REVIEW — “Supergirl”

Directed by Craig Gillespie from a screenplay by Ana Nogueira and based on the DC comic series “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow,” Supergirl stars Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El, an intergalactic party girl bar-hopping from planet-to-planet alongside her rowdy-but-loyal dog, Krypto, living like they’re on an extended, deep space Spring Break. Alcock is fun and fearless as the irresponsible Kara, giving the character a “no fs given” attitude that is a far cry from the angelic innocence of Helen Slater’s take in 1984’s Supergirl.

The main villain of the film is Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts), a savage brigand and Kara’s main antagonist in the comics. Wearing a bb-studded face and post-apocalyptic, “Mad Max”-style armor, the ruthless pirate slays the entire family of young Ruthye (Eve Ridley). With nothing left but a family sword that was forged by her father, she enlists Supergirl’s help on her quest for revenge.

At first the heroine is sympathetic to Ruthye’s plight but uninterested in assisting, that is, until the murderous Krem poisons Krypto and steals her spacecraft. With only three days to retrieve the antidote and save her dying friend, Kara is suddenly faced with a sobering mission. The film becomes a race against time for Kara and Ruthye as they face detours, roadblocks and a colorful cast of alien characters on their journey across space.

It turns out, Krem and his band of brigands are human traffickers who kidnap girls across the galaxy to become their brides. While there are some dark and seedy elements at play, Supergirl is not a dark film. Yes it’s gritty and dirty, but the film is nonstop action. Showing up in the middle of the action is Jason Momoa as the alien bounty hunter, Lobo. The actor is fantastic in the role and perfectly cast as the popular cigar-chomping, bad-ass, biker bastich. While he brings the same wild swagger and cowboy energy that he showcased playing Aquaman, this is the DC character Momoa was truly meant to play.

There’s also an underlying heart to the film. Kara’s somber past is revealed in flashbacks of her escape from a dying Krypton. Apparently not all of Krypton was destroyed when Superman was jettisoned off the planet as an infant.

You see, as Krypton was breaking apart, Kara‘s dad and Superman‘s uncle Zor-El (David Krumholtz) activated a last-minute force field that saved the central part of the city. However, underground kryptonite became unearthed in the process and began poisoning what is left of Krypton and its population. So he creates an escape pod for his daughter so that she can live. It’s an emotional scene anchored by a brilliant performance by the underrated Krumholtz.

Kara’s reluctant departure explains why she is running from her problems. She desperately needs to find her “people” and establish roots, but instead chooses to deny those feelings and the responsibilities that come with her new powers. Even though her kind and caring cousin Kal-El/Superman (David Corenswet) is alive and well, she dodges his repeated FaceTime calls, preferring to escape to distant red-sunned planets where she can drown her emotions in booze (because Kryptonians cannot get drunk on planet Earth). However, Kara’s clearly a good person, so her resistance to becoming a hero feels forced and unnecessary.

While the film maintains a mildly entertaining vibe, it often feels aimless and uninspired. Praised by DC Studios heads Peter Safran and James Gunn, the script’s constant planet hopping and nonstop swirling action can get quite dizzying and disorienting. Ultimately, the film is mindless escapism that won’t blow anyone away.

Alcock is, indeed, serviceable in the role, but she’s not a ripped-from-the pages, picture perfect casting like Corenswet, or even Momoa. While I wouldn’t mind seeing her get another crack at the character, it is Momoa as Lobo who needs his own solo space adventure. Because, as it stands, he’s the best part of Supergirl, a largely forgettable space-romp that plays like a loud cosmic hangover for both Kara and the audience. 3/5

Rating PG-13 with a running time of 1 hour and 50 minutes, