Blue Beetle (2023) review

Recent Gotham Law University graduate Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) returns home to his family in Palmera City and learns they might lose their house, so he has a chance encounter with Jenny (Bruna Marquezine), daughter of the late inventor Ted Kord, who offers him a job and then comes into contact with a blue scarab that latches onto him and turns him into a superhero ... but industrialist Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon) wants the device back.   The influences are quite apparent (video games, anime, Marvel releases like Iron Man and Spider-Man) and the pleas for sympathy are egregious - a comic book movie is not exactly the proper vehicle to use to address larger issues with the Latino community (although it's true that representation is important).  There aren't many positives here, but Maridueña is solid as the fresh-faced and spunky lead - he's one of the stars of the cheesy Netflix show Cobra Kai - and it's good to see Ms. Sarandon playing against type as an evil businesswoman.