Highlights
- The Flash movie stands out with its humor, making it one of the funniest core DC movies, while Blue Beetle also has jokes but falls short overall.
- The Flash's power transformation is intense but familiar, while Blue Beetle's transformation is hectic and scary but also comedic.
- While both movies feature relatable heroes, Blue Beetle's character is particularly relatable due to his struggles as a college graduate and his supportive but poor family. The Flash, on the other hand, offers a reason to root for the hero with his determination to regain his powers.
Blue Beetle is not associated with Big Bad Beetleborgs from the 90s. That show was trying to cash in on the Power Rangers fad that was sweeping the nation at this time. No, this beetle-based superhero dates back to the 1930s. Like most DC properties, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the character is this old.
The Flash is an old character as well that also received a movie this year. Of the two DC superhero movies, which one is better? It's a simple question with a not-so-simple answer. Either way, this list is going to try and solve that riddle.
Warning: This list contains spoilers for both movies!
8 Humor: The Flash
One of the best things about The Flash is its humor. It has to be the funniest core DC movie aside from The Suicide Squad. It builds on jokes with huge payoffs, from alter Barry eating spaghetti with Batman to normal Barry experiencing G-Force and then puking. Blue Beetle has some jokes, too, primarily through Uncle Rudy. George Lopez helps liven up the movie as Uncle Rudy, but it’s still not enough to be better than The Flash overall.
7 Getting Powers: Blue Beetle
The Flash, like many DC superheroes, gets his powers in a strange way. He was zapped by lightning as chemicals doused his body. Alter Barry has to go through this transformation in The Flash, which results in normal Barry losing his powers. Jaime’s power transformation in Blue Beetle is a lot more hectic. His entire family starts screaming as the Blue Beetle burrows itself into Jaime’s back. It’s scary but funny at the same time.
6 The Hero’s Journey: The Flash
The hero’s journey is a classic trope found in movies, books, games, and so on. Jaime goes from zero to hero thanks to finding the Blue Beetle relic. By the end, he still doesn’t feel like a superhero, though.
Even though Barry has established powers in The Flash and has thus already gone on a journey, the movie still gives fans a reason to root for him. He was so determined to get his powers back that he was willing to kill to do so, which Supergirl took as a good sign to back humanity.
5 A Relatable Hero: Blue Beetle
Jaime may not go through the hero’s journey, but that doesn’t mean his character falls flat. He’s one of the most relatable characters in a DC film so far. He gets out of college, eager to use his degree for good, and he winds up cleaning gum off of chairs instead. It’s a sad but true state of affairs for college graduates. He comes from a poor family, but he is at least rich in their support. The only other example of a strongly portrayed family is in the Shazam movies.
4 Connecting The Dots: The Flash
Blue Beetle feels disconnected from the DC universe except when heroes like Batman or Superman get name-checked. The teaser at the mid-credits scene or final credits scene does nothing to build the universe either. It’s refreshing in a way to have a one-off like this, but it’s also a bit odd since DC is trying to build a brand. The Flash, on the other hand, is full of DC heroes, both big and small. It’s also a multiverse event which is fun to see other movie universes referenced.
3 The CG: Blue Beetle
One of the things that got mocked infinitely online when The Flash came out was its CG. A lot of fans and critics felt like it was unfinished in their comments and reviews. It’s certainly not the best CG out there, but it also isn’t horrendous.
Blue Beetle’s CG is admittedly better, especially since it’s never truly apparent when it is being used. The blending between CG and reality is smooth for the most part, although that gum scene in the helicopter is quite wild looking.
2 The Villain: The Flash
Both movies have two villains. In Blue Beetle, the woman behind everything is Victoria. She also employs Lt. Carapax, who is her muscle. They’re not terrible villains for a DC movie, but they could have had more motivations to do what they were doing. In The Flash, it seems like General Zod is the real threat, but it turns out to be alter Barry. Alter Barry goes back in time too much and starts to become twisted in his quest to solve everything through time travel, thus becoming Dark Flash. Fighting with yourself over the idea of letting go is relatable.
1 Verdict: The Flash
The Flash may be problematic due to Ezra Miller’s real-life crimes, but it is truly a good movie. It’s funny, full of heart, has great references to the DC universe, and so much more. Blue Beetle is fun too, but its ultimate downfall is its formulaic origin story design. Jaime may not have soared in his debut, but it will be interesting to see how he evolves moving forward into James Gunn’s movie universe.
Overall, the year has been up and down as far as superhero movies go, but both of these DC films will probably rank up there as the best of 2023. There's not a lot of competition, but it is still worth noting.