BACKGROUND:

Supergirl is the second feature film in James Gunn’s reconstituted DC Universe. Announced in 2023, it is based on the acclaimed comic miniseries “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow” by Tom King and Bilquis Evely (I highly recommend reading the comic after seeing the movie if you haven’t already). The film is directed by Craig Gillespie, his first feature since Dumb Money three years ago. Gillespie is best known for directing Cruella, I, Tonya, and Lars and the Real Girl. Ana Nogueira, known more as an actor and playwright than a screenwriter, penned the script. She is also collaborating with James Gunn on future Teen Titans and Wonder Woman projects.

Milly Alcock plays the titular character, Kara Zor-El. Fans of the extended Game of Thrones universe will remember Alcock as playing the young Rhaenyra Targaryen in the first two seasons of House of the Dragon. She is joined by Eve Ridley as Ruthye Marye Knoll in her feature film debut, Matthias Schoenaerts (a largely unknown Belgian actor) as Krem of the Yelllow Hills, Jason Momoa (Aquaman) as Lobo, David Krumholtz (The Duece) and Emily Beecham (Cruella) as Kara’s parents, and David Corenswet reprising his role as Superman from last year’s DCU blockbuster.

Supergirl opens in theaters on June 26th.

OPENING THOUGHTS:

My number one takeaway walking out of the theater last night was that Supergirl was a really fun time at the movies. At only 108 minutes, there was never a dull moment or a time when I glanced at my watch. The movie wastes no time diving into the plot: two traumatic encounters with Krem of the Yellow Hills in the first 20 minutes bring Kara and Ruthye together, and a ticking clock keeps the pace moving as the two hop from planet to planet in pursuit of Krem.

I am not the “action” guy who needs my superhero movie to be filled with wall-to-wall stunts, but I found the action in Supergirl well-defined and easy to follow, and much of it appeared to be done practically. Despite the movie taking place almost entirely on foreign planets, there was less noticeable CGI than I expected. After the ugliness of the proton river in Superman, I was braced for equally cringey effects, and pleasantly surprised at how good everything looked.

SUPERLATIVES:

Let’s start with the obvious- Milly Alcock is an absolute rockstar. The best thing I can say about the early days of the DCU is that James Gunn, Peter Safran, and casting director John Papsidera have hit several home runs with key characters- Corenswet as Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, and now Alcock as Supergirl. She perfectly embodies the character and nails every emotion that Kara goes through throughout the movie- from drunken mischief to ambivalence to anger and rage to scared to sick and dying. The movie hinges on the relationship between Kara and Ruthye, and despite minimal experience, Ridley holds her own opposite Alcock. The movie mostly avoids using Ridley as merely a damsel and gives her a few moments of her own to shine.

I will admit- I was highly skeptical of the decision to squeeze Jason Momoa’s Lobo into this movie (Lobo is not in the source material). I was even more skeptical that he could live up to the online hype surrounding his casting. And I was wrong. Momoa is delightful (and very clearly having the time of his life) and adds some much-needed levity to an otherwise pretty dark script. David Corenswet, like Momoa, is only in a handful of scenes, but he makes the most of them. The dichotomy between Superman’s optimism and Supergirl’s skepticism adds an important element to the movie.

I really appreciated the decision to forgo flashbacks in Superman to the destruction of Krypton, and Kal-El’s journey to Earth (something seen countless times before, like Bruce Wayne’s parents being murdered), and I think that pays off in Supergirl, where we do see flashbacks to Kara’s time on the planet. Seeing Krypton from a different perspective (and Kara’s subsequent time in Argo City) felt fresh.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT:

Now, for what didn’t work for me. For starters, the script is pretty pedestrian. I have seen other critics say this would have been a fine superhero flick 10 years ago, but the bar is higher today. I don’t know that I agree with that (a good movie is a good movie, full stop), but I can see fans of the comic or fans looking for a script that takes a few more risks left wanting more.

Krem is an utterly forgettable villain, bordering on cartoonish (there is one moment where I found myself laughing at the character). He serves his purpose in motivating Kara and Ruthye’s quest, but as soon as you leave the theater, you are never going to think about this character again.

Claudia Sarne’s score is pedestrian (I can’t think of a single memorable theme at the moment), which comes as no surprise- she was the third composer to board the project between December 2025 and March of this year. She did not have much time to turn in a completed score. Most of the needle drops worked for me, but there is one strange one during the movie’s climax that gave me flashbacks to Captain Marvel in 2018.

I appreciated that Supergirl was careful not to try to be DC’s version of Guardians of the Galaxy. That being said, I do wish there were a little more color to the planets featured in the movie (besides the different colors of their suns) and a little more differentiation to the planets in general. There was nothing distinct or memorable about any of them.

THE FINAL WORD:

Cinema needs more female heroes like Kara Zor-El. She is not perfect. She is messy. She struggles with her drinking. She is not sure how she fits on Earth, or in the universe. Then Ruthye enters her life, and through their journey together, she finds value in herself and a purpose. Milly Alcock is a star, and it is worth buying a ticket to Supergirl just to see her performance. Like Kara, the movie is not without its flaws. But also like Kara, the movie overcomes them and ultimately delivers exactly what a fun summer blockbuster should be.

8.5/10

-Greg