Blue Beetle (2023)

I'm not going to try to convince you all that you need to give Blue Beetle a watch because it's a different kind of superhero movie, and I'm not going to make ridiculous claims about it being a reinvention of the many other movies we've already had from Marvel and DC in recent years, but I am going to go to bat for it. It follows a standard formula, granted, but it actually feels like something fresh and energetic at a time when other films in the same wheelhouse all started to stagnate.

Xolo Maridueña is Jaime Reyes, a young man who ends up becoming inextricably entwined with an alien scarab entity/device that gives him superhuman powers. His family all try to help him get the hang of things, but that becomes a lot trickier when Jaime is hunted down by the powerful Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon), and her main henchman, Carapax (Raoul Max Trujillo). There's also the presence of Jenny Kord (Bruna Marquezine), the woman who actually caused the scarab to end up on Jaime in the first place, which allows for a potential blossoming romance amidst the expected action beats.

Directed by Ángel Manuel Soto and written by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, this shows what can happen when you don't throw a team of people on to one project, having them all trying to put extra ideas in the mix and running the risk of too many cooks spoiling a recipe. Soto and Dunnet-Alcocer know what they need to do, and they also know how to make the most of their opportunity to depict some Latinx representation in blockbuster fare. The Reyes family (parents, uncle, sister, etc) bring their own unique perspective to the unfolding events, and the strength of their familial bonds becomes a major strength for our hero. The life lessons here are obvious, but they're no less enjoyable, and come as something of a relief after seeing so many features in which a hero has to sacrifice parts of his life in order to be a saviour of the people.

Maridueña is a really good lead, easy to like and easy to be amused by as he tries to get to grips with his new powers. I know he's been in other things before this, but this might be my first time seeing him onscreen. I'll happily look out for him in anything else. Marquezine is also very good, pairing up nicely with our lead, but the real delights come from those playing the rest of the Reyes family. George Lopez is as much fun as you'd expect, Belissa Escobedo is the typical fun/annoying sibling, and Damián Alcázar, Elpidia Carrillo, and Adriana Barraza are a perfect fit for their respective roles. Sarandon is a very entertaining villain, Trujillo delivers physical menace for almost every minute that he's onscreen, and there's also room for Harvey Guillén to show his face in an enjoyable cameo.

The special effects are consistently excellent, the score (by Bobby Krlic AKA The Haxan Cloak) is fantastic, and the soundtrack is full of great choices, not least of which is the use of a Cypress Hill hit accompanying a satisfying action sequence in the big finale. Pawel Pogorzelski delivers clear and beautiful cinematography that keeps the whole thing more colourful and visually appealing than the majority of the DC films that tried to stay more in line with the "Snyder-verse" portfolio, and there's something to be said about the joy of watching someone fighting against enemies who aren't threatening to destroy Earth. Blue Beetle has his own life threatened, as well as the lives of his loved ones. That's more than enough to motivate him to keep battling against overwhelming odds. Sometimes a whole world isn't the planet that we live on. Sometimes a whole world is made up of the friends and family around you.

This deserved much better than the fairly lukewarm reception it received, although I know the other factors that all contributed to the unfortunate situation. Do yourself a favour and check it out now. You don't need to have swallowed a whole encyclopedia of comic book characters, you don't need to worry about spotting connections to any other movies, and you can just enjoy an excellent standalone superhero story with characters who actually feel like real human beings, even when surrounded by all of the special effects and advanced tech on display.

8/10

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Companion (2025)

It can be very frustrating when a film comes along that a lot of people start praising, but also advising everyone to see before finding out anything about it. They tell you that there are some good twists and turns, and one or two are even given away in a trailer that should be avoided at all costs. So you end up trusting people you generally tend to share movie opinions with. That worked out well for me with Companion, but it could have been a different story.

Sophie Thatcher is Iris, the titular companion, accompanying Josh (Jack Quaid) for some time away with his friends. There's Kat (Megan Suri), Eli and Patrick (played by Harvey Guillén), and a gregarious Russian named Sergey (Rupert Friend) who made his fortune by getting his hands dirty. This isn't just a cheery get together for some friends though. There's a plan to make themselves quite wealthy. Iris is a very important part of the plan, but she doesn't know that yet.

The first feature written and directed by Drew Hancock, the important thing to clarify about Companion is that, contrary to how some people might have you believe, it's not a horror movie. I know that genre labels are flexible things anyway, and various individuals can have various interpretations, but I wouldn't like people to come away from a viewing of this feeling disappointed just because it ends up being something it never intended to be anyway. This is a subversive neo-noir with a fine vein of dark humour running all the way through it and some sci-fi touches to help it feel a step away from the many other movies it comes closest to. Hancock makes use of some cool tech to move the plot along, and the construction of the screenplay allows him to deftly hop around a number of interesting and timely thematic strands.

All of the cast do great work, but it's worth highlighting Thatcher, Quaid, and Gage, all excelling in different ways. All of them get to present more range than expected, and they all add to the fun and escalating craziness in different ways. And, yes, to say any more than that might spoil things for anyone yet to see the film, which means I have to join the ranks of people being frustratingly vague about the whole thing. Suffice it to say that Thatcher moves from passive to very non-passive, Gage likewise, and Quaid knows how to twist his sweet nature and megawatt smile into the all-too-familiar "nice guy" who genuinely believes that he is a nice guy, even as his actions start to contradict that description.

