Supergirl (dir. Craig Gillespie)

By: Dave Hughes

James Gunn has been handed the monumental task of rebooting the entire DC Universe, a venture that kicked off successfully with the critical and fan acclaim of Superman. The next major checkpoint in this cinematic overhaul is Craig Gillespie’s Supergirl. This film chronicles the journey of Superman’s cousin, Kara Zor-El, tracking her turbulent arrival on Earth as she comes to terms with questions surrounding identifying  her true home. Unfortunately, despite some strong individual elements, Supergirl ultimately fails to construct a cohesive narrative, leaving the audience with an absence of any genuine stakes in which they can invest.

Kara’s arc creates an interesting dynamic where Director Gillespie is tasked with addressing her tragic backstory while simultaneously exploring her current crisis of faith regarding her geographic identity. Kara’s journey becomes deeply intertwined with a young girl named Ruthye, played by Eve Ridley(The Witcher), whose family was  decimated by the villainous Krem. Seeking retribution, Kara and Ruthye team up to track down the ruthless antagonist and his crew. Throughout this journey, Gillespie weaves in frequent flashbacks, utilizing Kara’s past memories to demonstrate vital lessons learned along the way.

Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon) is fantastic as Supergirl, bringing a vibrant energy and nuanced depth to a character who may be unfamiliar to mainstream moviegoers. She possesses a distinct spunk that highlights her total dedication to the role, creating an unconventional hero capable of going toe-to-toe with David Corenswet’s Superman. Audiences will undoubtedly be eager to see the two characters team up in future installments. In his limited screen time, Corenswet (Pearl, We Own This City) is also excellent, proving to be an immensely personable and likable Man of Steel. Even though his brief appearances feel somewhat forced into the narrative, he shines. On the other hand, Jason Momoa's appearance as Lobo is a mixed bag; while Momoa (Aquaman, Minecraft) is clearly having fun, his over-the-top performance frequently falls flat and feels a bit too cartoonish for a film like Supergirl.

It is a profound shame that the narrative structure of Supergirl fails to match Alcock’s exceptionally strong performance. The movie feels incredibly disjointed, struggling to establish any sense of rhythmic flow. Certain scenes drag on far too long, while other pivotal moments are never granted the necessary time or space to breathe. This fragmented execution ultimately prevents the audience from feeling the true emotional weight or high stakes of the situation. The plot is further hampered by an incredibly weak villain in Matthias Schoenaerts’ Krem. Deprived of any meaningful backstory or clear motivations, the stakes end up feeling less like an epic space adventure and more like a localized brawl in a biker bar, carrying zero impact on the outside world.

There are also some highly perplexing musical choices scattered throughout Supergirl. The climactic battle scene features one of the more jarring song selections in recent memory, instantly pulling the audience out of the story's setting. When it comes to comic book movie soundtracks, directors can take their films in many creative directions, and Gunn himself is famous for his pitch-perfect musical curation in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). Unfortunately, Gillespie’s needle-drops throughout this film are absolute headscratchers, actively deflating the stakes rather than heightening them.

Target Score 5/10: Despite a highly memorable breakout performance by Milly Alcock, Supergirl  is anything but due to severe issues with plot and pacing. While there is still plenty of long-term hope for the future of DC Studios, it is clear that a much stronger script was needed to give this hero the cinematic outing she truly deserved.