A cosmic retelling of “True Grit” with DC Comics’ Maid of Might in the Rooster Cogburn role, “Supergirl” is ultimately fine. Director Craig Gillespie turns in a film that is often entertaining, frequently funny, and occasionally touching. It’s also more than a bit clumsy, overly muted, and poorly edited (particularly the fighting scenes). While those detriments certainly take away from the overall impact of “Supergirl,” it’s not enough to drown out the good or to overpower the fun that is on display. I’m not sure how much staying power it will really have on my mind, but it is possible this could be a more formative space opera experience for a younger viewer.
Kara (Milly Alcock) is the OTHER (less famous) last survivor of Krypton. Along with her dog, Krypto, she was sent to Earth many years after her (more famous) cousin Superman arrived. But she doesn’t feel at home on our planet, and besides it’s impossible to get drunk due to our yellow sun. So, on her birthday week, she jumps in a spaceship and goes on an intergalactic pub crawl to some places that orbit a red sun in order to get properly hammered. On one such planet, she runs into Ruthye (Eve Ridley), an orphan looking for revenge against Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts) for killing her family. Of course Kara is reluctant to join, but when Krem poisons Krypto, she pursues the brigand across space to retrieve the antidote (and possibly dole out justice, if that’s convenient).
“Supergirl” does some fantastic world(s)building in a brief time. In addition to this version of Earth and Krypton (well, Argo City anyways), multiple planets and many species of creatures are introduced. The movie frequently feels like the Mos Eisley Cantine scene from “Star Wars” writ large across many bars and a bus and more. As a kid that always loved that scene, and any assembly of weird creatures like in Jabba’s palace of “Return of the Jedi” or the castle in “The Neverending Story,” child me would absolutely love what is done in “Supergirl.” Aliens both practical and CG are shown but never explained (nor should they), inviting the imagination to spin off and wonder about all of these magnificent characters, most of whom are just on screen for a few seconds with few getting any actual dialogue. And yet, that’s the sort of throwback magic that helps propel Gillespie’s film to feel like a truly cosmic adventure.
Alcock is perfect as Kara. She is not Superman. She is not Clark Kent. She is a mess in so many ways, literally with her unkempt hair and living in filth in her spaceship, and figuratively as she still mourns so much loss and feeling utterly adrift in the universe. You buy her as a fierce warrior, a reluctant protector, and—most profoundly—a broken person that is trying to figure it all out. While Ridley is a good counterpart to Alcock with her steadfastness and unwavering views (not to mention longwindedness), it’s actually David Corenswet’s Superman that is Kara’s true foil. I’ve seen people discuss that Krem is a lackluster villain and I disagree: he’s not the Big Bad of Kara’s life. He’s just another bastard in a long string of bastards that thinks he’s important—but ultimately will be forgotten by most except his living victims. He needn’t be the antithesis to Kara because Kara already has a nemesis: Life is the Big Bad of Kara’s life, with waves of tragedy and alienation leading her into destructive behavior. That’s what haunts her, causes her to second guess herself, or retreat from responsibility. And all of that is captured very well by Alcock and the screenplay.
Speaking of the script for “Supergirl,” by Ana Nogueira: it is very heavily based on the mini-series “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow” by Tom King, Bilquis Evely, and Mat Lopes (which itself was clearly inspired by “True Grit” in all its incarnations). But there are many departures from the overall setup so it would still be rewarding to read. One aspect where “Supergirl” is different from the book is simply lighting—too much of the film is too dark (literally, not in terms of tone) in contrast to the mini-series which was illustrated in vivid colors. The darkness is probably a budgetary thing (or maybe it is a tonal attempt by Gillespie and DP Rob Hardy), but it really weakens some of the action sequences and results in some pretty ugly frames. This is worsened by horribly choppy editing during the fights, which becomes distracting and annoying rather than feeling more kinetic or impactful. A fight shot with a poorly lit lens cut to ribbons is not particularly engaging and ends up dragging the film down.
It’s pretty ironic that “Supergirl” constantly stumbles over itself and is never able to fully soar, as that’s basically the main thrust of the film (albeit with a better outcome). For example, there are a bunch of needledrops (some diegetic) and most of them work fairly well—until one of the last ones which is truly jarring and awful. The resolution of the main conflict feels weightless compared to the soulbaring and handwringing that came before it. And yet, it’s hard not to be entertained by so much of “Supergirl.” The performances are excellent, the character and production design are all awesome, and there’s a real story being told that works in both contrast and complimentary to “Superman” (2025). Gillespie and company did a great job building the world and crafting a story that, while it’s a shame they make so many flubs in telling it, I’m still curious to see what happens next.
3.5 / 5 Stars
Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Milly Alcock, Eve Ridley, Matthias Schoenaerts, Jason Momoa, David Corenswet