A film more about the dialogue and ideas than any gorgeous visuals or major set-pieces, although there are a number of shots that are impressively composed, Companion is smart and witty throughout, and it makes great use of some potential near-future tech to put a new coat of paint on some refurbished classic furniture. As long as you're not too squeamish when it comes to the occasional moments of bloodshed, this is fun, fun, fun. And, yes, you should see it before you find out too much about it.

8/10

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Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

I may be out of the loop, but I didn’t think people were crying out for another Puss In Boots movie. Mind you, I didn’t think people were crying out for the first Puss In Boots movie, or a fourth Shrek movie, both released over a decade ago, so what do I know? Not a lot, that’s for sure. 

Despite this film feeling completely unnecessary, I figured I might enjoy it. The character IS fun, the voice cast could work well, and I wanted something light and pretty to watch for a while. In that regard, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish seemed to fit the bill.

The story is enjoyably simple, although more characters are added in the mix to ensure that it stays busy. Puss (Antonio Banderas, once again being a perfect fit for the role) realises that he is on his ninth, and final, life. This makes him very afraid, which leads to him sheltering in a home full of normal house cats (and one small dog, Perrito, voiced by Harvey Guillén). But there’s a chance for Puss to get more lives, if he can find his way to a fallen star that will grant someone one wish. That means snatching a map from Jack Horner (John Mulaney), staying ahead of Goldilocks (Florence Pugh) and the three bears, and potentially pairing up with, or competing against, Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek Pinault).

Written by Paul Fisher and Tommy Swerdlow, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish is a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I actually prefer it to the first movie, because it feels as if it focuses on the central characters and themes more than twisting classic nursery rhyme moments into punchlines. Taking away the natural bravura of Puss puts him on the obvious journey of finding it again, which makes him more interesting (although he has always been entertaining enough).

Directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado do well, packing the first act with most of the better jokes before allowing things to balance out on the way to a third act that plays out as you expect. There’s also a LOT of positive messaging going on in the script, and Crawford and Mercado wrap that up in a way that saves it from being sickeningly sweet or tiresome. It’s an excellent bit of family entertainment.

Banderas, Pinault, and Guillén are an enjoyable trio to spend time with, and both Mulaney and Pugh seem to be having a lot of fun in their roles, the latter conversing with bears voiced by Ray Winstone, Olivia Colman, and Samson Kayo. The fact that I am not having to reel off a list of more celebrity names, cameos crammed in for the sake of having cameos, is also a plus. There are some other supporting characters who add to the fun, but this is all about our leads, and the characters pursuing them.

I am still not convinced that this was necessary, or wanted. I guess children of the perfect viewing age may have been watching the previous adventures of Puss In Boots at home, although many might see this first (it works well enough as a stand-alone film) and then work backwards from it. I’m glad it was done though. I liked it well enough, anyone else liking it is just a bonus.

7/10

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Werewolves Within (2021)

A lot of people had mentioned Werewolves Within over the past few weeks so I was keen to see it. I like werewolf movies, I like a good comedy horror, I figured this would be an easy one for me to enjoy. It turned out not to be as easy as I first thought. I didn't actively dislike this film at any point, the main cast members are too likeable or fun to keep that from happening, but it wasn't ever that good. It's not that funny, and the lycanthropy is barely a part of the film. It's as if far too many people have still to discover the superb Game Of Werewolves. Or even the more recent The Wolf Of Snow Hollow.

But let's focus on this film anyway, which is the one I am reviewing today. Sam Richardson plays Finn Wheeler, a forest ranger who has been posted to the small town of Beaverfield. The town is currently divided by the people who support a pipeline being proposed by a local businessman and those against it. Meeting a postal worker, Cecily (played by Milana Vayntrub), Finn gets to accompany her on her round as she introduces him to the various residents. It's not long until a dangerous secret is revealed, and Finn is tasked with trying to keep people calm and find out what is damaging generators and looking to potentially kill people. The signs all point to a werewolf, but there's a chance that it is just one of the more eccentric locals having dived headlong into murderous madness.

Richardson and Vayntrub are both excellent in their roles here. The former has already stolen a few scenes in a couple of movies from the past year or so, the latter isn't someone I can say I have spotted in any other movies, but I'll look forward to seeing her in more after enjoying her work here. Everyone else does great work, even if I'm not going to namecheck them all here. Definite highlights include Catherine Curtin as Jeanine Sherman, the woman who owns the hotel that Finn is staying at, Wayne Duvall as the businessman, Sam Parker, and Glenn Fleshler as the gun-toting, unfriendly, Emerson.

Written by Mishna Wolff, making her feature-writing debut with a videogame adaptation that certainly doesn't feel constrained by that remit (although I am not familiar with the actual game itself), Werewolves Within is generally an amiable experience. That's about all I can say about it. The direction from Josh Ruben, who also gave horror fans the much-liked Scare Me (liked by a group of people that would not include me among them), does everything required without ever taking the material up a notch. None of the comedy is mined for bigger laughs, none of the few horror moments are made as horrific as they could be, and I found it impossible to ever really care about the mystery element. The majority of the film may be trying to create a The Beast Must Die guessing game, but what's the point in crafting that kind of curio piece if you don't even provide an updated "werewolf break"? 

Maybe people enjoy this more when they also have the game as a reference point, so feel free to add a point or two if you fall into that category, but I kept waiting for this to deliver something . . . more. It's pleasant enough for the duration, and doesn't run too long, but it's a shame that it wasn't tweaked to increase the comedy, the frights, or both. Still one to recommend, tentatively, thanks to the sterling work of everyone in the cast.

6/10

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