Blue Beetle | 2023 | PG-13 | – 3.6.4

Why is “Blue Beetle” rated PG-13? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “sequences of action and violence, language, and some suggestive references.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a couple of kissing scenes and implied arousal, a few scenes of a young man testing his newfound superpowers, many scenes of people with superpowers fighting and causing some property damage, discussions of world domination and weapons manufacturing, a man dying from a heart attack, an explosion that kills two people, several arguments, and at least 1 not fully enunciated F-word and other strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

---

A young man (Xolo Maridueña) is chosen by a magical scarab as its human host, giving him superpowers that will forever change his life and that of his family. Also with Bruna Marquezine, Becky G, Damián Alcázar, George Lopez, Adriana Barraza, Belissa Escobedo, Elpidia Carrillo, Susan Sarandon, Harvey Guillén and Raoul Max Trujillo. Directed by Angel Manuel Soto. Several lines of dialogue are spoken in Spanish with English subtitles. [Running Time: 2:07]

Blue Beetle SEX/NUDITY 3

 – A young man and a young woman kiss and a computerized voice says that there is a rush of blood moving toward the young man’s mid-region (implying arousal). A young man and a young woman sit on a bed talking, they lean close to each other and are about to kiss when they are interrupted; he stands up and pulls his jacket down over his crotch implying that he is aroused (we do not see anything).
► A woman puts a man’s mechanical hand on her chest while talking to him. A young woman tells a young man that another young woman “might be into you.” A man describes things as being “sexy” in a few scenes.
► A young man tells a young woman not to look at him in the backseat of a car after he is left nude when he is not in his super suit any longer. A young man crashes onto a sofa, fully nude (we see his bare chest and abdomen) and he stands up and faints. A young woman points and makes a remark about a young man’s genitals (we do not see them). A man describes his testicles being 7x the normal size.
► A young woman wears a low-cut top that reveals cleavage. A woman wears a low-cut dress that reveals cleavage in a few scenes. Women wear low-cut dresses that reveal cleavage at a reception. A young woman wears tight-fitting leather clothing when riding a motorcycle.

