Supergirl Review

Supergirl, the second film in the DCU franchise, has met with mixed reviews and is currently projected to lose Warner Bros $85-125 million, but is it really that bad?

Well, first we need to get the depressing bit out of the way. In his article, 'Supergirl Burned Up Entering the Manosphere', John Pavlovitz writes, 'Supergirl opened this weekend to disastrous box office numbers, but its fate was sealed long before that, and it has very little to do with the quality of the film...A fierce torrent of dudebro think pieces, panel conversations, and supposed scoops flooded social media...YouTube accounts such as Nerdrotic Daily and Geeks + Gamers, whose stable of mortally insecure, insufferable incels have been among the most ruthlessly attacking the actress in an effort to grow their already massive viewership among other easily-lured young men weaned on Conservative sexism and toxic masculinity.'

The cultural problems affecting cinema right now are large enough to dwarf Rao, the red sun orbited by Krypton. Pixar cancelled Be Fri because, as Pop Culture Detective explains it, 'Disney executives were essentially terrified. Terrified that young boys wouldn't be able to see themselves in a story about young girls.' Males shouldn't just be cheering on female superheroes; we should be identifying with them. We should be appreciating women and female-presenting people, and the feminine qualities within ourselves. The shit so many men and boys are listening to these days is trying to dehumanise and subjugate their sisters.

One of the ways you can tell that the criticism of Supergirl has been disingenuous is the incessant targeting of Milly Alcock, who plays the titular hero. Her performance is one of the best things about the film. She's witty, flawed, grieving, haunted, powerful, emotionally authentic, a lost soul, and has a badass attitude that separates her from her wholesome cousin. Unlike Superman, she's had a hard life, but she's expected to fight with everything she has for a universe that's treated her poorly. Just as David Corenswet is perfectly cast as Superman, Milly Alcock faultlessly embodies Supergirl.

Superman wasn't a perfect film (to hear Alice and I discuss the 2025 movie, click here now!) and Supergirl actually has even more problems. Although its based on the sumptuously colourful Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, the new film has a dirgy palette, and ugly, generic CGI backgrounds. Its ironic that the Snyder Bros hate James Gunn's new universe, because the dusty, grubby alien worlds of Supergirl are reminiscent of the landscapes in 300, Sucker Punch and Batman v Superman. You might hope that Supergirl's suit would pop against such a drear background, but frustratingly, she doesn't wear it until the end of the film.

When Alcock finally does don the blue, red and yellow, the effect is magnificent. A lot of incel ire has been directed at her appearance but, at the risk of sounding unprofessional, I thought she looked cool, stunning and sexy (Like Aimee Lou Wood, Alcock receives a lot of unwarranted grief about teeth that are charming and cute AF- not that negativity about an actor's appearance is ever warranted). Like Corenswet, she looks like she just stepped from the pages of a comic book, a symbol of hope kicking ass. Much of the action in Supergirl is muddled and lacking impact, but it definitely improves in the third act. Supergirl's companion throughout the film, Ruthye (Eve Ridley), is finally given something to do after standing still for much of the film while Supergirl fights (sometimes offscreen!).

Ruthye is a sympathetic character, the cub to Supergirl's lone wolf. Her mission of vengeance (a much-needed break from the usual superhero mission of saving the entire world/universe/multiverse) seems lifted straight from True Grit, one of the handful of westerns I've been engaged enough to watch all the way through. The result of her mission is spoiled in the first few pages of the book, but is mercifully left unspoiled in the film. Ridley's Ruthye also isn't annoying, unlike her comic book counterpart, whose formal, verbose narration is my least favourite aspect of Woman of Tomorrow (if that's not the quacta calling the stifling slimy). The only time I felt irritated was when she suggested becoming a swordsmith like her father, when it has already been established that brigands inevitably seize control of such weapons and use them to terrorise the universe. Refreshingly, there is no romance in this film; instead at its heart is a burgeoning friendship. I do feel that Supergirl and Ruthye work better as a team in the book; the feeling of sisterhood between them only really happens at the end of the movie.

The additional mission to save other women trafficked as 'brides' makes sense for them as symbols of girl power and fits the Mad Max milieu. In Woman of Tomorrow, Supergirl remedies many more injustices, but these are understandably omitted to keep the movie under two hours long. Superman also addressed real-world issues, in an era when its important to gently guide viewers towards compassion and critical thinking.

Unlike Superman, there are no mid-credits or post-credits scenes in Supergirl, which caused everyone in our cinema screen to groan after waiting for them to arrive. Aurally, Superman is also the superior movie. The needledrops in Kal-El's 2025 outing didn't live up to the jukebox treats of James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy, but far exceeded the music of Supergirl, which didn't even include the trailer tracks, 'Call Me' by Blondie and 'What Becomes of the Broken-hearted' by Jimmy Ruffin. The score is forgettable, and doesn't inspire in the way John Murphy's did (albeit mostly thanks to reworking John Williams' 1978 theme).

What does carry over from last year's blockbuster is the inclusion of Superman and Krypto the Superdog, who both elevate the movie whenever they appear (We also fleetingly meet Lobo, played with scenery-chewing delight by Jason Momoa). In Supergirl, we spend time on Krypton too, in emotional scenes that give Kara Zor-El a clear arc that works thematically. Where in Superman, the hero's birth parents were villains, here we are presented with a mother and father doing everything they can to save their city and their daughter.

As you can see, Supergirl is a mixed bag, almost as much of a hot mess as Kara herself. By retooling the dialogue (which often sounds very first draft), and improving the visuals (there are so many interesting planets in the DC Universe we could have visited- also a good opportunity for a bit of fan service), it would be much more fun to revisit, as I have found myself doing with Superman.

Did Supergirl deserve the poor box office? No. Last year, Avatar: Fire and Ash and Captain America: Brave New World made more than twice their budgets back, and neither were good films. Supergirl has already stayed with me longer than either of them and, thanks to Alcock's winning performance and rapport with Corenswet, I'm super excited to see Supergirl return in Superman: Man of Tomorrow in 2027.