Supergirl marks the second film in the DC Universe behind Superman. It tries to be a goofy, predictable superhero movie and it succeeds intermittently but overall it’s uneven and routine instead of being daring and exhilarating.
It stars Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El who is jaded and cynical lives with her dog Krypto. Kara a.k.a. Supergirl is very much a loner but her cousin Superman (David Corenswet) checks on her from time to time to make sure she stays out of trouble.
Kara crosses paths with a young girl named Ruthye (Eve Ridley) who wants revenge against members of an alien race known as the Brigands who deal in piracy. Matthias Schoenaerts costars as Krem, the leader of the Brigands who is responsible for killing Ruthye’s parents.
Kara becomes a reluctant hero to Ruthye but also has to save Krypto after Krem attacks the canine and she has three days to save him.
The movie takes a conventional route with its plot as it shows Supergirl’s backstory which is very similar to Superman’s as her home planet faces extinction. This sequence is one of the few that works as the characters are given enough screen time for us to understand Supergirl’s backstory and why she chooses to be such a cynical loner.
Alcock does a fine job of making Supergirl a sardonic kind of superhero and she brings moments of charm with Krypto that are genuinely effective. Her performance deserves a better movie.
Supergirl has two problems that go against it: It isn’t much fun and it relies on being formulaic for much of its runtime. The action sequences are surprisingly few and far between which is a blessing because at least it wants to do something besides being loud and chaotic. However more of an anarchaic approach might have been a good idea as it saves its action for two or three sequences that are not that invigorating for this kind of material.
Supergirl aims to soar but it barely gets off the ground and this character deserves so much more and better.
Grade: C+
(Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, action, language, and smoking.)
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