Overview: Recent college grad Jaime Reyes 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 in the world, 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 armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the Super Hero Blue Beetle.

4K UHD Blu-ray Verdict: Prepare for the action-packed, modern origin story that takes a fresh, fun look at the Super Hero genre in a can’t-miss spectacle of vibrant visuals, humor and heart when “Blue Beetle” arrives for purchase Digitally at home on September 26th, 2023.

The film is directed by Ángel Manuel Soto (“Charm City Kings”) with Xolo Maridueña (“Cobra Kai”) starring in the DC Super Hero’s first-ever standalone feature film. The film will also be available to purchase on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD on October 31st, 2023.

Warner Bros. Entertainment is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the highly-anticipated Blue Beetle in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this October 31st, 2023.

For my money, this Blue Beetle [4K UHD+BR+Digital] combo pack sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have is Blue Beetle presented to us as a two-disc combo pack with a sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265, Resolution: Native 4K (2160p), HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10, Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 and Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1.

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

Noticeably crisp with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, what is more is that it is enjoyably noticeable. For as well as some new nuances to the somewhat drab palette courtesy of Dolby Vision, we also get to witness sudden bright pops of color, which makes the eyes draw in, for sure.

Some of those moments being, well, let’s call the first one First Flight! As soon as the Scarab attaches to Jaime Reyes, it takes off to test out its systems and the new host. The scene is filled with comedy as Jaime is freaking out about everything he is being put through, including going to space, flying through the city, and cutting a bus in half. The scene draws parallels to Tony Stark testing out his armor in Iron Man or Peter Parker learning about his new abilities in 2002’s Spider-Man. It is a joyous scene that superhero films often don’t do anymore.

Another scene we shall call Anything You Can Imagine, I Can Create! The line is notable in the trailer, but the moment in the movie is somehow even better. Jaime Reyes realizes he can get more creative with the weapons that he can make and makes a giant sword, similar to Cloud in Final Fantasy. From there, the action in Blue Beetle really ramps up into an epic. The large-scale power suits clashing various weapons and energy blast brings to mind a big-budget super sentai story brought to the big screen!

As for the audio, well we get the choice of: English: Dolby Atmos, English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), English: Dolby Digital 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 and Audio descriptive.

Overall, this is a very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentation, and, for the most part, the audio track remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.

As for the story to hand, well, I would say DC is back, but it’s been back! What I will say is welcome new DCU! Blue Beetle certainly won’t be looked back at like Iron Man is in the MCU, but this was a pretty damn good start for the new DCU. Yes, I know he’s technically just the first character in the DCU and the first DCU movie will be Superman, but you know what I mean.

DC is in great hands, no matter what the Zack Snyder Twitter fiends will tell you. There is so much to like about Blue Beetle. Apart from having to deal with a rambunctious sibling sitting next to me, I had such a fun time watching this movie develop. I was fully expecting this to be a trailer movie, but I was pleasantly surprised by the high quality plot points added to what we got with the trailer.

George Lopez had me worried that it was going to be stupid funny, but it ended up actually just being funny-funny. His character was a massive highlight for this film, and the theme of family was surprisingly strong. It was basically Spider-Man meets Ant-Man meets Iron Man meets Shang-Chi meets Ms. Marvel, with its own flavor as well. It was action packed and extremely entertaining from start to finish.

All I could think the entire time I was watching the movie was how much more likable of a person Xolo Maridueña is than Ezra Miller. I love his energy and he seems like a genuinely good soul, with the acting talent to back it up. I am so happy he was chosen to play Blue Beetle, and I’m super excited to see what they do with his character moving forward. His chemistry with Bruna Marquezine made her character so much more likable, and they are two beautiful-looking human beings.

I love what they did with the connection of Jamie to his father. That moment they share when he is getting his powers back was very powerful. Also, does DC know how to do character design or what? Their villain design has always been top tier, but their skill to craft a hero and villain that mesh so well together like Jamie and Carapax do was impressive. Their battles were colorful and visually stunning to watch. Would’ve liked to see some foreshadowing for future DCU projects in the post credit scenes, but completely understand that it’s still too early on.

The concept of Blue Beetle is awesome. I wasn’t a massive fan of how long it took for him to embrace his powers, but I was kept entertained while it was happening by how funny it was. Now that he has fully embraced his powers and his role moving forward, we now get to explore the idea of having a superhero who wears armor that literally protects him from dying, heals him from any wound, and can generate any weapon that he imagines!

Not only that, but it sounds like Jenny’s father will be coming back, who was the original Blue Beetle. Of all the new superheroes they could’ve made movies about, I’m glad they chose something as cool as Blue Beetle. As always, people are going to complain and complain and complain, especially since it will be DC fans, but I absolutely loved this kickoff to the DCU. Also, María la del Barrio??? I used to watch that all the time growing up when we were in Spanish class!

Blue Beetle 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray disc contains the following previously released special features:
“Generations: Blue Beetle” – 4-part documentary
Told in distinct chapters, explore the journeys of actors and filmmakers bringing “Blue Beetle” to the big screen for the first time ever. Audiences will be immersed in the POV of filmmakers who showcase their experiences on set and in their creative studios making the story of this DC character a reality.
Nana Knows Best – featurette
Witness Nana’s transformation from an adorable abuelita into a machine gun-wielding revolutionary and stop in for a few of her most fun moments on set throughout production.
Scarab Vision – 2-part featurette
Xolo Maridueña hosts this series of scene study walk throughs that showcases how the scarab works and the role it plays in some of Blue Beetle’s most epic moments.

On October 31st, 2023, “Blue Beetle” will be available to own on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD. “Blue Beetle” will also continue to be available to own in high definition and standard definition from participating digital retailers.

Blue Beetle | Official Final Trailer | Warner Bros. Entertainment