Starring: Xolo Maridueña, Bruna Marquezine, Belissa Escobedo, Susan Sarandon, George Lopez, Adriana Barraza, Damían Alcázar, Elpidia Carrillo, Raoul Max Trujillo, Belissa Escobedo, Harvey Guillén
OUR RATING: ★★★☆☆
Story:
Superhero action adventure based on characters from DC, directed by Angel Manuel Soto. Blue Beetle (2023) centers on recent college grad Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña), who returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology, the Scarab. When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of blue armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny.
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Best Quotes
Jaime Reyes: [as he puts on his graduation cap] Excuse me, sir? How do I look?
Old Man in Airport: Like you’re six figures in debt.
Alberto Reyes: [to Milagro] Even good news sounds like bad news when you deliver it.
Milagro Reyes: You always land on your feet, bro. You’re “Jaime”.
Jaime Reyes: Thank you. But this wasn’t how it was supposed to happen, Mili.
Milagro Reyes: What was supposed to happen?
Jaime Reyes: I was supposed to make it out. I was supposed to get all of us out of here.
Milagro Reyes: Thanks, bro, but I like the Keys.
Jaime Reyes: You know what I meant.
Jaime Reyes: Doesn’t it bother you that they talk about progress and get everything, while we have to sit here and go broke?
Milagro Reyes: You’re a Mexican in Edge Keys, carnal. That progress is not for us. Okay? The poor go over here, and the rich go over there, until the rich want to be here and push us out. We used to have the other side of the tracks, and now they want that too.
Jaime Reyes: I’ll get a job. Not just any job, but a prime job. Yeah, I’m going to get the money to save this place. Don’t look at me at like that. Look, Mili, I’m telling you, in five years, we’re going to be rolling in it. This is just going to be one of our houses. We’re going to have the mansion on the water with the marble everywhere, infinity pool. Yeah, just watch, Mili. Just watch.
Milagro Reyes: Excuse me, Mister Reyes? You finish scraping the gum off that lounger or what?
Jaime Reyes: This is bulls**t.
Milagro Reyes: Wow. “Thanks, Milagro, for hooking me up with this gig.” It’s not my fault your future didn’t turn out the way you wanted.
Jaime Reyes: How am I supposed to get experience when nobody’s going to give me a job?
Milagro Reyes: Sounds like a “you” problem.
Jaime Reyes: Seriously?
Milagro Reyes: What? I’m keeping us employed, you noob!
Jaime Reyes: There goes Victoria Kord.
Milagro Reyes: Look at that walk. She’s kind of sexy in like a Cruella Kardashian sort of way.
Milagro Reyes: [referring to Victoria] We’re invisible to people like that, Jaime. It’s like our superpower.
'We're on a journey. Everything. They're just a stop in the journey. But this isn't the destination.' - Alberto Reyes (Blue Beetle) Click To Tweet
Jaime Reyes: Where are we going?
Milagro Reyes: Got to take a s**t, bro. Need you to be a lookout.
Jaime Reyes: Wait, but the service restrooms are out there.
Milagro Reyes: Yeah, and I deserve a luxury dump right now, alright?
Jaime Reyes: [referring to Victoria] What a d**k, right?
Milagro Reyes: She’s a Kord. They’re all d**ks.
Jenny Kord: Jenny Kord. We’re not all d**ks.
Milagro Reyes: [to Jaime, referring to Jenny] She took one look at your young Mexican a**, hero-of-the-moment vibe and was into it. Hey, you know what? Maybe she’ll pull you out of poverty like Maria la del Barrio. Except, she’s the rich white dude and you’re the Maria!
Jaime Reyes: It’s just everything right now feels so out of reach, and I feel like I failed you guys.
Alberto Reyes: We’re on a journey, Jaime. This house, the nopales, el auto shop. Everything. They’re just a stop in the journey. But this isn’t the destination.
Jaime Reyes: And what is it?
Alberto Reyes: I don’t know. What’s important is that we go on this journey together. Things don’t last. La familia, that’s forever. That lasts.
Alberto Reyes: Everyone has a purpose. You just haven’t found yours.
Jaime Reyes: So what’s your purpose then?
Alberto Reyes: I’m still searching too. But right now, it’s this. Talking to you, right here.
'Things don't last. La familia, that's forever. That lasts.' - Alberto Reyes (Blue Beetle) Click To Tweet
Rocio Reyes: [as Jaime shows up at Kord Tower for a job] You’re going to be okay, flaquito. You belong here.
Rudy Reyes: Yeah, cabezon. You look like an a**hole just like everybody else here.
Jenny Kord: You said you’d do anything, right?
Jaime Reyes: Yeah. Basically, anything.
Jenny Kord: [gives Jaime the Scarab hidden inside a burger box] Here. Guard that with your life. But do not open it. Do not touch it! Don’t even look at it!
Jaime Reyes: Okay. I’m just going to guard it with my life.
Jenny Kord: Yeah, you’re a quick learner.
