You can read our previous Supergirl review HERE but we wanted to give you all a second opinion!
PLOT: Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, joins forces with an unlikely companion on an interstellar journey of vengeance and justice when an unexpected adversary strikes too close to home.
REVIEW: Last summer we saw the DCU get rebooted with James Gunn’s Superman, and now we’re taking to the skies with his cousin for Craig Gillespie’s Supergirl. I do question the decision to do a Supergirl so close to a Superman movie when rebooting the DCU, as I think more variety would have been better. But hey, the character has been long overdue for another big-screen appearance. Now we’re finally getting it, and unfortunately, it plays it way too safe.
Supergirl is a pretty simple story about Kara Zor-El partying out in space for her birthday, only to end up with her dog getting poisoned. The crux of the movie is really all about Kara hunting down the guy who holds the antidote, which can save Krypto. She has a girl join up with her who is seeking revenge against the same guy, so they set out on this adventure together. It was nice to see a lead superhero as a drunk with some severe issues. Milly Alcock does a fantastic job dealing with all the complexities of someone who’s supposed to be cool, vulnerable, but also aloof and humorous.
As much as I’m a big comic book fan, I’ve never actually read Tom King’s Woman of Tomorrow from which this story is based. I’ve heard it’s the greatest Supergirl story ever told and has some gorgeous artwork. So when it comes to my criticisms of the story itself, I assume much of it has to fall onto the structure of King’s original comic. So much of the story just comes across as basic and very “been there, done that.” This may have worked better if we didn’t already have about a hundred comic book films to pull from prior.
I found Ruthye’s presence in the story to be entirely pointless. It’s nothing against Eve Ridley, who does fine in the role; it just feels like ticking off boxes in a superhero origin story. She doesn’t add anything valuable to the plot and mostly just seems like a device to move people from place to place in order to rescue her. It’s so cliché that it’s a great disservice to the wonderful character work that’s going on with Kara.
The highlight of the film was easily Jason Momoa’s Lobo, who is everything we wanted him to be and more. Most of my life, I’ve heard about how damn cool Lobo is and how he’d never be done correctly in a movie. Well, Momoa proves to be absolutely perfect as the character, bringing macho charisma and an unpredictability that was nice. It was also cool to see David Corenswet pop up as Superman, with a little more screentime than I was expecting. He seems to just be sinking further and further into the character, and it’s a joy to see.
I was fairly surprised at how much I enjoyed Matthias Schoenaerts‘s Krem. The trailers made him look like a very generic lead villain, but I found him rather entertaining. From his weird movements to his playfulness, he seems to really dig being a bad guy in this world. He even has these strange beads on his face that I thought for sure were piercings, but then looked more like BB’s when they came off. He was just out there enough that I was like to see him in this otherwise generic world.
We’re getting to the point where it’s really hard to pull off unique action sequences. They often just become the same mishmash of green screen and CGI. Someone has to solve the problem of boring superhero fights, but Supergirl isn’t the one to do it. This falls prey to mostly generic action sequences that are sometimes spiced up by a raging Lobo. Sometimes the FX are absolutely breathtaking, and other times they look strange. The most polarizing were some flying shots of Alcock in space that range from laughable to gorgeous. It makes for such an uneven experience.
From Fright Night to Cruella, Director Craig Gillespie often has the ability to make a movie work when it feels like an impossible task. So I’m surprised at how lacking in energy Supergirl manages to be. He plays it a bit too safe and doesn’t push any boundaries. A few emotional beats with Krypto hit well, but otherwise I had a hard time getting invested. Given the obvious visual similarities between this and Guardians of the Galaxy, I was worried that we’d get an insane amount of licensed music. It honestly doesn’t go too overboard, except for a cover during the final battle that feels so out of place, I questioned whether this was a temp track that just got left in.
Despite being disappointed, I still enjoyed my time with Supergirl. Alcock is so effortless in the role, and Momoa seems to be having the time of his life. I’m really hoping that this slight stumble doesn’t discourage others from checking out what other DC projects we have in the future. While it seems unlikely we’ll get a direct sequel, I’m excited to see Milly pop up in the future, as she feels like such a fully realized and dimensional character.
Supergirl is now playing In Theaters Everywhere! What did you think? Let us know in the comments!
The comment section exists to allow readers to discuss the article constructively and respectfully, focused on the topic at hand.
What’s Not Allowed