Last year’s Superman was a breath of fresh air and a strong start to James Gunn’s new DC Universe. Gunn has made it clear that his vision for the franchise is to remain filmmaker-driven. While I’m still excited to see the different creative styles that lie ahead, Supergirl demonstrates that not every distinct vision will be as memorable as its predecessor. Craig Gillespie’s punk-rock take on the superhero genre has flashes of personality, but it ultimately leaves a far less lasting impression.
Based on Tom King’s acclaimed Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, the film reintroduces Kara Zor-El, better known as Supergirl (Milly Alcock). Like her Kryptonian cousin Kal-El, also known as Clark Kent (David Corenswet), she possesses extraordinary abilities fuelled by Earth’s yellow sun, including flight, super-strength and near invulnerability. Unlike her cousin, whom she semi-affectionately describes as a “nerd,” Kara is brash, impulsive and deeply jaded.
Instead of finding a place to call home, Kara would rather celebrate her 23rd birthday by getting wasted on planets with power-neutralizing red suns. During one of her benders, she crosses paths with Ruthye Marye Knoll (Eve Ridley), a young girl seeking revenge after her entire family is killed by space pirate Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts), leader of the Brigands.
“Supergirl demonstrates that not every distinct vision will be as memorable as its predecessor.”
At first, Kara wants nothing to do with Ruthye’s quest. That changes when Krem steals her ship and hits her dog, Krypto, with a poisoned arrow. With only three days to retrieve the antidote hanging from Krem’s neck, Kara reluctantly joins forces with Ruthye to track him down.
In the same way David Corenswet was perfectly cast as Superman, Milly Alcock is a great fit for Supergirl. Even though Kara is a decade younger than Clark, she has been through her share of trauma, mainly the mass death she witnessed after escaping the remains of Krypton. The gentleness of the Kryptonians in those flashbacks somewhat contradicts the warmongering reveal from Superman, but I read it as Kryptonian lives being as messy and complicated as human ones. Kara is still charming and has a sense of good in her, but she is too busy drinking to avoid dealing with her emotions.
It is a compelling arc for the character, and Alcock delivers a strong, nuanced performance. I also appreciated that the film does not rely on galaxy-threatening stakes or universe-altering MacGuffins. It is simply a personal story of revenge. The story has more in common with True Grit than The Avengers. Along the way, Kara and Ruthye cross paths with badass intergalactic bounty hunter Lobo. Yes, it is Jason Momoa playing the hard-drinking blowhard he often plays, but he is a natural fit for the character. He is only in it for a few sequences, but he is a lot of fun to watch.
Unfortunately, none of the other characters are nearly as strong as Kara or as fun as Lobo. Eve Ridley is merely fine as Ruthye. Her character does not get much to do beyond reciting the same monologue ad nauseam, and there is never a point where she feels fully realized. The only moment when that seems to happen comes completely out of nowhere. Even worse, Krem might be the most generic comic book villain of the past 20 years. Despite a distinctive look that recalls Mads Mikkelsen with more than 100 face piercings, Krem is forgettable the second he steps off-screen. Matthias Schoenaerts tries to bring some chaos to the role, but none of it amounts to much.
“I wanted to love Supergirl, and Milly Alcock is strong enough in the role that I very much want to see this character return.”
Supergirl’s biggest problem is that Craig Gillespie does not have a particularly distinctive voice. His persistent reliance on needle drops, which seem to arrive every few minutes, often makes the film feel like a lesser Guardians of the Galaxy. There is a particularly awful cover of Jimmy Eat World’s The Middle that had me rolling my eyes. The film may have a grungier, Mad Max-inspired aesthetic than Guardians, but outside of a few stunning shots, Rob Hardy’s cinematography looks shockingly bland and, at times, too dark to see much at all.
It does not help that a large portion of the action is sloppily edited, especially the close-quarters brawls in the first two acts. I was also frustrated by the constant stops and starts whenever Supergirl is about to let loose, only for the film to hobble her abilities with some form of kryptonite or poison moments later.
The big third-act set piece on top of the Brigands’ ship is the best action scene, but even that is still pretty messy. Finally, while the contradiction surrounding Krypton did not take me out of the film, a major change from the comic definitely did. For many viewers, it will feel as baffling as Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, and not in a good way.
Ultimately, I wanted to love Supergirl, and Milly Alcock is strong enough in the role that I very much want to see this character return. Unfortunately, nearly everything around her is as generic as a superhero flick can be.
