‘Blue Beetle’ Announces Streaming Premiere Date

Like so many DC movies lately, Blue Beetle was not a hit in theaters. It grossed just $130 million in theaters worldwide. It seems like a lot of people figured they could just wait to see the movie on streaming.

Well, wait no longer. The film premieres on Max next week. And as someone who did see Blue Beetle in theaters, I will say: It’s worth a watch.

Cobra Kai’s Xolo Maridueña stars as Jaime Reyes, an ordinary kid who is given a mystical scarab that transforms him into a superhero, the Blue Beetle. He‘s got a sentient suit of alien armor, the ability to create weapons out of thin air, and a family that is privy to all of it, and freaking out that their beloved son is suddenly imbued with godlike power. (Wouldn’t you?)

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Here is the film’s official synopsis:

Recent college grad Jaime Reyes returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab. When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the Super Hero BLUE BEETLE.

It isn’t going to reinvent the wheel or anything, but I thought Blue Beetle was a totally solid superhero adventure — and would likely make a very good choice for something to watch on streaming on a Friday night. It’s certainly better than all the other recent DC bombs like Black Adam and Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

I like Xolo Maridueña from Cobra Kai and thought he acquitted himself very nicely as Jaime — although my favorite character in the movie was his grandmother, played by Adriana Barraza. She steals scene after scene, to the point that I started to fantasize about her character getting the scarab and becoming a grandma superhero. Wouldn’t that be something?

Blue Beetle premieres on Max on November 17 — one week from today.