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Director Ángel Manuel Soto turned to the action thriller The Raid for inspiration on how to depict visceral and intense fight sequences in Blue Beetle. Soto also drew inspiration from video games and anime to visualize the powerset of the DC superhero. By incorporating nods to popular media, Soto aimed to create a sense of nostalgia and fun, allowing him to play with different references and bring his own gaming interests into the film.

The director behind Blue Beetle, Ángel Manuel Soto, reveals that he turned to one of modern cinema’s greatest action outings for inspiration for the fight sequences: the 2011 action thriller The Raid. Speaking recently with DiscussingFilm, the filmmaker explained that he wanted the fighting in the DC movie to be “visceral,” and thus looked to director Gareth Evans and star Iko Uwais’ 2011 action masterclass for how to depict the superhero punches.

“I wanted the action and...

Blue Beetle balances visceral violence with "wish fulfillment," uniting many fans' most beloved franchises in the process.

Director Angel Manuel Soto opens up on Blue Beetle's action influences in an interview with Discussing Film. "We used a lot of references like The Raid movies and Gangs of London for the hand-to-hand combat," Soto said, "which Jon Valera [Kick-Ass], our stunt coordinator, drives very well. We managed to make something that represented that kind of flesh-to-flesh intimacy that can exist in violence."

Related: Blue Beetle Trailer, Release Date, Cast & News to Know

"But, at the same time, we play with different alternatives that are fantastic and the wish-fulfillment of a young man," Soto continued. "For example, a lot of the combos in Injustice 2, we used them as a reference during fights and with the manifestations of the weapons. Blue Beetle’s blaster was even inspired by Mega Man!"

Jaime Reyes better manifested...

Warning: Spoilers for John Wick: Chapter 4 below!The action of the John Wick franchise evolves greatly over the course of its four chapters. Keanu Reeves first debuted as the legendary Baba Yaga in 2014's John Wick, which followed the eponymous assassin avenging the killing of his dog. With the formerly retired John having declared "Yeah, I'm thinking I'm back!" in John Wick, the John Wick sequels see John facing new enemies arriving to pose new challenges to him.

The tale of the Baba Yaga seemingly concludes with John's death at the end of John Wick: Chapter 4, but the impact that John Wick as a character and his series have had on action movies is still immense. The John Wick movies have also been incredibly innovative, with each chapter introducing a new element to its action sequences that keeps the series itself fresh and adds to its lasting influence on action films.

The awards season ended with a bang as Hollywood celebrated Lulu Wang’s The Farewell winning Best Feature and Zhao Shuzhen nabbing Best Supporting Actress at the Independent Spirit Awards while Bong Joon-ho’s peachy dark comedy masterpiece about social class made history at the Academy Awards, becoming the first non-English speaking film to win Best Picture. The South Korean film also made strides, winning Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film. The huge wins for The Farewell and Parasite were benchmarks for Asians and Asian Americans, but just a week prior, Birds of Prey was released in theaters. On the surface, the Warner Bros. pic may seem like an action-packed, candy-coated mind trip of comic book movie, but the movie is a nuanced touchstone of Asian American representation — and even though it focuses on Harley Quinn’s narrative, the story would be nothing without Cassandra Cain,...

With production starting on Aquaman this summer, we recently saw a video with star Jason Momoa training for his role as Arthur Curry, along with a photo of Amber Heard practicing her swordplay skills for her role of Mera. Over the weekend, Amber Heard posted a new video showcasing another part of her training, where she's seen practicing her hand-to-hand combat skills, in a most impressive fashion. While there is still not much we know about Mera in Aquaman yet, it seems clear that she is not one to be messed with.

Amber Heard herself posted this brief nine-second video to Instagram over the weekend, showing her training with the 87Eleven team, a company that was founded by John Wick directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch. While the founders weren't present in this video, she is seen training with Jon Valera. Earlier this week, Amber Heard posted a training photo...