SUPERGIRL Review

Many people who are going to see Supergirl have seen an endless amount of superhero movies. We know the formula, the tropes, the way villains function. We've seen it all many times before. As these movies continue to be made, they really have to find ways to rise above that and stand out from the pack. Supergirl doesn't even try.

The film follows Supergirl herself, Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock), as she goes on a journey to find the antidote to a poison dart in order to save her dog Krypto. She is joined by Ruthye Marye Knoll (Eve Ridley), a young girl who is the last survivor of her family after the rest of them were killed by Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts), the same guy who shot Krypto.

Everything that works about the movie comes down to Milly Alcock, a perfect casting decision. She has a natural charm and presence that made me enjoy spending time with her character, even when nothing around her was that interesting. I hope we see her again in a better movie.

What doesn't work about the movie is everything else. Krem as a villain in particular is so beyond bland in a way you would think comic book writers would have moved past by now. He kills a family in the opening scene to set up Ruthye's character arc, and then he just kind of exists. He laughs because he's cocky. He's a big guy physically. That's about it.

Many things about the movie feel disconnected from each other. The second most interesting character after Kara herself is Lobo (Jason Momoa), a bounty hunter. He gets a couple moments to shine and is the only character whose comedic moments sometimes land. Yet, he feels so loosely integrated that the only issue with writing him out would be having one less person fighting for their side in action scenes.

There are sections in the middle that are just boring. There's one goal for these characters, and that goal gets interrupted for one reason or another, but the stakes feel like they could be bigger at almost all times. It's not as compelling for a feature length action movie as it wants to be.

Ruthye as a character is fine, but her motivation and drive is so one note. Eve Ridley does what she can with what little she is given, but it's not nearly as compelling as the depth Alcock is able to bring to Kara.

This all leads to a final act that's just bad from every account. It looks bad. There's nothing action wise you haven't seen before. Yet, that's all nothing compared to the needle drop that made me laugh at how much it makes the scene seem completely unserious.

Everything about the story needed to go through some workshopping. Thankfully Milly Alcock is there to save it from being a completely uninteresting slog.

🍿SCORE = 37 / 100