SUPERGIRL (Review)
Space Punks and Pirate Kidnappers and Krypto Poisoners
All throughout the month of June, SciFi Camp 🛸 writers have been sharing the theme ALIENS.
As we close out this month’s theme (ALIENS) and enter JULY’s (SUPERHEROES), I took my daughter to see SUPERGIRL on opening night (Wednesday for us). I recently introduced her to the latest iteration of SUPERMAN, and she liked it so much and was excited when she found out that Kara would be getting the next DCU film.
While SUPERMAN was a delightful hopecore action-adventure, SUPERGIRL is decidedly in a different tone and setting from her cousin’s film. While there were some interesting pocket dimension antics in SUPERMAN (2025), it was an earthbound film.
SUPERGIRL, however, takes the audience beyond our solar system and out into the galaxy with Kara, as she enjoys her 23rd birthday getting drunk under a red sun. It’s very easy to see that this isn’t the typical partying scene; Kara is trying to escape visions of her past, which is later revealed in flashbacks to the infamous fall and destruction of Krypton.
The main plot kicks into motion when a space brigand, Krem, kills a family for their weapons and then poisons Krypto, Kara’s loyal (and hyper) doggy companion.
It will be hard for general audiences, especially comic movie audiences, to completely ignore James Gunn’s artistic vision, even if he is not the Director of the film. So much of the film’s tone, setting, and action feels like Gunn’s trilogy of Guardians of the Galaxy films. Kara does read much like Nebula and Gamora in those films, especially early on. And the pirate villains are very akin to the Ravagers of the Guardians films. Kara’s wardrobe early on is also strikingly similar to Peter Quill’s costumes in the original Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).
These comparisons are the large background brush strokes, while the main heart of the film is Kara taking the brigand Krem’s first victim, Rhuthye, on her quest to get Krypto’s antidote (and perhaps stave off Rhuthye’s quest for revenge).
When I saw the original trailer for Supergirl, I immediately caught the gist of the story and knew how it would end.
She learns to honor her past, the trauma she endured with the deaths of her parents and her people, and she learns to be a hero - maybe not how Superman would want - but a hero nonetheless.
There are bits of alien fun throughout the film, with diverse species, technology, and the occasional oddity and voice cameos for which Gunn is known. Much like the Marvel films, especially the first Guardians film, the villains are a bit bare in terms of motivations and character depth, but you can easily cheer against them in the end. The true standouts are Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El/Supergirl and Jason Momoa’s Lobo, who is just begging for a series or film of his own after his brief appearances.
And David Corenswet returns as Superman in a few scenes, bringing the farmboy naivety, general good-natured warmth, and the emotional heart that made SUPERMAN (2025) so compelling, and which made me hope that SUPERGIRL would discover her true purpose in the galaxy (and in this new cinematic universe).
As a DC Comics film, it is an overall good time, entertaining, and presents new characters that bring new voices and counterpoints to the already established universe of characters from last year’s SUPERMAN. If you enjoyed SUPERMAN, you’ll find a lot to like here, while some of the emotional beats may not hit quite as hopeful in the end as Clark’s adventure.
I look forward to more from this universe, and I’m hoping to see it find its own unique vantage point apart from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Great review!