9/9/23 - Blue Beetle (2023) - 5-/10

A charming beginning that quickly devolves in the final third into generic uninteresting. 

The family hijinks are too much and overdone, but it is the spirit of familia that it intends and I guess that is appreciated. I do like that it is somewhere other than the standard America, the idea of thrust of another culture was a fun idea, but I don’t think they really utilized it to its fullest. 

It plays at being a little conspiratorial and even a little horror inside this science fiction parable/comic book adventure, which is almost something. It’s…fine. Kind of fun but maybe slightly annoying. The family using their own come upon tech, along with hair metal needle drop, was meh.

Really, I get so tired of the CGI beatemups. It has no weight and it kills all the drama. Especially in this Iron Man final battle rip off. I get so tired of the “anger unlocks the power to win” narrative. It’s hacky, when the rest of the film is uninspiring. That is a trope that you have to earn. This love equates to anger at their loss/pain did not.

I also have big problems with some computer code unlocking a sentient alien superweapon, giving a red vs blue, cyber suit. The tech isn’t equivalent and doesn’t make sense. In fact, most of the tech here doesn’t make sense. 

It's just fun-ish or whatever, but it mostly lacks that which would propel the film. It is also a problem when we actually get more of the fascination in the life of our antagonist - from child to final boss, a life of pain and torture and loss - molded and maimed into a mercenary. Now that is a story that had me intrigued, not this 2nd tier super teen gloop that is “ok” at best.