After something as monumental as July’s ‘).
Blue Beetle
When: August 18
Where: Theatres
Recent college graduate Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) is desperately seeking a job for himself and his family, while struggling to find his true purpose in this world. That is, until he unexpectedly comes in possession of a piece of ancient biotechnology, a mysterious blue scarab that latches itself onto his body, choosing Jaime as its symbiotic host. It’s not all bad though, as the pairing bestows the teenager with a slick suit of armour that can shapeshift into whatever the host wants, be it high-tech firearms or wing shields that can cut through vehicles. The military tech’s flashiness is good enough to create a buzz, sparking interest from the government, who send out forces to hunt Blue Beetle down.
It’s unclear how the villainous businesswoman Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon) plans to change the world with the Scarab’s power, but is desperate enough to dispatch the heavily armoured Conrad Carapax (Raoul Trujillo) to claim the relic — turning it into something of a mech battle, as he trades bullets and sword clangs with an emotional Blue Beetle. Caught in the gunfire is Jaime’s innocent family, who might have a few tricks up their sleeve, having created a Batcave-like armoury of their own. Director Angel Manuel Soto makes his debut in the superhero realm with Blue Beetle, which he claims still will be part of James Gunn’s forthcoming DC Universe, albeit not tied to the DCEU’s past, which sort of ended with The Flash.
As mentioned before, Blue Beetle marks the first time a Hispanic superhero leads a major studio film, which also happens to be lead actor Maridueña’s first movie credit. Prior to this, he’s only been in TV shows, gaining mass recognition in Netflix’s Cobra Kai. Blue Beetle features an ensemble cast namely Adriana Barraza (Babel) as Jaime’s grandmother, Damián Alcázar (Narcos) as Jaime’s father Alberto Reyes, George Lopez as Uncle Rudy, and Bruna Marquezine as Jaime’s love interest Jenny, making her Hollywood debut.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
When: August 25
Where: Theatres
The Spider-Verse movies were definitely a blessing to big-budget animation studios, opening the floodgates for more creative and wacky presentations. Seth Rogen’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem attempts to reinvent the formula, promising a new origin story for our pizza-loving heroes via a doodle-sketch art style that throws vibrant chaos onto the screen, often playing around with the framerate. In it, the Turtles — the wise Donatello (Micah Abbey), the charismatic Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.), the always-angry Raphael (Brady Noon), and the leader Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu) — set out to win the hearts of the New Yorkers, hoping to no longer be shunned by the society through their heroic acts. It’s a tale of acceptance, where the mutant group just wants to live a normal life, juggling between school and girlfriends.
During one of their crime-fighting nights, they make a new friend April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri), with whom they decide to hunt down a notorious crime syndicate led by Superfly (Ice Cube). As the legend goes, nobody’s ever seen his face, and the ones who have are killed by him. It all boils down to the fact that Superfly’s group is composed of similar mutants who were wronged by the human race. So now, they’re planning all-out revenge, which involves genetically creating an army of their kind and unleashing it out into the world, with the goal of eventually ruling it. Faced with a choice to join Superfly’s cause or to save humankind, the Turtles must put their emotions aside and engage in an absurdly punkish and colourful battle to return things back to normal.
I also think it’s super refreshing that for once, not only did Hollywood actually cast real teenage boys to voice the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but also presented the characters as teenagers. Looking back at the Megan Fox-led live-action films, the Turtles’ vocals and builds resembled that of young adults, in addition to them acting very responsibly — all of which go against the core definition of TMNT. You might also recognise a ton of voices in the upcoming Mutant Mayhem, ranging from Jackie Chan as Master Splinter, Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad) as scientist Baxter Stockman, John Cena as a mutant rhinoceros Rocksteady, Rose Byrne as a mutant alligator Leatherhead, and more.
Dream Girl 2
When: August 25
Where: Theatres
Ayushmann Khurrana seems to be taking his portrayal as the female call centre operator Pooja to the next level, possibly putting on enough makeup to completely transform into a woman in the sequel to Dream Girl. Plot details are scarce, but for those of you who need a refresher, he’ll be reprising the role of Karamveer Singh, a call centre operator who is oddly good at mimicking a woman’s voice, which leads him to trouble when a bunch of desperate and lonely men fall in love with his sensuous alias. While Nushrratt Bharuccha played the female lead in the 2019 film, serving as Karamveer’s lover-turned-wife, she has now been replaced by Ananya Panday (Liger). The original director Raaj Shaandilyaa also returns to helm Dream Girl 2.