The first Latino superhero hits the silver screen. Fifteen years ago, the Marvel Cinematic Universe kicked off an era of big budget, comic book adaptations. The DC Extended Universe soon followed suit. A ton of origin stories have come and gone in those nearly two decades. Most of those origin stories have focused on predominantly White men, if not all. It was only five years or so ago that the MCU and DCEU started to diversify. Wonder Woman (2017) gave us a female superhero. Black Panther (2018) gave us a Black superhero. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) gave us an Asian superhero. It's not to say there weren't those kinds of representation before, but these were the firsts with $100 million budgets or more, putting them into the stratosphere of the current mainstream of blockbuster cinema. This film is in that stratosphere too, representing for Latinos, and the film leans into that fact, even commenting on it.
It's a thoroughly entertaining film. Funny and snappy. It moves at a very brisk pace. It places at its core a Latino family that is charming and engaging. It also utilizes Spanish language, at times with no subtitles, as I'm sure some details and aspects of Latino culture, specifically Mexican culture, were recognizable and appreciated, if only to actual Mexicans. The writer, Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, is himself Mexican, and it's clear he laid a lot of first-hand experiences into this screenplay. Although, there appears to be other influences. The film is set in the fictional, Palmera City, which looks like a cross between Miami, which obviously has a large Cuban population, and San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico, which is where this film's director, Ángel Manuel Soto, originates.
Xolo Maridueña (Cobra Kai and Parenthood) stars as Jaime Reyes, a 22-year-old college student who just graduated with a degree in pre-law. He went to school out of state and returns home to a very happy and proud family, including his parents, his sister, his grandmother and his uncle. Unfortunately, things aren't so happy because the family is actually in serious financial trouble. Jaime, pronounced (Hi May) wants to find a job, even if it's as a janitor and even if it means putting aside pursuing his law degree. His goal is to help his family not lose their home. Ironically, he also wants to get them out of their impoverished neighborhood, which is a ghetto of sorts, but filled with good, working-class people. He basically doesn't want to disappoint or let them down.
The novelty of having a Latino family as the lead of this comic book adventure may have its limits. The mileage may vary. It is fun, but, after 15 years of the MCU and DCEU, it can all feel a little derivative. As the film progressed, I kept counting all the superhero films that kept coming to mind. Some are referenced directly like Superman and Batman. Jaime Reyes is a character from DC Comics, so technically Superman and Batman are in the same universe, so those references make sense.
If one is familiar with the MCU, some parallels are sure to come to mind as well. Jaime Reyes has an experience similar to Peter Parker aka Spider-Man. There's a backstory here and a passing of the baton that felt similar to another superhero named after an insect. If one is familiar with Ant-Man (2015), the Michael Peña role here is played by George Lopez (El Chicano and The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lava Girl). If one has seen the recent Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), the Michelle Pfieffer role is played here by Adriana Barraza (Rambo: Last Blood and Babel). There's a relationship here that felt similar to Venom (2018). There's a moment that felt ripped from Black Panther in terms of the afterlife. There's even a hallway fight scene that felt ripped from something like Daredevil (2015).
Going back to the Peter Parker comparison, there is a moment at the end akin to the ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) where the decision comes down to getting revenge through deadly means. Obviously, we know what the answer will be. Man of Steel (2013) subverted that obvious answer. Instead of subversion, this film undermines the message that killing for revenge is wrong with what occurs to the villains of this story. In terms of one of the multiple villains, the fate is the same as the villain in Eternals (2021), which was still uncalled for but made more sense than what happens to the villains here.
Finally, the ending battle occurs at night and effectively obscures a lot of the VFX. Narrative-wise, the night scenes make sense. It simply makes the VFX more difficult to see.
Rated PG-13 for action, violence, language, including suggestive references.
Running Time: 2 hrs. and 7 mins.
In theaters.
