Enter the DCU. Blue Beetle has arrived. The promotion for the film may seem stilted with the cast not being able to make the press rounds due to SAG-AFTRA regulations, but perhaps a quieter pre-release circuit could mean the bar for expectations sets audiences up for a more positive experience. The buzz has primarily focused on the film being not only the first character in James Gunn’s new universe continuity with the DCU but also the first major mainstream Latino-centric superhero with a primarily Latin cast.
The film has also been predicted by box office analysts as being one that could beat the summer’s sensation, Barbie, this weekend. Blue Beetle has a certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes with a 77% critics score and a 93% audience score. Also, the film has a 61 score on Metacritic with a 6.0 user score based on 43 ratings.
Our review by Brad Hamerly gave it a less-than-lukewarm reception saying, “Blue Beetle continues the downward spiral of most live action comic book movies that have graced our screens over the past few years from both DC and Marvel. That isn’t to say that the movie is necessarily bad, it’s just that it is absolutely nothing new. Every single thing in this movie has been done before, and better.”
He adds that, “…any new movie that dares to take on an origin story needs to find a fresh way of telling that story. Think about the way Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse introduced us to Miles Morales in a new and interesting way even though we had seen that origin story done several times before or the way Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix crafted an entirely original take of one of the greatest screen villains of all time in Joker.“
However, critics do not speak for everyone, so what do you, the public, think of it? Is it a good start to the DCU? Is it entertaining? Does it have potential in the future? Sound off below!