The second film in what James Gunn and Peter Safran call “Chapter One: Gods and Monsters” in the new DC cinematic universe is Supergirl. This was a fairly bold choice given her place behind other top heroes that fans may be more excited for, but given that Gunn is best known for bringing the lesser-known Marvel property Guardians of the Galaxy to the forefront of the MCU with superb storytelling, direction, acting and soundtracks, his decision to take things in a different direction isn’t overly shocking.
While this did work out for him in the MCU and he is the one mapping out the overall plan for DC Studios (alongside Safran), he’s not the one writing and directing every movie; so, while he’s far from the only one capable of making a strong superhero film, Supergirl is the first – and early – casualty of too many cooks in the kitchen. There were reports of the studio taking control in post-production after poor test screenings, causing Director Craig Gillespie to have to fight the studio for various things he believed should make the final cut. While some additional scenes were shot, reports also state that there weren’t any major differences between the two visions that would’ve drastically changed what we received as the final product.
Now, I’ll start by saying that there are truly some great moments in Supergirl that showcase the spectacular casting of Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El. We got a glimpse of her in the role during a cameo in Superman, but here she really captures the trauma that Kara had to deal with growing up on a dying shell of Krypton, unlike her cousin Clark who was sent to earth as a baby when the initial destruction of the planet began. Her greatest nemesis is the grief that she does battle with every single day, attempting to drown it out through isolation and pub crawls on planets without a yellow sun. This is handled fairly well in the story, however, it’s Alcock who is to thank for really hammering home the emotional toll that Kara has weighing her down, as the movie has a hard time honing in on the tone it wants to take.
The story being told in Supergirl is one where the subject matter is much more real than we’re used to in comic book movies. Yes, superheroes are often saving the world from a major threat that would kill millions, but there’s something so generic about that plotline that it’s easy to ignore the wider scope. Sure, the world is at stake but the hero just needs to focus on stopping this one bad guy and all will be fine. There’s less of a human aspect to it and so the overall threat just seems run-of-the-mill and we don’t look at it much deeper than “another day at the office” for Superman or whomever it may be.
In Supergirl the bad guys are an all-male race of space pirates called the Brigands who abduct women and girls from various planets so that they can continue to repopulate their dwindling species. This is a horrifying and much darker than the usual “world domination” that we’re used to because human trafficking is something we actually see in the news on almost a daily basis. This makes the stakes just seem more real and because of this – and I’ll just speak for myself here, but I’d wager many feel the same – you just want to see Supergirl unleash hell upon them all any chance she gets.
So when you give a film with a story like this the limitations of a PG-13 rating, we go from being amped to seeing Supergirl dispense Liam Neeson Taken-esque justice on these evil bastards to just watching her bop them on the head and slam them into walls time and time again. I do get that Kara has a moral code that she strives to live up to, so while I’d love to see her tear these guys in half, I know that she doesn’t view herself as judge, jury and executioner. I’m not saying she has to kill them either, but I’d like the action sequences to reflect the severity of what these monsters are doing. They murder families in cold blood without a second thought (this we actually see multiple times, though it’s done in a very PG way or from a distance) and then abduct young women, so playing a pop song while Kara zips around and throws a few punches that does nothing more than temporarily inconvenience these monsters before they go off to do it all again just doesn’t land the way it should.
The movie is based off the comic book miniseries “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow” and in that the Brigands aren’t an all-male race abducting women to survive, but simply ruthless space pirates who do what they like and kill who they want. In the comic, Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts), kills the father of Ruthye (Eve Ridley) who wants revenge. She pleads with Kara to help her, but knowing the dark path it will lead Ruthye down, Kara refuses. It isn’t until after Krem shoots Krypto with a poison-tipped dart that Kara agrees to hunt him down. The story in the film is pretty much the same, though Ruthye’s entire family is killed, and while Krypto isn’t in a life-or-death scenario after being shot in the comic, in the film Kara has three days to get the antidote from Krem or else. With all that being said it honestly would’ve been better to have left out the human trafficking element altogether, kept the Brigands as murderous pirates and focused on the relationship between Kara and Ruthye to do the heavy lifting, as it’s the emotional scenes between the two where the movie is strongest and shows what could have been.
It doesn’t help that this pirate group comes off as a bunch generic henchmen, with Krem being the only one to be given any real character – and to be honest, even though we’re introduced to him like he’s known galaxy-wide for his evil doings – his character depth never goes beyond “generic leader of generic bad guys who abduct women.” They never come off as anything but a group of thugs that you’d expect the hero to dispense of in the opening credits of a film, not have to deal with over the course of its entirety.
Writing a Superman or Supergirl story isn’t the easiest thing to do, as they’re super! It’s in their name! They’re so powerful that creating something that’s an actual threat to them takes work. Here they do a good job of having Kara’s powers often being in a weakened state due to the lack of a yellow sun on some planets or the tried-and-true kryptonite angle, so having the antagonists just be a gang of men with superhuman strength is doable (though my god do they push the limits of how many times a bad guy will wait that extra moment before delivering a kill shot just so the hero can stop them). And had they not added the fact that the Brigands abduct and eventually sexually assault women and girls, then the movie being PG-13 and Kara zipping around throwing them through walls or punching them in slow motion to the beat of a song would’ve been a bit more fitting.
