Following the successful reboot of the DC Universe with James Gunn’s Superman, it’s fair to say that the second theatrical entry into this new super-universe, Supergirl, was an important landing to stick. The base of these massive superhero-led franchises has never quite had an issue with attracting audiences, but it’s once the universe starts to expand that can put people off.
Much like how 2008’s Iron Man set the table for the soon-to-be Marvel Cinematic Universe, Superman (2025) laid out the groundwork for this new collective world of favorite and also underrepresented characters from DC Comics. We meet Superman (obviously) along with a smattering of smaller-time heroes such as Mr. Terrific and Hawkgirl. It establishes the Earth where lots of this universe will take place, along with setting up the overall attitude towards superheroes and the crazy fantasy of this super-filled world.
Then, as Marvel did with the Guardians of the Galaxy, the use of characters to branch outside of our expected setting and into some galactic mayhem can be a way to fill in universal blanks, along with giving audiences a bit of a variation from what came before. Still a superhero movie, but with the creativity of the unknown outside of our world. While Guardians may have found success within this formula, Supergirl is too tethered to overdone tropes and poor filmmaking to make this variation effective.
Adapting Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s graphic novel, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, this new entry to the DCU finds Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl (Millie Alcock), spending her birthday week in a red sun galaxy far from Earth, drinking herself into a stupor alongside her beloved super-pup, Krypto. Kara eventually stumbles upon a young girl, Ruthye (Eve Ridley), seeking revenge against the murderous gang that killed her family. After initially rejecting Ruthye’s quest for vengeance, this murderous gang poisons Krypto, forcing Kara to join Ruthye.
As an adaptation of a highly regarded and critically acclaimed graphic novel, this was always going to be a tough story to match. Not only does Tom King explore vengeance in a mature and idiosyncratic way for a superhero story, but he also manages to add some significant emotionality to Kara’s narrative and her tumultuous search for a place of belonging. Though this wasn’t directed by Gunn, I was confused that he wouldn’t look to use some really important parts of this story and instead trade them out for aspects that either don’t match thematically or become a distraction.
The first major change that throws a wrench into this experience is the addition of Jason Momoa’s Lobo. While it’s clear he’s having a lot of fun and fits this role well, Lobo adds practically nothing to this story and mainly functions as a deus ex machina to help out Kara when she’s struggling. I’m sure he’ll eventually have a place within the larger DCU, but he just doesn’t work here.
The second would be the motivation of the Brigands, led by the vicious Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts). In Woman of Tomorrow, this gang (mostly just Krem) travels the galaxy in search of their next kill, finding a sadistic pleasure in the torture and murder of innocents, no matter the scale. Krem’s horrible exploits are touched upon in the novel to allow us a real sense of his terror and his inability to show sympathy and genuine emotional connection. Thus, when it comes to Krem finally facing retribution for all the innocent lives he’s taken for sport, Tom King is able to expand the emotional range of Kara, Ruthye, and Krem to find a satisfying ending for each character.
In the film, Krem and the Brigands run a galactic sex-trafficking ring of young girls instead. Certainly this is reprehensible and despicable behavior that would realistically happen in a galaxy such as this. But writer Ana Nogueira and director Craig Gillespie do nothing interesting with this idea, nor do they tie it in with Ruthye or Kara’s strife at all. It instead just feels like a background issue that becomes easily solved in the finale.
With that whole concept of Krem’s motivations left out, the final execution of this revenge plot finds zero originality. If you watch movies, I guarantee that you would be able to guess what happens even if you know nothing about these characters or this world. What could’ve been a poignant message on the cycle of violence and the ability time has to alter our mindset instead becomes a groan-inducing scene that Gunn should’ve heavily tweaked.
Still, I don’t want this to be seen as a critique of this movie solely as an adaptation. It’s just that when you have something really great, it’s hard to see it being messed with. Supergirl, however, finds plenty of its own faults in a lot of the craft going into the filmmaking. Alcock has her moments here, but plays Kara as woefully unlikeable and laconic towards everything. It certainly has to be a separation from Corenswet’s Superman, but it turns uninteresting instead of tortured.
So much of the action here, save the final sequence, is bathed in dim lighting and CGI incoherence. It becomes hard to tell what is happening as chains, fists, capes, lasers, and fire fly across the screen with no real sense of style. The needle drops feel out of place and none of the comedy lands, making so much of this feel like a James Gunn movie that was left in the microwave for too long.
Where Supergirl was actually working for me (aside from any time Corenswet appeared) was Kara’s story of Argo and the tragedy of what happened after the fall of Krypton. This 10-minute section feels like the only part with real stakes, genuine performances, and captivating world-building. Alcock finds her emotional sweet spot in this section alone and David Krumholtz as Zor-El brings enough gravitas to almost save this movie. If this section had been given more time to breathe, along with cutting out some other wasted elements outside of it, Supergirl might’ve had a chance.
Unfortunately, this isn’t doing any favors for superhero movies and especially for this shiny new DCU. Though I can’t imagine this genre taking a hit with two massive movies still to come this year, it’s hard to know what this will mean for female-led superhero films and attention outside of fan-favorite characters. Gunn’s plan seems to be this massive roster of characters from all over the DC map, but will studios force him to go the other way? Supergirl will certainly be an interesting talking point as it comes to the movie business. If only it were a more interesting movie itself.
The official ScreenAge Newsletter has arrived! Subscribe to receive a semi-regular round-up of all our exclusive content, including reviews, editorials, Top 100 lists, and more! C'mon, we know you want to venture further into the Wasteland with us!