SUPERGIRL

Director
Craig Gillespie

Starring
Milly Alcock
Eve Ridley
Matthias Schoenaerts
Jason Momoa

When a band of brigands attack and kill young Ruthye’s [Ridley] entire family, she seeks out aid to exact revenge on the man responsible: Krem of the Yellow Hills [Schoenaerts]. Who she happens to bump into, is in fact Kara Zor-El [Alcock] drunkenly celebrating her 23rd birthday. Despite Kara initially refusing to help, she’s forced to track down Krem after he shoots her dog, Krypto, with a slow-acting poison that will kill him in three days. And so, the reluctant pair head out into space, to get the antidote from Krem, ideally without sacrificing Ruthye’s innocence and soul in the process.

It’s all but impossible to escape the myriad Guardians Of The Galaxy comparisons that this film will inevitably garner – to the degree you’d be forgiven for thinking this was directed by James Gunn. But in actuality, this movie has more of a spiritual connection to True Grit; pairing a tired badass with an impressionable, determined kid on a journey of grief and displacement. With Kara serving as a cautionary tale for Ruthye, leading to exchanges like, “When did you stop feeling angry?” “Any day now.” And it thankfully moves at pace, peppered with Kara’s origin told through flashbacks, and engaging fight scenes that, while not completely revolutionary, carry the film to its end credits, ultimately resulting in a fun time.

From a technical perspective, Supergirl performs well. The practical sets are richly presented thanks to the likes of drama and sci-fi cinematographer Rob Hardy, but in truth that also serves to highlight how muddy the overly CGI scenes unfortunately end up. Claudia Sarne’s score is a solid effort but over-shadowed somewhat by the seemingly contractually obligated needle-drops. If ever there was a movie in need of a leitmotif, it’s this one. Although, thankfully, we didn’t have to roll our eyes at a rendition of the John Williams theme again, so there’s that.

Popping up at the end of Superman, it’s nice to see that Kara’s rambunctiousness is on an arc, rather than simply how the character will be presented forever. Yet, Alcock embodies that carefree early 20s mischievous hellraiser energy extremely well. What’s more, she plays the hesitant, semi-jaded hero with ease, acting as a good rough-around-the-edges mentor for Ruthye. Speaking of which, Eve Ridley carries herself incredibly well for someone so young and gives a performance that is neither trite nor mawkish, but genuinely sincere.

On the opposite side of that coin is Momoa finally getting to play Lobo, with all the melodramatic flamboyance the character deserves. And then we have Schoenaerts as Krem, embodying some surprisingly dark Mad Max villain vibes with genuine menace, but is quite two dimensionally drawn and is essentially evil for evil’s sake. All of which is softened somewhat with the sporadic sprinkling of Corenswet as Superman – who continues to be a delight.

Now, while this Supergirl story is loosely inspired by the recent comic source material, it doesn’t do anything we haven’t really seen cinematically. Yes, the action is engaging, the visuals are diverse, and the momentum never drags, but the story itself is actually a little too straightforward, and is overly reliant on uninspired workarounds to dilute an extremely overpowered protagonist. On top of that, the script could do with less quipping. Sure, it makes sense for the character and tone but it eventually starts to grate after over a decade and a half of wise-cracking superheroes. Admittedly, the script is probably this movie’s biggest problem. The heart is there, the structure works, but it just doesn’t do enough to make it feel as memorable as it almost deserves to be. That and there are so many plot contrivances and conveniences that cheapen the overall experience. And Krypto continues to be less charming and loveable than Gunn insists he is – we’ve all known difficult, rascally dogs but that’s a shallow well of diminishing returns, and the sooner he’s relegated to cameo status, the better.

The problem is, there isn’t a great deal to say because this film doesn’t do a great deal. It’s serviceable to the degree it’s entertaining enough, but it’s also a detached mishmash of disconnected setups that the audience doesn’t get to sit with or process. With sloppy world-building that sees us hopping from one faceless dive-bar planet to another. So, is this film another glorious step forward for this fledgling DCU? Sort of. It’s fun, if somewhat tepid and does its job of getting this titular character to a place where she can grow and serve as an interesting juxtaposition to her cousin, but it’s not the hit follow-up that it sort of needed to be.

Release Date:
26 June 2026

The Scene To Look Out For:
Early on, while Kara is still under the effects of her red sun trip, we see her getting an intergalactic bus. This scene is quirky and charming. And when the bus is set upon by space pirates, the ensuing fight is pretty uniquely handled and pleasantly satisfying to watch unfold.

Notable Characters:
After the twist development in Superman, Kara’s father, Zor-El (played commendably by David Krumholtz) steps into all of the classic traits we associate with Jor-El. That of a gifted scientific mind, but also a passionate father who believes his daughter has it within her to be a guiding light for others, with fervid lines like, “You are not one tiny life. You are your mother’s life. You are mine.”

Highlighted Quote:
“You’re not always nice but you’re kind. And you’re not prefect but you’re good”

In A Few Words:
“Not memorable enough, not impactful enough, but an enjoyable enough ride to keep this wider universe going.”

Total Score: 3/5

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