After making a cameo in her cousin’s film, Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock) is back on the big screen for her own intergalactic adventure in Supergirl. Directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Ana Nogueira, the film follows Kara as she gets wrapped up in a revenge quest.
Her debut in Superman may have surprised fans who only know a version of the character with less swearing and drinking, but this film fully introduces this version of Supergirl. Yes, it starts with her on a multi-planet bender, but becomes something much more heartfelt as she gets recruited by Ruthye (Eve Ridley), an alien girl looking to avenge the murder of her family
Kara is not looking to play hero on her time off, but after Krypto’s life is put in danger by the psychopath who killed Ruthye’s family, Krem (played by a terrifying Matthias Schoenaerts), she joins her quest. Warning: If you’ve ever cared for a sick pet, this film can be a rough watch for a few scenes.
The story is based on the comic book Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, written by Tom King and illustrated by Bilquis Evely. While the film doesn’t always faithfully adapt that story, the structure still makes a great vehicle to explore, “Who is Kara Zor-El?”
Interspersed throughout the film is Kara’s origin growing up in Argo City after Krypton’s destruction and Argo’s own eventual demise (the story hews closer to her Silver Age origin than more recent origins that have her sent to Earth to take care of baby Kal-El). For all the colorful, action-packed, girl-power marketing, the film has a much darker, emotional story at its core.
Alcock is exceptional in her portrayal of Kara as a complicated hero who has suffered enormous loss in life and wears her pain on her sleeve like armor. As you watch her past and present unfold into her hero’s journey, you become emotionally invested and fall in love with Kara through Alcock’s simultaneously tough and vulnerable performance.
If Superman is about being an alien who is just as human as any actual human and who embraces Earth, Supergirl is about being an alien who doesn’t know what she is or where she belongs.
Her mission of being good over nice is a different kind of heroism than Clark Kent’s, but just as powerful and maybe more relatable. As a result, her hero moments are just as profound in the quieter scenes when she tries to steer Ruthye on a better path as they are in the needle-drop bad guy smackdowns (of which there are plenty).
While Supergirl may get five stars for character development, the overall plot is a little bumpier. Ruthye serves as a necessary mirror to Kara, and Ridley holds her own as a scene partner, but they’re forced to carry the film through too many tonal shifts.
Some attempts at humor fit awkwardly in the more serious plot, which features Krem’s pirates trafficking young girls, as the film progresses. It’s as if the studio saw the success of Superman and tried too hard to recreate that tone at times.
Which is not to say Supergirl is never successfully funny, it just fails when it tries to be funny in the same way as Superman. The exceptions, of course, are the scenes that actually feature David Corenswet’s awe-shucks Clark, which are a joy because of Clark’s hilarious contrast with Kara and because of Corenswet’s great brotherly chemistry with Alcock.
Another misstep is the inclusion of Lobo, which, despite Jason Momoa’s pinpoint casting, feels out of place in the film with only a flimsy plot reason. For the uninitiated, Lobo is a cartoonish-looking anti-hero alien bounty hunter who rides a motorcycle and chomps on cigars.
Some fans will be thrilled by the character’s appearance, but a general audience may be left scratching their heads, wondering why this guy, who isn’t the villain and doesn’t even know Supergirl, is here.
Fortunately, with a crisp run-time of an hour and 48 minutes, the film moves fast enough that the bumpy parts are already in the rearview before you can dwell on them too much. Supergirl is her own unique character with her own vibe, and when the movie fully embraces that, it soars.
Alcock more than proves herself as a necessary staple for the future of the DCU to come. For that, it’s worth watching Supergirl to understand why good can actually be super.
Supergirl arrives in theaters on June 26.