‘Supergirl’ – A No-Spoiler Review

‘Supergirl’ – A No-Spoiler Review

Tuesday night I had the opportunity to attend an early screening of the DC Universe‘s brand-new film, Supergirl, starring Milly Alcock.

We now live in a post-Avengers: Endgame world, where the superhero film space feels oversaturated, and the quality often falls short of the standard set by superhero films of the 2000s and 2010s.

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With James Gunn‘s 2025 film Superman, the genre (and DC) got a much-needed refresh with a film that didn’t take itself too seriously and yet took us on a fun flight into the new DC Universe’s bright future.

Supergirl, directed by Craig Gillespie, follows Superman‘s flight path by giving us another exciting film as the new DC continuity sets its foundation.

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While Supergirl doesn’t quite reach the heights of Superman, the film does exactly what it needed to do when it came to establishing its title character within its universe.

Gunn’s vision is evident in this space-centric flick, which feels familiar as it’s a spiritual cousin of sorts to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Guardians of the Galaxy.

What the Film Does Right

As I mentioned earlier, Supergirl does everything it needs to do as a full introduction for Kara Zor-El’s character.

It essentially picks up where Superman left off, establishing Alcock’s character as a young, jaded hero who feels lost in a galaxy where she hasn’t figured out where she belongs, contrasting with the sunnier disposition of her cousin, Clark Kent.

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Characters like Superman and Supergirl historically can feel a bit stiff and stuffy, but like Gunn did with the former, Gillespie pulls off making the latter feel grounded and human – superhuman strength, flight and heat vision aside.

Being a big fan of her turn as a young Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in Game of Thrones‘ prequel series House of the Dragon, I was very excited when Alcock was announced as Supergirl.

She stole the scene in the closing moments of Superman, giving fans a small taste of what her take on Kara Zor-El would be like, and after watching Supergirl, it’s clear DC nailed the casting.

Alcock truly makes the character her own, bringing an intriguing complexity to the role that’s not typically seen in live action from the character. She blends Kara’s emotional and at times bleak outlook on her situation with excellent comedic timing.

This allows Alcock to play off her fellow castmates well, which includes a newer DC character, Ruthye Marye Knoll, who was introduced in the 2021 DC Comics miniseries Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, from which the movie was adapted.

Ruthye, a young humanoid alien girl Kara encounters during her travels, is portrayed by Eve Ridley.

Recently, many films and TV shows in the sci-fi space have paired adult hero characters with often-annoying child characters (Bad Batch‘s Omega) that make infuriating decisions and drag the lead characters and the overall story down. Supergirl‘s Ruthye is not one of them.

Ruthye’s convictions are believable, and the story avoids making her the stereotypically insufferable child character that makes you question why Hollywood continues to do things like this.

Ridley’s “straight man” Ruthye pairs well with not just Alcock’s more comedic Kara, but Matthias Schoenaerts‘ devilishly evil and quirky Krem of the Yellow Hills and Jason Momoa‘s chaotic Lobo.

Yes, the alien bounty hunter Lobo’s long-awaited live-action film debut was worth the wait.

Momoa is no stranger to a DC-movie universe. While some fans may be skeptical of his inclusion given his recent portrayals of Aquaman, his turn as Lobo may go down as one of the best comic book castings in recent years.

Lobo’s inclusion in the space adventure that is Supergirl makes it feel like there’s a genuine DC universe away from Earth. I hope we get more of the wise-cracking alien.

As for the film’s pacing, it’s solid. Clocking in at just under two hours (1h 50m), Supergirl doesn’t really drag out scenes and keeps the story moving (from planet to planet).

Even flashback scenes, where some films can feel lost in the past, support the story as it moves forward, and help give the audience a fuller perspective on why Kara is the way she is.

What Could’ve Been Better

For as much as Supergirl gets right, it does not always fully separate itself from the superhero movies that came before it. The Guardians of the Galaxy comparison is hard to avoid, and while the film has its own identity, some of the cosmic-comedy beats feel familiar.

As I mentioned earlier, the movie works better as a character introduction than as a truly groundbreaking superhero story. Alcock’s performance carries a lot of the film, but the story around her is more solid than spectacular.

That does not make Supergirl a disappointment, but it does keep it from reaching the same level as Superman.

Conclusion

Supergirl isn’t going to shake the world of superhero movies to its core or turn it on its head – it doesn’t need to. It’s also not going to bog down the genre with another bad movie.

The film gives Kara Zor-El firm footing within the new DC Universe, and clearly separates her from her cousin Clark as her own interesting and intriguing character that I hope we see a lot more of.

In my mind, Supergirl proves Kara can support a story of her own on the silver screen, and play a key role in the expansion of Gunn’s universe.

It’s unfortunate that Supergirl’s box office may not reflect the quality of the fun and action-packed space adventure film that it is, based on recent projections.

It’s up against movies like Toy Story 5 and Jackass: Best and Last, superhero film fatigue and an economy where it may be harder for potential moviegoers to justify a ticket.

If you find yourself on the edge of what to do, I recommend you go see it. I give Supergirl three stars out of five. I can’t wait to see where Kara’s story goes.

Want to see more of my movie opinions? Check out my Letterboxd account here!