Elijah Williams
The director of Blue Beetle, Angel Manuel Soto, delved deep into the themes of family that run through the veins of the DC movie.
During an interview with ComingSoon, Soto touched upon the importance of family in the film. Throughout Blue Beetle, the protagonist Jaime Reyes draws strength from his close-knit family and loved ones. The director highlighted that this theme, which sets it apart from many other superhero stories that revolve around hiding one’s true identity, stems from his own personal experiences and cultural background.
“We’ve come to adore many of these exciting movies, and while the tropes are present, they have always been centered around individuality,” Soto explained. “And that’s not necessarily a negative thing. The idea of keeping your identity a secret is to protect the ones you love, so there’s a valid reason for its existence. However, there’s another side to the story that, for us at least, growing up in our communities, we wouldn’t be where we are today without the support of those who came before us. It was our ancestors, our parents, our family, and our communities that paved the way for us to be safe and pursue our dreams because they genuinely care.”
“That’s our experience. In my community, if something were to happen to your father — God forbid — you would have a place to stay, food to eat, and work to support yourself, all thanks to the people around you. For me, it was a question of how can we celebrate one of the many things that make our community special by including family as an integral part of what makes a hero? We didn’t want them to be mere background characters or props. Instead, we wanted to pay homage to our ancestors by giving them the opportunity to be the ones who save Jaime, enabling him to become the hero we envision.”
What is Blue Beetle’s story about?
“Jaime Reyes suddenly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology called the Scarab,” states the film’s synopsis. “When the Scarab selects Jaime as its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an extraordinary suit of armor capable of unpredictable powers, forever altering his destiny as he transforms into the superhero Blue Beetle.”
The film is now available on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD.
