Supergirl is a movie that works perfectly as a family outing, and it can be fun and hilarious for the little ones at home. On the other hand, older audiences view it differently; knowing the history it is based on, its background, and the artists, directors, and writers in charge of its development, we build higher expectations that can lead to disappointment.
Following the success of the latest and newest Superman film in the new DC universe, it is expected that whatever comes next will be just as good or better. At the end of that movie, Kara Zor-El was introduced, who in this new story spends her time hopping between red sun planets just to get drunk. Accompanied by Krypto the dog, she goes through an existential crisis because she survived while her parents did not, due to kryptonite contamination that infected a remnant of her people.
Her disastrous lifestyle is interrupted when some crooks steal her ship and poison Krypto, forcing her to chase them down to get the antidote. She becomes tied to a young girl who wants revenge because those exact same thugs murdered her family. The two of them set off on a search, turning it into an adventure full of pain, hatred, and discovery.
All of this sounds great as a premise, but unfortunately, it is not innovative. It uses a trope we have been seeing for decades, making the movie feel like it does not quite work. Perhaps it would have worked really well twenty years ago when superheroes were not so abundant, but it feels like it takes pieces from other movies—it even felt like I was watching a Guardians of the Galaxy sequel.
I think Craig Gillespie tried, but he missed the mark here. He is famous for telling stories about characters with dark humor, but none of them were superheroes. He wanted to apply that trend to this film, turning Kara into an antihero when in the comic, Woman of Tomorrow, which it is based on, she is noble and inspiring. He created a cynical character who decides to put aside her near godlike powers just to feel pain, which seemed like a misstep to me.
I must confess I liked the inclusion of Lobo in this story, and I thought the casting was spot-on with Jason Momoa. When he appears, I finally started enjoying the movie right when I was beginning to get bored with Supergirl's rebellious teenager attitude, bringing chaos and comedy. I would have liked them to give him more screen time.
Milly Alcock does not do a bad job at all, in my opinion. Despite the hate she has received for her physical appearance on social media, I think the character fits her well. Overall, it is an average movie that can be fun if you watch it without thinking about whether the adaptation is faithful to the original story.
Media from TMBD gallery
Rating: 70/100