Blue Beetle VIOLENCE/GORE 6

 – A man wearing an armored suit charges toward a young man as he transforms into a superhero and they fight throwing each other several times, throw blasts of energy at each other, a car is struck and it explodes, a car is slammed into the superhero, he emits a blast and pins the man, fights him with powerful slips and kicks, and the man is held on the ground as the superhero grows large blades from his hands but refuses to use them to kill the man; the superhero runs to save a man and a young woman in a truck as they are shot at and he is struck and held on the ground by the armored man with his foot on his head until a large piece of machinery is flung off a truck and it hits the armored man. A superhero fights with many gunmen that shoot at him, and his super suit has long pointed tines that pierce a couple of men and throw them (no blood is shown); the superhero and a man wearing an armored suit fly into the air and fight midair with many blasts exchanged and punches landing, they crash to the ground and the man draws a glowing whip, they continue fighting, one is stabbed in the side and is slammed to the ground (his mask is broken and we see his face as he yells), and the other stands over him holding a blade and preparing to kill him until he is distracted by a man throwing stones at him. A man wearing an armored suit leans toward a woman that is injured on the ground, the suit overloads and glows and we understand that it explodes killing the man and the woman. A woman and a young woman fight in a helicopter, the woman draws a weapon and the pilots are shot causing the helicopter to crash to the ground (we see the woman on the ground moaning) and the young woman is protected by bubbles that were formed in the helicopter and cushioned the crash.
► Many flying ships hover near a house causing it to shake, people inside move away from the windows and hide in a room as armed people enter the house and search for them; they are taken outside at gunpoint and threatened as a superhero flies through them and knocks several gunmen down, then fires several energy blasts throwing other gunmen through the air; when running away a young woman falls, her father returns to help her get up, he is punched hard in the face (we see his bloody lip), they get up and stumble away as the house explodes behind them and the man has a heart attack falling to his knees and holding his chest (we see him being shocked in an ambulance later with no result).
► A flying ship that resembles a beetle speeds toward a fortress on an island, it crashes to the ground and throws many armed guards around on the ground; they shoot at it, it climbs a rock wall and moves through many armed people stepping on several (we see one man impaled on the vessel’s beetle-like leg and it shakes the body off, throwing it). A woman shoots a high-powered gun and many people are struck and thrown (no blood is visible) as she throws her head back and laughs; many explosions erupt and a tunnel collapses pinning two young women under rubble (one is pulled to safety and the other is held at gunpoint and taken away on a helicopter). A young woman uses a device that empowers her with a super-powerful fist, as well as a shield, and she uses the fist to punch people attacking her (they are thrown) and the shield to protect herself when they shoot at her (she has a glancing wound on her arm with no blood shown). A flying ship that resembles a beetle takes off from an island fortress and is engulfed in flames as the fortress explodes, and then speeds out of the flames and away safely.
► Several people around a table look at a jeweled scarab in a box, one young woman picks it up and a young man tries to get it back until the scarab jumps on the young man’s face, he is thrown against a wall, it emits a glowing blue light, throws electrical blasts that cut the power, we see something glowing under the young man’s shirt and he says, “It’s inside me,” as the scarab begins to transform the young man covering him with armor, his eyes glow, his clothing burns off his body and he grows long pointed tines; the young man screams, shoots through the ceiling and into space as he hears a voice reporting systems checks. A flashback shows a young boy being forced to shoot someone and he later witnesses a bomb being dropped on a house and it explodes covering a woman in flames and throwing the boy.
► When testing out a braking system in his new superhero suit a young man is dropped from space, glows red as he reenters the atmosphere while yelling, “I’m gonna die,” and brakes are engaged just before he slams into water; he then flies very close to the surface of the water and bounces around uncontrollably, flies through a city and up the side of a building before crashing into a car crumpling it, he stands in the middle of a street and as a bus approaches, he grows a protective shield that cuts the bus in half and we see the passengers inside looking terrified (no one is harmed). People power up a flying ship that resembles a beetle and it takes off flying fast and pinning passengers back as they scream.
► A young woman hides from armed guards, gets into a truck with a young man and they speed away as the guards shoot at them. A woman accesses a lab and steals a scarab, when an alarm is raised after a man realizes it is missing, many guards move through the building and a young man manages to leave the building with the stolen scarab. People make a plan to rescue a young man and we see him held in restraints and hanging upside down in a laboratory and he screams when he is zapped by machinery; a woman says, “Take it off his corpse,” referring to a scarab that has attached itself to the young man.
► A man is shown on an operating table in a flashback and blood spurts on the table as he screams. A young man is shown with a glowing device on his back protruding through his skin. A man is shown with a metal implant on the back of his neck and we see computer imagery of humans being covered with bioengineered armor. A young man crashes through the roof of a house and onto a sofa (he is fully nude), stands up and faints. A young man has a cut on his face and we see inside the wound glowing blue and the cuts heal. A giant sphere is cut with a laser as people search for a scarab with magical powers. Two young women enter an underground passage and one steps on a human skull, shattering it. A man yells and collapses on the floor after a young man takes his truck and speeds away.
► A man yells at a young man about the young man having stolen his truck and bringing it back damaged; the man throws a boot at him across the room and hits a shelf knocking items to the floor. A woman describes a man as being “So badly crippled,” and “broken.” A young man is told that to get rid of a scarab that is attached to him, he would have to be dead. A woman and a young woman argue about their company making weapons and when a man moves toward the young woman in a threatening manner a young man intervenes and tells them to stop. A man is heard yelling when he finds his truck with damage after a young man took it.
► We hear that a man had a heart attack, a family lost its business and is about to lose their house. Several images and newspaper reports show images of cave paintings, reportage of new discoveries and the disappearance of a man. A man worries about “big brother” watching him and seems nervous about being arrested in a few scenes. People talk about a private policing unit. A young woman says that her mother died when she was six and that one day her father left and never came back. People talk about a woman’s “revolutionary past.” A young man describes having “two left feet.” A young woman says, “Progress is only for some people,” when talking about the gentrification of their neighborhood and being kicked out of their home.
► A young man and a young woman scrape chewing gum off the underside of tables around a swimming pool (we see chewed gum). An animated superhero is shown to be clumsy and weak.

Blue Beetle LANGUAGE 4

 – At least 1 not fully enunciated F-word, 16 scatological terms, 17 anatomical terms, 16 mild obscenities, name-calling (crazy, possessed, gross, world destroying weapon, crazy, bad weed, cupcake, trash, pathetic, scared little boy, ridiculous, genius, fascist, you stink, pendejo, idiot), exclamations (oh man, what the…, oh my gosh, bummer, you gotta be kidding me, jeez), 15 religious exclamations (e.g. oh my God, God, I swear to God, Holy [scatological term deleted]). | profanity glossary |

Blue Beetle SUBSTANCE USE

 – People drink beer from bottles in a restaurant, a young man and a young woman drink beer while sitting on a roof, people drink champagne and wine at a reception, people drink beer at a memorial, and a man drinks a glass of clear liquor on his patio.

Blue Beetle DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Family, adventure, life journeys, love and loss, sacrifice, sexism, resilience, the greater good, legacy, death of a family member, self-pity.

Blue Beetle MESSAGE

 – Family is forever.