Blue Beetle

Based on the DC Comics character, though originally created by Fox Comics in 1939 before being bought by Charlton and then DC decades later, Blue Beetle focuses on Jaime Reyes iteration of the superhero. The film sees Jaime being given a blue alien Scarab that bonds with him, turning him into the titular character. While trying to understand how the Scarab works, Jaime gets help from his family and the daughter of the previous Beetle in order to defeat a weapons manufacturer who wants to copy the power of the Scarab into her own army. There's nothing too remarkable in terms of the storytelling as this pretty much follows the standard superhero origin story format. But it not only does it do it well but with the mix of Latin American culture it gives us a wonderful love letter towards people that the superhero genre hasn't widely tackled yet. The direction, set pieces, cinematography, and scoring all aid in giving this movie both its unique touch and wonderful tribute to Mexican and other cultures. What makes the film feel more personal and smaller compared to the previous entries in the DCEU is a good combination of CG and practical effects, especially with the Blue Beetle costume looking so good. However, the strongest aspect to this movie is its cast that mostly involves Latin American actors giving it such authenticity to its story and comic book roots. Xolo Maridueña knocks out from the start and the chemistry he shares with his family, which includes George Lopez, Adriana Barraza, and Damián Alcázar, truly keeps this from being a standard origin story. There's also Maridueña's chemistry between his love interest, played by Bruna Marquezine, and the Scarab itself, voiced by Becky G, that are great highlights towards Jaime's journey. Of course what's a superhero movie without the villains, and while Susan Sarandon and Raoul Max Trjillo play rather average villains the two do give highly memorable performances. Despite Blue Beetle not doing well at the box-office, James Gunn has said that the movie is part of his new DCU which shows just how well done this movie is that it was kept with the change. Over all: 100%

2023 top list so far:

1. Oppenheimer

2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

4. Asteroid City

5. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

6. Blue Beetle

7. Barbie

8. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1

9. Elemental

10. Air

11. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

12. Creed III

13. John Wick: Chapter 4

14. Scream VI

15. M3GAN

16. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

17. Cocaine Bear

18. Knock at the Cabin

19. The Flash

20. The Super Mario Bros. Movie

21. Renfield

22. Fast X

23. The Little Mermaid 2023

24. Shazam! Fury of the Gods

25. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

26. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania