“Blue Beetle” will begin streaming on Max on Friday. The Warner Bros. movie features the first live-action superhero with a Latino lead, played by Xolo Maridueña.
Directed by Ángel Manuel Soto, “Blue Beetle” tells the story of Jaime Reyes, a recent college graduate who is chosen by an alien biotech relic that gives him superpowers.
In the film, Reyes faces challenges after graduating from college: His family is losing its home, and he is pushed to work a service job.
The film emphasizes a working-class Latino experience.
‘None of us are as strong as all of us.’ Xolo Maridueña’s family, friends rally behind ‘Blue Beetle’
Xolo Maridueña can’t promote ‘Blue Beetle’ because of the Hollywood labor dispute. But his family, friends and Latino community groups are spreading the word.
Soto, who is Puerto Rican, revealed the importance of telling Latino stories on the big screen in an interview with De Los.
“For me, it was very important to finally have a hero that lives like we do, that experiences life closer to the way we experience life,” Soto said.
Soto considers Blue Beetle a “hero of the proletariat.”
From “El Chapulín Colorado” to “Sabado Gigante,” here’s a short list of TV and movie references featured in “Blue Beetle.”
”... We can finally have somebody who gets us. Not the whole idea of waiting for Godot,” Soto said.
The Warner Bros. movie received largely positive reviews.
Despite positive feedback for the film, it was released Aug. 18, during the writers’ and actors’ strikes, leading to a debut of $25.4 million.
‘Blue Beetle’ director Angel Manuel Soto talks about the movie’s Latinx roots, its music and the ongoing strikes.
However “soft” its start was considered, it still managed to dethrone the “Barbie” movie’s four-week streak for the No.1 spot at the box office.
The film also features a predominantly Latino cast, including Bruna Marquezine, George Lopez, Raoul Max Trujillo, Adriana Barraza, Elpidia Carrillo, Damián Alcázar and Belissa Escobedo.
