21 Aug The Blue Beetle Is What We’ve Been Waiting For–Representation!
By Marsha Mitchell
Senior Communications Director
Several CoCo staff members had the opportunity to preview The Blue Beetle, and we loved it! ” What’s the story: Jaime Reyes,” a Mexican-American teenager, finds a mysterious robotic scarab that fuses with his spine and allows him to summon a powerful suit of armor. Comedy and action ensue as he learns to navigate his new reality.
The film assembles a primarily Latino cast and stars Xolo Maridueña, Bruna Marquezine, Yuli Zorilla, Raoul Max Trujillo, Gabriella Ortiz, comedy titan George Lopez, Harvey Guillén as well as Susan Sarandon as the villainess. Of course, The Blue Beetle has all of the shininess of a DC Studios movie, but what’s even better is the movie’s heart. The story centers on a loving intergenerational family, their community, and representation—which, as we all know, matters.
“One of the things we wanted to do with the cast was to be as authentic as possible. We wanted to tap into almost three generations. We wanted to see the first immigrant family,” director Angel Manuel Soto explained. “Not the Hallmark cookie-cutter Latinos. Something that feels like, ‘Yeah. That’s my uncle. I can totally relate to those [characters].'”
Blue Beetle is DC’s first Latinx hero to get a feature film, and the director, writer, and nearly all the cast are Latinx as well. Seeing audience goers double over in laughter was an added bonus, as old-school cultural media references helped move the storyline along. The Blue Beetle opened on August 18th and will undoubtedly become a DC Universe fan-favorite.
“If we want to see more variety and celebrate differences, celebrate culture, celebrate other worlds because it’s fun. The lores are so spectacular. The only way is by supporting movies. Supporting a movie like this,” Soto stated in a recent interview.
It is a fun-filled movie-going experience that’s definitely worth the price of admission.
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