So, I eventually got a chance to watch this and boy it was not what I thought it was going to be, but in a positive way.
I'm sure most people have this image in their head of the "nicer" cousin, the sunny Superman of Supergirl. This movie puts that right down on its toes right away. Kara is a mess for Milly Alcock. She's a true mess, literally. She's out partying on planets that cancel out her powers solely to feel normal for five minutes while she tries to avoid literally everyone and run away from what happened to her home planet. It's a broken down version of the character and, um, honestly? I was here for it. Much funnier than another “Learning to be a hero” origin story.
When you break it down, the plot was pretty straightforward: A little kid named Ruthye wants to get rid of a space pirate that killed her whole family, and she basically drags/kidnaps Kara into helping her hunt him down. That's it. There's no stakes that would make the universe end, no huge CGI army in the sky, just revenge, and the little personal kind. I've heard a lot of people say "It's like True Grit" and it really does have that same 'angry kid and reluctant mentor' vibe running through it.
Alcock is really awesome. She plays the character of Kara as though she were older than she appears to be, but not physically (too young!), rather as though she had been through so much. It does a better job of selling the entire “watched her planet die as a teenager” story than just having characters say “I saw her planet die when I was still a teenager.” It's important to note that both Eve Ridley (as Ruthye) and Shawshank are really good against each other, otherwise the rest of the film with the two of them would be pretty boring.
I have one real beef.... the action, It's just... fine? There was nothing particularly brilliant in the big set-pieces but a couple of fight beats felt a bit floppy as if the director wasn't too comfortable with character stuff as he was with big spectacle. I don't think it barks up the wrong tree for a film, but if you're looking for some polished fights like those of "Superman" then temper with that.
I also got to enjoy that it didn't have to be a bit uncomfortable. It has heavier content here, loss and violence and other things that a lot of superhero films would shy away from for a PG-13 audience, and it adds a weight to the entire thing that a lot of superhero films lack.
In essence: if a showy, boisterous sound is what you're looking for, this may not be quite that dramatic. If you are looking for a well acted little revenge tale, a bit sad, a bit scrappy and the superpowers thrown in, this does. I walked out of it loving it more than I anticipated.
The movie is not flashy, but one hell of a lead performance, and lots of heart.
Rating: 70/100