In Blue Beetle, the latest superhero film in a business suffocated with superhero products of every kind, a young, likeable kid gains powers far beyond those of mortal men, courtesy an advanced alien power-suit.

The origins of these superpowers, save for the cool, ambiguous, animated title credits, are left to explore for another sequel — that is, if the film is successful enough to make sequels.

The story instead focuses on a young man, his quirky family, his to-be kickass rebel girlfriend, and the voice-activated suit that gives him powers. The villains are corporate big-wigs who are eagerly rubbing their grubby mitts, waiting to exploit the alien-tech. So, yes, it’s a likely story that we’ve seen before.

Blue Beetle is inoffensive, forgettable fodder that looks like what the cartoon Ben 10 would have been, if it were made as a theatrically released, expensive feature film. In a way, you could call it a made for television movie, that’s a cross between a poor man’s Iron Man, the first Ant-Man and Shazam!

References to Marvel movies for a DC product are mean, but they can’t be helped. There’s little Marvel hasn’t plundered to the point of routineness. The superhero films we see today have turned into the boring friend that doesn’t get the hint to leave the party — irrespective of how much fun trivia he remembers.

Blue Beetle is a cross between a poor man’s Iron Man, the fi rst Ant-Man and Shazam

Speaking of which: bits of trivia run aplenty in Blue Beetle, and they’re fun to spot if you are into comics since the 1980s. Today’s youth can just go to Wikipedia to get up to speed.

We learn that Ted Kord, an eccentric genius and the second holder of the Blue Beetle title, was indeed a superhero for years, until he disappeared. Getting a hold of the alien tech, which takes the form of a blue Scarab, we learn that the tech never really opened up for him, so instead he uses his genius to craft a Blue Beetle persona and save the world.

Years later, Jamie Reyes (Xolo Maridueña), a young Latin-American kid, brimming with aspirations, is handed the Scarab in a lunchbox by Jenny (Bruna Marquezine), the daughter, and eventual heir of the Kord empire. The Scarab bonds with the young boy, giving him access to create fantastic weapons that are limited only by his imagination.

Since it is cool to include gung-ho family bond aspects in movies — Vin Diesel/Fast and Furious films: what atrocity you committed! — Blue Beetle sees Jamie’s family get a piece of the action. This includes a granny with a futuristic-laser gun (the cast includes George Lopez, who overacts along with everyone else).

The corporate villain, Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon), also stems from the family; she is Ted Kord’s sister. Her bodyguard, Ignacio Carapax (Raoul Trujillo), is the manipulated guinea pig for an off-shoot, low-end version of the Scarab technology called OMAC. The words mean a lot for comic-book readers; as far as the film goes, these surface-level mentions suffice in what is a surface-level film.

Blue Bettle has a U (Universal) certificate, suitable for families, meaning families can go together to watch other, super-power endowed families duke it out on the screen. The film is playing in cinemas across Pakistan

Published in Dawn, ICON, August 27th, 2023