DCEU? DCU? Oh, who cares about these acronyms?! Most moviegoers just want to watch a DC superhero flick and not bother about cinematic universes!

For the uninitiated, up until recently, there was only one DC cinematic universe, namely the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), which started with Zack Snyder’s 2013 Superman film “Man of Steel”.

The DCEU was supposed to be DC’s answer to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with characters from different films interacting with one another within a shared universe.

However, while the MCU thrived early on, the DCEU fumbled rather quickly, with critically panned films as well as box-office bombs.

Deciding the DCEU was no longer salvageable, studio executives decided to start a new cinematic universe with former Marvel filmmaker James Gunn as the new showrunner of the DC Universe (DCU).

Confusingly enough, the DCEU is not fully dead yet – it’s scheduled to meet its overdue end when “Aquaman 2” releases in December. Hope you are not lost at this point!

Either way, the DCU is starting to take its baby steps, with its very first entry being “Blue Beetle”, released in Malaysia yesterday.

While the character of Blue Beetle is not as famous as Superman or Batman, he might be more recognisable to younger comic fans, especially those of the “Young Justice” cartoon series.

Directed by Angel Manuel Soto, the film follows Jaime Reyes (Xolo Mariduena), a young Latin-American man who aspires to be his family’s breadwinner.

Reyes lives in Palmera City, which is dominated by the all-powerful Kord Industries led by Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon). No prizes for guessing who the baddie is.

Desperate for work, Reyes visits Kord, only to bump into Victoria’s niece, Jenny (Bruna Marquezine), who abruptly leaves him with a burger box.

There’s no Happy Meal in there, though, but an alien scarab beetle that latches onto Reyes and grants him a superpowered suit. Sounds normal enough, doesn’t it?

And with that, Blue Beetle has arrived as the newest superhero on the block. Naturally, trouble ensues.

With Victoria sending her goons after Reyes and his family, it’s up to “la familia” to survive the onslaught and foil the corporate overlord’s schemes.

As one can tell from the cast members as well as the director, this is a truly Latino film, a step forward for the Latin-American community as it tells a superhero story from an oft-neglected perspective.

Indeed, there are similarities that Malaysians can definitely notice and appreciate – among them the familial spirit of the Reyes clan, the beating heart of the film.

Much of its humour as well as emotional stakes come from Reyes’ interaction with his loved ones, each of whom has his or her role to play. There’s the wise dad, the fussy mum, the sarcastic sister, the eccentric uncle and, of course, the former guerrilla granny (don’t ask).

“Blue Beetle” carefully threads the needle with the Reyes family, balancing out their strengths and flaws. In fact, you might find the Reyes(es?) quite similar to your own folks!

Another plus point is that the movie skips the unnecessary and overdone drama of the superhero having to keep his second life a secret. In fact, the Reyes are present – and utterly horrified – when the scarab leaps onto their son and crawls its way through his body!

Afterwards, though, they are fully supportive of Jaime’s new role as guardian of the family and the neighbourhood. They are still rightfully grossed out by how the scarab is now permanently attached to his back, though. Ugh!

As for the effects, the CGI and costume design are definitely worth some praise. If the superpowered suit looks convincing, it’s because an actual costume had apparently been used during the film’s production, which is how you can tell it’s actually there.

Given the CGI nightmare that was “The Flash”, the polished visual effects here are a welcome change.

Still, in terms of narrative, “Blue Beetle” plays it safe, for better or for worse. You don’t need to be an avid superhero film fan to know where it’s all going past the first 30 minutes.

Is this a bad thing? Yes. No. Maybe? It usually helps for the first entry of any project to make a memorable splash.

But given the fate of the overambitious and poorly executed DCEU films, perhaps it’s better to be pleasantly safe than sorry.

As of press time, ‘Blue Beetle’ is screening in cinemas nationwide.