Latinos are cheering the new superhero film “Blue Beetle” — and it’s not just because the title character defeats the bad guys.
They’re applauding because it’s the first live-action movie to star a Latino hero. Not only that, but “Blue Beetle” features a mostly Latino cast, Latino writers and is helmed by a Latino director, creating a major milestone in Hollywood history.
“There’s something that registers a sense of familiarity that makes the film even more significant to us when we see someone with whom we can identify,” said Richard T. Rodríguez, a UC Riverside English professor who’s written about comic books.
The film’s impact is being felt across heavily Latino Southern California, where Latinos are applauding the character and saying that it’s about time someone who looks like them plays a starring role alongside the likes of Batman, Superman and Iron Man.
Moreno Valley resident Norma Hernandez, 47, took the day off work Thursday, Aug. 17, to watch the movie with her son, Ivan Hernandez, 27.
“I think it’s amazing,” Norma Hernandez said before an afternoon showing at the Moreno Valley Harkins Theatre. “We typically see Latinos as construction or field workers in movies. We never see heroes. We’re having a voice.”
“Blue Beetle,” which tells the story of what happens to teenager Jaime Reyes after he gets an alien suit of armor, is paving the way for more Latino representation in film, Rodríguez said.
Diversity is about more than who is on the screen, Rodríguez said.
“It’s also about who’s working behind the camera, who’s writing the script, who’s doing the casting,” he said, adding that seeing themselves in American media can be empowering for Latinos.
Action, a superhero and George Lopez – who plays the star’s kooky uncle — brought Ivan Hernandez to the theater.
“It looks like it’s going to be funny,” Ivan Hernandez said.
Like Ivan Hernandez, other generations will show up at…
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