I haven’t even mentioned Lobo (Jason Mamoa) yet! I’m a huge advocate of studios focusing on the movie at hand, even if they’re planning to build a cinematic universe around it. Plant some minor seeds, or better yet just add a post-credit scene and let the movie do its own thing unless we’re deeper in and things are already established, like with Captain America: Civil War. But most importantly, develop the lead character(s) in the story you’re telling properly and make audiences want to see more of them in the future. Mamoa is great as Lobo and, again, I feel he would’ve worked a bit better had they not gone the human trafficking route with the Brigands because every time Lobo is on screen he’s bringing comedic relief that doesn’t really lend itself to the darker theme that was brought into this loose adaptation. As good as he is in the role his inclusion feels rather shoehorned in as a way of introducing him to audiences before he gets his own movie and probably should’ve simply been revealed in a post-credit scene having “lost a bounty” or something because of what Kara had done at some point in the film.
Supergirl is something fresh and new and I was excited when it was announced as its great to have more strong female superheroes out there; however, while Spider-Man Brand New Day shows that the right superhero movie can still perform incredibly at the box-office, we are long past the days when any movie with a superhero in it was almost a guaranteed moneymaker. And while many fans were likely looking forward to it, Supergirl doesn’t have the automatic drawing power that Superman or Batman have, so she needs a strong film behind her that garners positive word of mouth and lasting appeal. Sadly, while the framework is there to have delivered that and Alcock does more heavy lifting than even Supergirl could be thought to handle to salvage what she can, the end result is a movie that never finds its footing tonally and suffers because of it.
To misfire on bringing to life what many consider the definitive Supergirl story and what will be the introduction to the character for many moviegoers is quite unfortunate. It’s by no means a bad movie; it’s just also not the great movie that it had the chance to be given the source material and quality actors involved. I do have faith that Alcock will get to shine again in a supporting sense in other DC projects, but after this outing, I’d think it’ll unfortunately be quite some time before the thought of another solo flight comes to fruition.
4K Blu-ray Video and Audio Review:
Unsurprisingly, the 4K native transfer done here is, well, super. The 2160p/Dolby Vision/HDR10 delivery makes both the good and bad shine gloriously in your living room. The film’s colour palate has wide array of colours, helping give each planet a unique feel for the most part. The blacks are deep and rich, with the battle that takes place in outer space really popping where it should against the darkness. We’ve also got plenty of darker scenes on planets also where the shadows play their part nicely thanks to the work done here.
The audio side of things is also top tier, with the Dolby Atmos mix just filling up whatever room you’re watching it in if you have the sound system to allow it. The dialogue is clean, clear, front and center, which is good because there are loads of explosions and sound effects coming from all angles, and the soundtrack puts you in the middle of a rock concert time and time again. While you can take points away from the movie itself, there’s no denying that Warner Bros. has a strong handle on how to bring entertainment home for the fans.
Special Features:
Flying Off the Page – We start with an 11-minute featurette that sees Gunn and screenwriter Ana Nogueira take center stage, with other cast and crew sprinkled throughout, to talk about adapting such a big Supergirl story.
Girl’s Best Friend – This is a quick featurette just over 5-minutes in length that focuses on Krypto and his role in the film, bringing him to life and so forth.
A Practical Legacy – This is another 11-minute featurette that focuses on the practical effects that were used throughout the film, which is always great to see in a time where CGI reigns supreme.
The DC Dream: Lobo – Here we get an almost 7-minute featurette that talks about Lobo, Mamoa taking on the role, and so forth.
Showdown at Evely Square – This one comes in at just over 8-minutes in length and breaks down one of the action sequences I mentioned above that just doesn’t fit the tone of the film.
Space is a Bad Neighborhood, Babe – This one comes in at just under 11-minutes in length and sees the cast and crew talk about bringing various alien worlds to life over the course of the movie.
Mixtape For a Hero – We get to hear from Composer Claudia Sarne talk about creating the score, with some others also popping up during this quick five-minute featurette.
The Making of Supergirl – This one is a bit deeper in the listing but it’s the beefiest of the bunch, coming in at 25-minutes in length. We get a bigger look at the making of the film, the cast talking about working on the film, their roles, behind-the-scenes footage and the likes. It’s a solid watch overall that fans will be happy with, given it’s got some longevity to it.
You Are Here: A Superhero Map of the Galaxy – Since this is a road trip type film, we get a featurette narrated by Ridley, who talks about the planets and locations visited over the course of the movie.
Krypto Saves the Day!: Coastal Catastrophe – We get an animated short featuring Krypto here that comes in at just over five-minutes!
Deleted Scenes – There are also a couple of deleted scenes.
Disclaimer: A review copy of this Blu-ray was sent to me to cover in honest and truthful fashion.
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents Supergirl. Directed By: Craig Gillespie. Written by: Ana Nogueira. Starring: Milly Alcock, Eve Ridley, Matthias Schoenaerts, Jason Mamoa, David Corenswet. Running time: 108 minutes. Rating: PG-13. Released on 4K Blu-ray: Sept. 8, 2026.
