Gareth Dunnet Alcocer

‘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.

‘Miss Bala’ is Far Too Average to Be the Least Bit Empowering

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

missbala2019movieposter

Right now, 2019 is looking to be a year where I have gone from appreciating movies for what they are to instead wishing they were something better. I have already sat through M. Night Shyamalan’s “Glass” which started off promisingly, but ended up becoming a contrived mess which left me thinking of what it could and should have been. As much as I pride myself on analyzing movies for what they are, I couldn’t do this with “Glass” as it came with expectations impossible to ignore, and it self-destructed long before the infinitely frustrating conclusion.

Now we have another 2019 movie, “Miss Bala,” which proves to be just as frustrating if not more so. It has an intriguing premise of a young Latino woman caught up in a situation not of her making which has her playing both sides of the same coin to where she manipulates things to come out on top. But what results here is nothing more than a below average action thriller undone by cliched characters and a screenplay filled with contrived situations which willfully defy logic. A lot could have been done with this material, but the filmmakers have instead turned it into the equivalent of a subpar episode of “24.”

Gina Rodriguez of “Jane the Virgin” fame stars as Gloria, a makeup artist in Los Angeles who travels across the border to Tijuana to visit her best friend, Suzu (Cristina Rodlo), who is competing in a local beauty pageant. But during a party at a nightclub, their plans are suddenly thwarted when members of a drug cartel open fire and everyone runs for their lives. Suzu ends up disappearing and Gloria becomes desperate to find her, but this search leads to her getting kidnapped as she becomes a pawn of both drug dealers and the DEA.

Like I said, “Miss Bala” has a very intriguing premise which comes with a lot of promise. Like Cary Grant in “North by Northwest,” Gina Rodriguez plays a character who ends up in a situation not of her own making which leaves her looking guilty in the eyes of the world. What excited me was the anticipation of watching Gloria turn one side against the other as I was convinced she would do so in the most ingenious of ways. It’s fascinating to see a character go from being completely lost to gaining the upper hand once the instinct for survival kicks in.

Alas, “Miss Bala” is quickly undone by a screenplay which doesn’t do nearly enough to make Gloria’s transformation from a frightened civilian to a vengeful warrior emotionally fulfilling or believable. Writer Gareth Dunnett-Alcocer has constructed a kind of “connect-the-dots” screenplay which looks to take some characters and situations in interesting directions and instead resolves them in ways which feel far too pat and simplistic to where it’s like the filmmakers are telling us, “Remember who the good and bad guys are.”

As for the villains, they are a stereotypical bunch of drug cartel gang members who could occupy every other show on network television these days. The filmmakers attempt to balance things out by presenting us with DEA agents who prove to be as bad, but the moment where they turn against Gloria reeks of desperation as they can’t seem to decide what to do with characters who have not been developed in a satisfying way. Even worse, a certain character at the end is revealed to be an agent of another government agency, and it is one Gloria has even more of a reason to distrust than the DEA.

It’s a real shame because Rodriguez proves to be a formidable presence here as Gloria, and you can tell she put her heart and soul into this character as she fearlessly portrays the emotional turmoil of her character’s predicament from start to finish. Sadly, her transition from scared innocent to emboldened warrior never feels believable enough, but this is not necessarily her fault.

Aside from Rodriguez, you have Ismael Cruz Cordova playing an uber cool drug dealer and menace to society named Lino who takes pleasure in intimidating those he feels are beneath him. Part of me is getting sick of characters like these as they act so ridiculously confident even when there are numerous moments which make clear how foolish in who they trust. And just when Lino starts to get interesting, the character is rendered into a stereotypical bad guy through a storytelling device which feels tacked on only for the sake of tying things up quickly.

Anthony Mackie also shows up as another bad guy named Jimmy, but he is completely wasted here as he gives off the same thousand mile stares just like he did in “The Hate U Give.” And when he reappears in the movie’s last half to where we learn more about his character, I wanted to yell at the screen, “Seriously?”

“Miss Bala” was directed by Catherine Hardwicke who made one of the most unforgettable and emotionally visceral teen movies ever with “Thirteen.” I was hoping she would bring the same emotional urgency to this material, but perhaps she has softened her vision a bit too much in the wake of “Twilight” and “Red Riding Hood.” Hardwicke does direct some strong action sequences and she never lets the pace drag for a second, but she is unable to make this action thriller stand out from so many others like it.

I don’t know, maybe I am being a bit unfair to “Miss Bala” as it doesn’t aim to be a genre defying piece of cinema. But even as a simple B-movie with low aspirations, it never truly excites in the ways it wants to. Then again, perhaps I have been spoiled by portrayals of vicious gang members in movies like “Sicario” or “The Infiltrator” as they make the ones here look like paper-thin cartoon characters. For a motion picture looking to be a powerful piece of female empowerment, “Miss Bala” settles for something far less to where the finished project leaves not much of an aftertaste if any. Its ending has the promise of an ongoing franchise where Gloria will equate her skills with guns and deception with her love of makeup, I don’t think we will be seeing a follow-up to this one anytime soon.

It should be noted how this film is a remake of the 2011 Mexican film of the same name. I have not seen the original, but I did take the time to watch its trailer which shows it to be grittier and more interesting than what we got here. If nothing else, I hope this remake will get audiences more interested in the original, let alone make them aware of its existence. The critical acclaim which graced it is not about to be bestowed on this tepid version.

* * out of * * * *