‘I cannot say enough about that man’: ‘Blue Beetle’ star reveals how the director’s VFX background enhanced the movie

Blue Beetle is now in theaters. It’s been a long and difficult road to get there, with the movie narrowly avoiding the same sad fate as Batgirl, fighting to be promoted from an HBO Max movie to a full theatrical release, and having to conduct its press campaign without its stars due to the Hollywood strikes.

It arrives buoyed up by the best reviews any DC movie has seen in a long time, with the only remaining question being whether audiences will actually show up to see it. We’ll have the answer very soon but in the meantime, star Raoul Max Trujillo, who plays the villainous Conrad Carapax, has nothing but nice things to say about director Ángel Manuel Soto and his experience with CGI. Speaking with ScreenRant, he said:

“I think his background as a cameraman, as a DP, as well as his background with… Computer technology, if you will. All that special effects stuff that he did for years, all that has helped him be able to make this movie. Because when we went in as actors and we’re going to rehearse a scene, the first thing he did was pull out his tablet and show us already exactly what the camera move is. Because he was already animated, the whole thing.”

Trujillo went on to explain why this is so important for the cast:

“The whole film was animated already, that was his prep work. So for us, imagine how easy it is now when you see the shot, you see exactly, but it’s all animated, but you know exactly what you’re getting into. So then you don’t have that confusion of figuring your way out as you’re marking through the scene. It’s already laid out for you. You just need to show up and hit those marks. So there’s a technical proficiency that it brings. But again, a playfulness that he brings that is so rare.”

If Soto can make Blue Beetle into a hit he’ll immediately become one of the hottest new directors working today. It’s worth remembering that the movie’s relatively low $125 million budget means smart VFX choices (like going for a practical suit on set) were a necessity, but that budget also means the movie is all but guaranteed to turn a profit.

Current projections are for Blue Beetle to score a $30 million opening weekend, which would mean it’d unseat Barbie for the top box office spot. If the movie is as good as critics think there should be strong word-of-mouth, so let’s hope it’s got legs.

Blue Beetle is now in theaters.