Supergirl, directed by Craig (Cruella) Gillespie and scripted by Ana (The Vampire Diaries) Nogeira, is part of producer James Gunn's WB/DC, revisionist track, and I forced myself to tackle it somewhat in the dark, since I'd heard that its Kara Zor-El star, Millie Alcott, said certain "weird, weird" things about it and didn't wish the content to get distracted by such. (A similar situation spoiled Gunn's Superman and Matt Shakman's Fantastic Four: First Steps for me.) So, did my blinders-on approach do the trick? Ah, maybe, but not really.
I mean, the movie isn't by any stretch substandard, but there's nothing extraordinary about it, either. It's just sort of there, using a Mad Max: Fury Road/Furiosa ambiance, though it never catches the roar-of-the-engine intensity of those entries (and for some viewers, the sporadic, dystopic turf may seem off-kilter for Supergirl, even under Gunn's much publicized redesign). The balance is viable at best, maybe even flat on occasion, and as I once said in regard to Marvel movies (i.e. Captain Marvel/The Marvels), the same goes for DC: Big-budget mediocrity shouldn't be the norm.
The story depicts our rambunctious Supergirl assisting Eve Ridley's incensed, alien girl, Ruthye Marye Knoll, who seeks revenge on Matthias Schoenaert's Kurgan-like, female-trafficking Krem of the Yellow Hills, who's killed the poor girl's family, led by her famous, sword-making father, Ferdinand Kingsley's Elias. Krem has also poisoned Krypto, thus sealing Kara's commitment to Ruthye's cause and embedding a western flavor similar to Sam Raimi's The Quick and the Dead (and to a lesser degree, Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven) and then, of course, the referenced Mad Max movies come into play, which are westerns in disguise, and well, you see where this is going on the atmospheric front.
David Corenswet's Superman enters to bridge the vengeful proceedings, which includes a lovely, how-they-met insert, and lo and behold, we also get Jason Momoa's scene-stealing, galactic-biker bounty hunter, Lobo, who interacts with Kara in pinch moments. However, despite his cowboy fortitude, the impact comes and goes, returning matters to the task at hand, where, alas, it evades the unbridled outrage and angst it needs to soar.
That's not the movie's most blaring misstep, though (and nope, it's not Kara's smartass attitude, for she does remain forthright for most of the yarn). It's the reinstated reminder that Jor-El and Lara sent Kal-El to Earth, not to guide its people, but to conquer them. (For Supergirl, Kara's parents, played by Kromhultz and Emily Beecham, affirm the intent via an Argo City flashback).
This altering additive didn't please me in Superman 2025, and Supergirl 2026 is no different. If the Jor-El/Lara gimmick isn't a Brainiac ruse (as some hoped and claimed it would be and maybe, just maybe, could still be), I despise it all the more. (I realize this startling stunt may seem hip within today's political scene, where even a blubbery Nazi can gain political fame in Maine, but the family disruption is way too jarring for Superman/Supergirl's established scheme and employed for no other cause than to reinvent the wheel, or so it seems. At any rate, it sure as hell doesn't prompt a purposeful, comparative point as in Michael Sarnoski's The Death of Robin Hood or for that matter, David Yarovesky's Brightburn, a demented, dark-side Superman, coproduced by Gunn.) So, what's next, a prequel set prior to dad and mom goosestepping little Kal-El to his stellar pod? Yeah, Earth's radical constituency would applaud that, I bet.
Oh, well, there's not much more I wish to say about this one, beyond the fact that, though it has a decent premise, a tried-and-true, revenge component, groovy music, cool creatures and a strong, mean climax, its ponderous padding weighs it down. In other words, it should have been a whole lot better, and its a super-damn shame that it's not. 🦸
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