Wow! Wonders never cease this month. It has been ages since I’ve written a movie review. I guess semi-retirement must suit me lol.

Warning: potential spoilers!

So, I went and saw Supergirl, the supposedly terrible movie that various incels and YouTube ‘influencers’ (and I use that term loosely) have been lambasting for months before it came out (and since) in the name of clickbait to service their declining revenue streams. Needless to say, the movie is not the trash fire they claim it is – it’s a fun romp with excellent special effects and great  performances. And this Supergirl is most definitely not like her cousin Superman.

For those who haven’t already made a decision (and I do recommend you see the film and make your own judgement, rather than listening to or reading reviews – ironic, I know), Supergirl is a revenge western à la True Grit, set in a sci fi universe that evokes early Star Wars, Firefly and Mad Max. It draws several story elements from the very cool Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic series/graphic novel by Tom King and Bilquis Eveley, but it’s not the same story. If you believe adaptations should slavishly follow the original narrative, you may have a few issues (and I’m not talking comic book issues). Although Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is one of my top 10 fave comics of all time, I didn’t expect the movie to be a note-for-note retelling (two separate mediums, after all). As a result I didn’t set the film up for failure in my own mind.

Supergirl is directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Ana Nogueira and is the second film in James Gunn’s and Peter Safron’s DCU. It tells the story of Kara Zor-el, Superman’s cousin, a deeply traumatised young woman who witnessed the death of her world (Argo City, a force field-covered remnant of Krypton) and who carries that anger with her while attempting to mask it with alcohol (which can only affect her kryptonian physiology under the light of a de-powering red sun). She meets Ruthye, who witnessed her entire family executed by the vicious bandit Krem of the Yellow Hills. If that wasn’t enough to tell you Krem is a bad dude, he also shoots Kara’s dog Krypto with a poison dart and steals her starship (remember, she’s powerless under a red sun). Kara has three days to save her dog and, along the way, do some good deeds, save human trafficked brides from Krem and his bandits (another good reason to hate the bad guys), beat the crap out of lots of a$$holes and hopefully persuade Ruthye that killing for revenge is not the way to solve one’s trauma…

What follows is an action-filled joyride with some great set pieces and character development as the two cross the galaxy on their quest for justice. They also run into Lobo, a bounty hunter chasing one of the bandits (Lobo is a bit unnecessary, but enjoyable enough and is now established for future DCU movies). 

Supergirl is a very spry 95 minutes, which means some scenes aren’t given much time to breathe (much like in James Gunn’s Superman film). The special effects are good and the fights are well choreographed (although occasionally the close camerawork can make things a little confusing). The costume designs are very Mad Max-inspired and the washed out color palette reminds me a little of early DCEU projects (à la Man of Steel). Milly Alcock as Supergirl is amazing and Eve Ridley is great as Ruthye, as are all the supporting actors (Jason Momoa as Lobo is pretty much playing himself). 

I enjoyed Supergirl a lot. It’s a fun film, not perfect by any means, but well worth a watch. I’m pretty sure the ending may polarise some who have read the comic it’s based on (which is much deeper thematically, covers a much longer timeframe and has a different resolution for the bad guy), but I didn’t mind it. The movie and the comic aren’t the same, after all. And Supergirl isn’t meant to be Superman.

Rating: B