I think it’s fair to say that the DC film universe has been in turmoil as of late. While appointing James Gunn and Peter Safran as joint heads of DC Films was absolutely a step in the right direction, and it’s understandable that the transition from the DCEU as we know it to their own MCU-esque plan would be rocky, it’s hard to ignore some of its most recent failures. Namely, the financial failures of both Black Adam and Shazam: Fury of the Gods, and while the titular characters have oddly never met cinematically (and, in their current iterations, likely never will), the behind the scenes drama between their respective stars, Dwayne Johnson and Zachary Levi, became a messy public affair, especially after a flustered Levi posted a video that certainly didn’t help the matter. Johnson, on the other hand, has remained uncharacteristically quiet on the matter.
While the newly renamed DCU is nonetheless moving in the right direction, it certainly needed a win in light of recent events, which it might just have in the form of its reveal trailer for Blue Beetle.
This is the first live-action film to feature the character of Blue Beetle, which was planned prior to Gunn and Safran coming onboard but they decided to integrate it into their own plans, or at least that seems to be the case for the moment (hard to know with DC these days). While we must still wait until August 18th before we can judge the movie for ourselves, the trailer, which released yesterday, has seemingly gotten the DCU hype train back on track, and for good reason.
Much like the Flash, numerous characters have taken the mantle of Blue Beetle, but this iteration will focus on Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña), which is wise not just because the superhero movie market is sorely missing Hispanic representation, but Reyes’ version also has the most badass of the Blue Beetle suits. Reyes acquires the suit through ancient alien technology called the scarab, which chooses to bond with him. What’s striking about the trailer from the get-go is how family-oriented the film appears to be thematically, even breaking from genre convention by showcasing Reyes’ initial transformation in front of his entire family, as a first-time superhero donning their suit tends to be a relatively solitary affair.
These aspects of Blue Beetle will surely offer a somewhat fresh approach to a genre that is so widespread in commercial cinema that even Gunn has recently addressed the notion of “superhero fatigue”, which can only be aided by the strong, largely Hispanic supporting cast that includes Oscar-nominated actress Adriana Barraza, veteran actor Damián Alcázar, What We Do in the Shadows’ Harvey Guillén, and Oscar-winner Susan Sarandon as the film’s villain. Despite the impressive cast, the trailer also makes it clear that there will still be some of the usual aspects that fall into typical origin story convention, but even that seems likely to be elevated from some impressively slick action choreography, such as Blue Beetle kicking a random foe in mid-air, while the final seconds of the trailer showcases the hero deftly wielding a great sword he conjured from his suit. It seems clear that its Puerto Rican director, Angel Manuel Soto, has an eye for action as well as familial drama.
There is also some notable Canadian connections in Blue Beetle, with the highly sought after Pawel Pogorzelski lending his talents as the film’s cinematographer, having previously produced acclaimed work in the Ari Aster features Hereditary and Midsommar, as well as his upcoming Joaquin Phoenix-led feature, Beau Is Afraid. The film also features Raoul Trujillo who, while an American, has a long and extensive history of working in Canadian cinema and some of its most talented filmmakers since the 1990s, including Atom Egoyan, Denys Arcand, and Denis Villeneuve, the latter of whom he has worked with on several occasions throughout the years. Trujillo plays a particularly effective villain, with his menacing role in Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto being the first to come to mind.
Blue Beetle certainly has a lot of momentum going its way right now, so here’s hoping it turns out to be another hit for DC that can help the franchise shift into a new era.