The Marvel movie Blue Beetle, which came out in 2023, earned a total of roughly 130,788,072 at the box office. The movie follows Jaime Reyes (played by Xolo Maridueña) and his journey to becoming Blue Beetle, a comic book superhero from the 1930s. The film features a wide Latino cast, providing much-needed representation for Hollywood and expanding upon the Marvel Universe. The Marvel cinematic universe follows various superheroes and their own action-packed stories. Blue Beetle is no exception and features its own intense action sequences. One of the second-to-last fight scenes of the film highlights the mise en scène and highlights the editing done in action sequences. The fight highlights Jaime accepting the identity of Blue Beetle and embracing his potential as a hero. Blue Beetle shows the mise en scène of action scenes but also calls attention to the greater discussion of violence in the media and its consequences.
The action sequences in Blue Beetle are fast-paced, with a high number of edits. These can be identified by the constant changes in camera angles and utilization of the quick pan and shaky cam. In just one minute of this scene, roughly fourteen edits could be identified. These elements, along with smooth transitions, work to make the edits in the film feel seamless, only identifiable if you know what to watch for. The change in filming styles creates an adrenaline-filled fight scene that makes the audience more connected to the scene. The fight that takes place in the image shows Blue Beetle taking down roughly ten guards in quick succession. The fight choreography highlights the character’s confidence in his abilities by utilizing moves that show off skill and personality. In previous fights, the suit is who’s controlling the battles; however, this fight feels more like Jaime and encapsulates his personality through his weapon choice, movement style, and dialogue. The lighting of this scene adds to the mise en scène and makes the bright blue powers stand out in contrast to the all-black armour of the guards. The positioning of the guards allows for the fight scene to travel as well as emphasizes Blue Beetle’s power as he appears menacing at the end of the long tunnel with red lighting. The composition is similar to other Marvel action sequences while still adding its own personality through filming styles. Like most action films, our hero doesn’t “seek out adventure, they respond to dire necessity”. The film has multiple action tropes; for example, the hero only connects with his heroic identity when about to die. These action sequences further the plot and add tension to the film, but are there real-life consequences to the violence depicted?
Violence is an expected part of all action movies, but what are the real-life consequences of such depictions for the audience? One study found that repeated exposure to violence can desensitize viewers to violent acts. This desensitization can lead to real-life violence as well as a lack of empathy for violent acts. Movies may be fictitious, but the violence they contribute to is very real. With Marvel’s wide audience, its normalization of violence could contribute to many of its younger audiences being desensitized and even lead some to commit violent acts. One thing is certain: it normalizes violence. The constant on-screen violence contributes to a culture that “makes people feel that crime is everywhere and that guns are needed for protection”. Blue Beetle has complex themes of racialized discrimination, violence, and classism juxtaposed with magic fight scenes with CGI. Moreover, this means that some of the violence on screen is utilized to examine racism and is therefore vital to be included. This begs the question of whether the negative aspects of violent depictions outweigh the positive. Though the violence on screen isn’t heavily graphic throughout the film, the fights do increase in violence. The fight featured in the presented image balances excessive violence with a lack of graphic gore. Like most Marvel movies, Blue Beetle is catered towards a family demographic, so its violence is often minimized. Violence is vital to action movies which means that viewers must watch it while knowing the risks and taking steps to prevent them.
Blue Beetle has extensive fight scenes that highlight mise en scène and emphasize the importance of action sequences. Though violence on screen can have negative aspects for society, oftentimes the message it conveys outweighs the negative. Violence should be consumed critically in order to avoid desensitization. For younger audiences, parents should be aware of the potential harm there is in excessively exposing their children to violent action sequences can have. In moderation, action films can be perfectly fine, but when overconsumed, the damage is evident. Blue Beetles fight scenes, though violent, highlight the power of staging, lighting, and other aspects of mise en scène.
Work Cited
Allen, Johnie J., Sabrina M. Ash, and Craig A. Anderson. “Who Finds Media Violence Funny? Testing the Effects of Media Violence Exposure and Dark Personality Traits.” Psychology of Popular Media 11, no. 1 (January 2022): 35–46. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000296.
Betancourt, David. Who is blue beetle? the origins of DC’s new movie superhero Jaime … Accessed March 27, 2024. https://www.washingtonpost.com/comics/2023/08/17/blue-beetle-dc-movie-jaime-reyes/.
“Blue Beetle.” Box Office Mojo. Accessed March 26, 2024. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt9362930/.
O’Brien, Harvey. Action movies: The cinema of striking back. London: Wallflower, 2012.
Kaplan, Arline. “Violence in the Media: What Effects on Behavior?” Psychiatric Times 29, no. 10 (October 2012): 1–11. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=108104678&site=eds-live&scope=site.
Riya Patel
This research thoroughly examines the “Blue Beetle” battle scenes and the effects of the violence depicted in the film.When describing mise en scène, Willow does a fantastic job of highlighting the lighting, editing, and choreography that contribute to the action scenes’ realism. ♤Moreover, the criticism delves deeper than the techniques employed in movies to examine how media violence impacts society overall.
The author draws a parallel between the depiction of violence and potential desensitization, as well as practical ramifications such as less empathy and desensitization.This link is based on scientific study. The criticism backs up its claims with studies and theories from the media studies and psychology fields, providing this argument a greater credibility.
The image supports the analysis as well as supports the points made about mise en scène and the use of lighting to highlight action and character power dynamics by giving an illustration of the scene as it is described.
Overall, using both scientific research and firsthand observation, the author offers an in-depth review of “Blue Beetle” and its portrayal of violence.However, readers may understand the movie’s influence differently, therefore looking further into alternative perspectives could enhance the topic of discussion.