Film Review - Supergirl
Images courtesy of Warner Bros.
Last year, James Gunn reinstated faith in DC, launching the new DC Extended Universe (DCEU) with his take on Superman. It was a massive success critically and financially, and hinted at a promising future for this new superhero saga. One of those exciting promises came in the form of Milly Alcock’s Supergirl, a.k.a Kara Zor-El, whose sarcastic cameo at the end of Superman immediately offsets her squeaky clean cousin. Now, Kara gets her own solo outing one year later in Supergirl.
Celebrating her birthday with an intergalactic pub crawl, Kara hops from planet to planet where the red sun increases the effects of alcohol. Along for the joy ride is her super dog Krypto, who became the crowd-pleasing fan favourite for many viewers in Superman. One morning after one of her many hangovers, Kara is attacked by ruthless space pirate Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts), who shoots Krypto with poison and steals her ship. When Kara finds out she only has three days to save her little fur baby, she goes full John Wick and sets out to get the antidote off Krem. Along the way, her path crosses with young Ruthye (Eve Ridley), who is set on revenge after Krem murdered her entire family in cold blood. The two set out on a journey that forces Kara to confront past trauma that she has been masking for so long, which finally allows her to become the hero she is destined to be.
Luckily, Supergirl is another step in the right direction for this new version of DC, delivering a crowd-pleasing and highly entertaining superhero romp. A lot of this is due to the very fitting casting of Alcock, who brings charisma and spunk to Kara while also effectively portraying her more vulnerable and damaged side. The film does a great job at highlighting the difference between Supergirl and Superman, despite their shared blood, name and suit design. While David Corenswet’s hero sees the good in everyone, Kara is far more complicated and tortured.. Speaking of Corenswet, he gets a decent amount of screen time here, reminding viewers just how perfectly cast he is as Gunn’s more relatable and flawed version of the Man of Steel. However, he never steals the spotlight from Kara, and his presence works well in her story rather than feeling like unnecessary fan service. The film is much more mature and grittier in tone than Superman, with the majority of the action taking place in an apocalyptic wasteland with characters who look like they were pulled straight out of Mad Max. The action is sharp and inventive, and Jason Momoa is clearly having a hell of a good time playing mercenary Lobo, even if it feels like he is just playing himself at certain points (complete with his signature motorbike). What unfortunately just slightly halts Supergirl from reaching the heights of Superman is a weak and generic villain who fails in comparison to Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor, some questionable VFX and use of green screen, and certain predictability within the plot.
Despite this, Supergirl still manages to soar high enough to keep faith instilled in Gunn’s new universe. If the studio keeps heading in this direction, it appears there is a lot to look forward to for comic book fans.
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Supergirl is screening in cinemas from the 25th of June. For tickets and more info click here.