The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) has gone through many ups and downs since its launch on June 14, 2013 to the present. The beginning, when Zack Snyder and Warner Bros. still “salty”, the talented director agreed to sit in the position of “chief architect” of the DCEU.
Warner Bros. and DC always seem to chase the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe without ever really reaching those heights. To put it simply, their last six theatrical films have grossed a cumulative domestic gross of $520.7 million, about $56 million less than the Avengers: Endgame movie earned in just one year. in nine days. The problem with DC movies is something very confusing.
Blue Beetle – DC’s new superhero.
However, according to new heads James Gunn and Peter Safran, the future of DC is about to change. Superhero Blue Beetle will represent the first official character in their new DCU franchise, separate from the DCEU franchise that just saw The Flash fail.
Blue Beetle will officially premiere in Vietnam today, August 18. Many lucky viewers got to see the film in advance last night and left many positive feedbacks.
The film tells the story of college graduate Jaime Reyes who is chosen by an ancient biotech scarab as its symbiotic host. The scarab grants Reyes a suit of armor of extraordinary strength known as the Blue Beetle.
The cast and crew are predominantly Latino talents appearing in a mainstream superhero movie for the first time, providing a subculture that hasn’t really been explored in the genre. The family element is used very strongly in the film. Especially, Jaime’s family is “always cheerful” in any difficult situation, exuding national identity in each scene.
The characters are almost all built with their own personalities and roles to shine on their own. The Reyes family are not only spectators to Jaime’s adventures, but are also very supportive in helping the young man become stronger. The scene of the conversation on the roof between Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) and Uncle Rudy (George Lopez) after Jaime gained the power of the scarab has touched the hearts of many people.
A superhero movie often feels epic, and Blue Beetle is no exception. The special effects are done quite well, especially in the fight scenes, never feeling rushed like in recent DC movies. The audience was overwhelmed with the super-powerful abilities that the Scarab beetle gave Jaime Reyes.
Although the film’s content is not too new, it knows how to mix humorous elements to create its own highlight. If this is the first superhero movie audiences have ever seen, Blue Beetle’s story for a character many people aren’t familiar with would be a lot more impressive.
The thing is, we’re in 2023, and there are already 32 Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and 12 DC Extended Universe movies coming out. We’ve seen nearly every possible scenario for how some random person gets superpowers. So any new movie that dares to take on an origin story needs to find a new way to tell it. Think about how Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse introduced viewers to Miles Morales in a new and exciting way.
In an age where every movie feels like it’s part of something bigger, Blue Beetle feels like it was before the idea of interconnected universes was born. Feeling that this is an indie film. Perhaps some of the details in the film will bring up a quick reference to Superman and The Flash, but when the movie is over, audiences will feel like they’ve seen a complete movie.
