Our new cinematic universe from DC Studios continues with its second official film, Supergirl. Now, the iteration of Supergirl that this film elected to represent is not the Kara Zor-El that is known from the Silver and Bronze Ages of Comics. This Supergirl is heavily inspired by the Woman of Tommorow comics that debuted in 2021 and follows a more hardened, no-nonsense Supergirl dealing with the aftermath of the tragic end of the planet Krypton. By dealing, I mean going to planets with red suns, getting drunk, and picking fights before returning to her former glory. (Red suns make Kryptonians weaker while yellow suns empower them.) This film was also directed by Craig Gillespie who, thanks to his directorial work on films like Cruella and I, Tonya, is no stranger to stories with these types of protagonists. The story of the film follows Kara helping a young girl named Ruthye avenge her family after they’re brutally killed by the film’s villain, Krem of the Yellow Hills. Honestly, the first props I’ll give to this film is how well Milly Alcock portrayed this version Supergirl. From mannerisms to the character’s grief, they were performed as if she was ripped straight out of the comic, and her interactions with Ruthye were entertaining. Speaking of being ripped straight out of the comic, this film also features Jason Mamoa perfectly playing the iconic DC Comics character, Lobo, an immortal alien bounty hunter who has occasional run-ins with the Man of Steel. (Superman and Krypto the Super Dog, despite being used as a plot device, also make appearances in the film, which was nice to see.) The film’s lighthearted tone, the fun action scenes, and the film’s sci-fi elements such as seeing different planets and alien races made for a relatively entertaining watch. I will say, this film did leave a little to be desired in terms of dialogue, story pacing and the narrative itself. The narrative followed isn’t something we haven’t seen before as far as origin stories go, and the film’s faster pacing didn’t leave a lot of room for any nuance or alternative story choices. I definitely wish certain plot points and characters were in the film for a lot longer than they were. I also think the visuals themselves could’ve been slightly better. This was still a pretty serviceable entry in our new DC Universe canon, though, and I do look forward to seeing this iteration of Supergirl in future projects. Score: 6/10
Noah Robinson 