Instead of a heartfelt reunion, she is drugged by enforcers of a Mexican drug cartel who turn her into a sex slave. As you can expect, Rambo finds out what has happened and heads out to Mexico to bring her home, and much ultraviolence ensues in the process.

Like I said, “Rambo: Last Blood” starts off as another “Taken” movie as our hero goes after a loved one abducted by those who have no respect for life, but while Liam Neeson’s character had a “unique set of skills,” we know Rambo’s will not be so refined. In the end, many of us come to the “Rambo” movies for the action as it is brutal and visceral to take in, and the red band trailer for “Last Blood” ensured its target audience there would plenty of carnage to take in and enjoy. However, this sequel is quickly weighed down by an overwhelming amount of exposition which slows down the proceedings to a sluggish pace, and this is regardless of the fact it has a running time of 89 minutes.

Stallone wrote the screenplay along with Matthew Cirulnick, and it is filled with clunky dialogue, stereotypical villains and a wealth of plot holes you could drive a Mack truck through. But what stuns me is how Stallone leaves us hanging way too long for the scenes where Rambo lays waste to his enemies with a blood vengeance. How long has this character been with us? That’s right, since the 1980’s. So, what is the point of having these cartel members beat the crap out of him early on when we know he can take them on single-handedly? Oh yes, so we can get introduced to an independent journalist named Carmen Delgado (Paz Vega, completely wasted here) to nurse him back to health, give him background information on his adversaries, and then later warn him how nothing will change regardless of what he does.

Seriously, “Rambo: Last Blood” is such a missed opportunity. Instead of dealing with foreign enemies, it would have been more interesting to see him fighting those of domestic origin. There should be no denying white supremacy is a bigger threat to America than anything outside of our borders, and the Stallone would have ended up with a far better sequel if he went in another direction. With Rambo back in America for the first time since “First Blood,” I would have loved to see how he would have dealt with how backwards this country has become. Soldiers who fought for America’s freedom are not the least bit happy about this, and I doubt Rambo would be either.

When we reach the movie’s last half, it descends into a “Death Wish” sequel which would have been better off going straight to video. Plus, as we watch Rambo go over diagrams of the family ranch, preparing traps and transforming weapons and bullets into something far more deadly, it started to feel like the third “Home Alone” movie we could have gotten with Macaulay Culkin had he played Kevin McCallister as a grown up. Seriously, I kept waiting endlessly for Stallone to say, “This is my house! I have to defend it!”

Heck, “Rambo: Last Blood” would have been more ridiculously entertaining had Stallone spent his time reciting dialogur from “Home Alone” as the stuff he comes up with here is simply pitiful. Just close your eyes and think of what Stallone would have looked and sounded like had he said the following:

“You guys give up? Or are you thirsty for more?

“This is extremely important. Will you please tell Santa that instead of presents this year, I just want my family back. No toys.”

“Bless this highly nutritious microwavable macaroni and cheese dinner and the people who sold it on sale. Amen.”

“Is this toothbrush approved by the American Dental Association?”

Many have called this sequel “Trumpian” as it deals with Mexicans in a very negative way, and the level of xenophobia “Rambo: Last Blood” has to offer is impossible to ignore after a while. The villains of this piece do little to paint Mexicans in a flattering light, and they are presented as a bunch of one-dimensional schmucks who we should do nothing more than despise and hate. But by not making them a bit more complex to where we can see them as individuals instead of as stereotypes, this just blunts the joy we could possibly get when Rambo makes chop suey out of them.

There is even a scene where Rambo drives his truck straight through a fence placed on the U.S./Mexico border, and I cannot help but think Stallone is subversively saying Donald Trump should get his border wall. At the same time, it has already been established how Rambo can build underground tunnels which can go on for miles. If Trump is to get his needless border wall, there is no doubt in my mind Rambo could dig a tunnel right under it all by himself.

Directing “Rambo: Last Blood” is Adrian Grunberg who previously directed Mel Gibson in “Get the Gringo” and served as first assistant director on Gibson’s “Apocalypto.” Taking this account, I came into this sequel assuming Grunberg would provide us with dozens of action scenes riddled with blood, gore and carnage since he was under the tutelage of a filmmaker who holds nothing back when it comes to ultraviolence on the silver screen. But when we finally get to the climactic showdown, Grunberg ends up giving us a lot of rapid-fire editing which keeps us from fully experiencing the violence on display. Yes, there are moments where human heads are turned into grotesque works of art which would have had Jason Voorhees saying, “Wow! Even I didn’t think of that!” But the action moves so fast to where it is almost impossible to fully see everything going on, and this had me walking out of the theater deeply frustrated.

And there is Stallone himself, who comes in and goes out of this sequel looking like a barely animated zombie with a faint pulse. Watching him here, it became clear just how much he values the legacy of Rocky Balboa more than John Rambo’s. With “Rambo: Last Blood,” he basically sells this iconic character out and gives us something which is about as bad as the many direct-to-video movies he has been churning out whenever he is not involved in a major Hollywood production. If this is to be the last “Rambo” movie, it is a real shame as even a character as jingoistic as this one deserves a far more respectful curtain call. When all is said and done, this is as necessary a sequel as “Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles” was (which is to say, not at all).

At this point, I would much rather see Stallone make another “Rocky” movie instead of one with Rambo. Furthermore, I hear he is in talks with Robert Rodriguez to make a sequel to “Cobra.” Or maybe he would better off making a sequel to his arm-wrestling film “Over the Top” as Johnny Carson joked it would instead be about thumb wrestling. Even that sounds better than another “Rambo” movie.

Shame on everyone involved in the making of this sequel. Shame.

* out of * * * *