Milagro Reyes: So, you went in to get us jobs, and all you brought back was a hamburger?
Jaime Reyes: Okay. I don’t think it’s a burger.
Milagro Reyes: You haven’t looked?
Jaime Reyes: She said not to open it.
Alberto Reyes: [after opening the box to reveal the Scarab which looks like a blue beetle] Why was she hiding it?
Jaime Reyes: I don’t know.
Milagro Reyes: It’s kind of a letdown.
Rudy Reyes: The world’s biggest tick.
'We're resilient people. Life will continue to hit us with curve balls, and the difference is, when we get hit, we get stronger.' - Rudy Reyes (Blue Beetle) Click To Tweet
Milagro Reyes: [referring to the Scarab] How did you get it to do that?
Jaime Reyes: I don’t know. Ama. I think it likes me.
Jaime Reyes: [as the Scarab jumps onto his face] What the hell! It doesn’t like me!
Rudy Reyes: Jaime, it’s on your face! It’s on your face!
Jaime Reyes: Get it off!
Jaime Reyes: [referring to the Scarab] Oh, my God! It’s inside of me!
Milagro Reyes: Inside you? How?
Rudy Reyes: [in Spanish] It went up his a**!
Khaji-Da: Host acquired.
Jaime Reyes: Who said that?
Khaji-Da: System configuration initializing.
Jaime Reyes: [to his family] Wait. You don’t hear that?
Rudy Reyes: Don’t look at him in the eyes.
Jaime Reyes: Oh, man, I’m in space.
Jaime Reyes: [to Khaji-Da] Listen to me! You’ve got the wrong guy! I swear! I’m a nobody!
'That love that I have for my family, that's what makes me strong.' - Jaime Reyes (Blue Beetle) Click To Tweet
Jaime Reyes: Why are you doing this to me?
Khaji-Da: Host overreacting.
Jaime Reyes: Overreacting? You kidnapped me!
Rocio Reyes: [over phone] Let me explain that again. He’s technically not a missing person, but he is missing. But also, he is…
Rudy Reyes: Possessed!
Rudy Reyes: Hey, Jaime, keep that blanket now that it touched your chorizo.
Jaime Reyes: [to himself] What is going on? You can’t fly. You can’t fly. Superman can fly.
'Everyone has a purpose.' - Alberto Reyes (Blue Beetle) Click To Tweet
Rocio Reyes: Jaime, what happened? Where did you go?
Jaime Reyes: Ama, I don’t know. I think I cut a bus in half.
Rocio Reyes: Cut what?
Jaime Reyes: And then, and flew into orbit.
Rudy Reyes: What do you think Kord’s going to do when they figure out that some Mexican kid has that type of military tech inside of him? They’re going to lock his a** up. And then they’re going to wipe our minds, so that we don’t tell anybody. And it’s not like the government isn’t used to locking up Mexicans anyways. I mean, this is sci-fi s**t. This is CIA. This is Area 51!
Jaime Reyes: [referring to Jenny] Besides, what if she’s in danger?
Rocio Reyes: What if she’s in danger? Jaime, you flew out of the roof.
Jaime Reyes: You don’t understand.
Rudy Reyes: He’s into her.
Milagro Reyes: Oh, he totally is.
Jaime Reyes: [referring to the Scarab embedded in his back] So itchy, this thing.
Rudy Reyes: What are you doing here? Thinking about turning our house into a nuclear power plant? I went swimming out there by where your family has that company. My testicles are seven times their normal size. Shouldn’t you be pillaging cobalt from some developing country or something, Jenny?
Milagro Reyes: [as they see the Scarab embedded in Jaime’s back] Oh, I forgot how bad it looks.
Nana Reyes: [in Spanish] Gross! Cover that up!
Rocio Reyes: No. It doesn’t look that bad.
Rudy Reyes: I’ve seen worse.
Milagro Reyes: Where?
Rudy Reyes: You don’t want to know.
Jaime Reyes: What the hell is this thing?
Jenny Kord: It’s called the Scarab. It was given to my dad when I was a kid. It’s some of kind of world-destroying weapon.
Jaime Reyes: Oh, that’s nice.
Milagro Reyes: Did you know what was going to happen to my brother, when you stuck him with this world-destroying thing?
Jenny Kord: No. I swear to you, I had no idea this would happen. My father said it can’t be activated by just any person. It has to choose you. So I’m guessing it’s chosen you.
Rudy Reyes: No more blind dates.
Jaime Reyes: Okay. So, how do we get it to unchoose me?
Alberto Reyes: Come on, we are the Reyes. We’ve dealt with harder things.
Rudy Reyes: We have?
Jenny Kord: To be honest, I didn’t think the Chapulin would work.
Jaime Reyes: Yeah, that’s Rudy. He’s like the Mexican Doc Brown.
Jenny Kord: No kidding.
Jaime Reyes: [referring to Carapax] Let me talk to him.
Khaji-Da: Verbal communication is ill-advised in a combat scenario.
