Blue Beetle

Possibly the most generic and unimaginative movie I've seen.

The family and culture representation here raised this above average for me. The plot is very basic storytelling at this point, it isn’t free of the tropes or predictability, but it is mostly well acted and I’m very content with the action and casting for Jaime Reyes as a Blue Beetle fan. I liked the characters and I like what they did with Carapax and how everything came full circle for everyone. It’s a great time at the movies, even if it doesn’t reinvent the comic book movie formula.

Starts off well with some good "Ant-Man"-esque Latin family humour. But it quickly devolves into standard superhero fare, and its budget feels like Arrowverse TV quality or a Disney Channel movie, not this giant IMAX screen. The pretty-faced lead certainly lacks the charisma, charm, or comic timing of Paul Rudd. But easily worst is Susan Sarandon's character "Paycheck McGee". The Cypress Hill needle drop brought a smile at least. Worst movie of 2023?

At this point, asking for originality in a superhero movie is perhaps unfair, but this being lifted shot for shot, almost line for line, from an assortment of other movies is just lazy. Doesn't help that the lead doesn't have an ounce of charisma and screen presence.

This is a lazy movie with uninteresting non-characters, a plot that makes no sense at all, and a whole bunch of speeches stuffed with empty platitudes standing in for actual relationships between the characters. I didn't exactly hate watching this film, but I really felt should have given how utterly stupid it assumed I must be.