'Blue Beetle' Reviews Praise 'Crowd-Pleasing' DC Superhero Movie for Its 'Authenticity'

Xolo Maridueña stars as Jaime Reyes in "Blue Beetle," in theaters Friday

Blue Beetle is a breath of fresh air in the superhero genre, according to many critics.

The new DC Studios movie stars Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes, a recent college grad who inadvertently becomes the human host for a bug-shaped alien suit that gives him flashy superpowers.

His Uncle Rudy (George Lopez) and the rest of the close-knit Reyes family get in on the action to stop an evil billionaire (Susan Sarandon) from weaponizing the tech.

As of Wednesday afternoon when the review embargo lifted, Blue Beetle held an 87 percent on Rotten Tomatoes with over 60 reviews logged.

Robert Daniels wrote for RogerEbert.com that Blue Beetle is a "heartwarming, crowd-pleasing comic book flick" that's "less serious and more colorful than the tonally dour mood of many contemporary superhero films." Daniels added that the film "might not break the mold, but it does break expectations."

About 22-year-old Maridueña, from TV's Cobra Kai, Clarisse Loughrey said in a review for The Independent that the actor "manages to syphon a little of the panicked sincerity of Spider-Man’s past into a 'new hero on the block' character that feels entirely his own."

Related: 'Blue Beetle': Get to Know the Close-Knit Family in the DC Superhero Film (Exclusive)

The Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney said the film puts Maridueña "on the map as a captivating young actor with the right spark to carry a new offshoot of the DC Extended Universe."

"Maridueña plays the emotional rollercoaster of Jaime’s newfound alternate identity with all the requisite shading, from fear and confusion to wonder and delight to burning rage," wrote Rooney. "But he never loses sight of the character’s underlying humanity and devotion to his family."

For Variety, Owen Gleiberman wrote that the star "acts with a puppyish ingenuousness, so that even when he’s tormented by having his body play host to a techno parasite, the stakes feel more YA gee-whiz than cosmic apocalyptic. But Maridueña, playing Hollywood’s first Latino superhero, proves an appealing star."

Yolanda Machado, in a review for Entertainment Weekly, praised Blue Beetle for its long-overdue authentic representation in the genre.

"It stands alone, proudly and loudly boasting its Mexican American roots, and making room for an authenticity that elevates a somewhat familiar origin story by creating its own identity so hella Mexican American that if it were to be called anything else, it would be: ¡A huevo! Translation: F--- yeah!"

"Blue Beetle never loses sight of the community it seeks to honor, not once pandering nor offering surface-level representation of what it means to be Latino," said Machado.

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Director Angel Manuel Soto said at an event Tuesday, per The Hollywood Reporter, "We put our hearts and souls into it because we wanted you guys to feel welcome to our stories. There’s no fear. Don’t fear Spanish, don’t fear Mexican heritage, don’t fear Latino heritage. We want you guys to join the party with us."

Blue Beetle is in theaters Friday.

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