Blue Beetle (3½ Stars)

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I had no idea what this film was about when I first saw it advertised. Then I read that Blue Beetle is a DC super-hero. Curioser and curioser. I'd never heard of him. So I searched online and found that he was created by Steve Ditko in 1939. So how come I'd never heard of him? Finally it became clear. Blue Beetle's adventures were published in Charlton Comics, a company whose comics I never read. Charlton was bought by DC in the 1980's, and Blue Beetle first appeared in DC comics in 1986. By that time I'd long given up reading DC, so there was no way for me to know him.

I was surprised to find that the cinema was almost sold out. There were only two seats left in the front row. None of the recent DC films have been so popular, not even "The Flash" or "The Batman". I asked a friend who works at the cinema, and he told me that "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" (collectively called "Barbenheimer") have given cinemas a kickstart. Cinema attendance slumped as a result of the Corona pandemic, and apart from occasional blockbusters the audiences stayed at home. Ever since the Barbenheimer phenomenon things have gone back to normal.

It was an interesting audience, almost entirely youngsters, from 15 to 25. It was a rowdy audience. There was a lot of noise while the trailers were being shown, and some were still talking when the film started. I turned round and glared critically a few times.

The film is about Jaime Reyes, a 22-year-old Mexican boy who's possessed by a blue scarab, an alien artefact that builds a symbiotic relationship with him. If the Blue Beetle weren't such an old character, I'd say he's a Venom rip off. The alien is called Khaji-Da and talks in Jaime's head, sometimes giving him advice, sometimes taking complete control of his body.

A lot of the film is slap-stick. It's too much comedy for my taste. It's noticeable the film has no famous actors, with the exception of Susan Sarandon, and I wouldn't include her because her career has withered away in the last 20 years. Obviously DC didn't want to invest too much. I've read that "Blue Beetle" was originally intended to be released straight-to-streaming, but it was decided to give it a theatrical release at short notice. Based on the full cinema, it was the right choice. I wasn't overly impressed, but at least it's better than "The Flash".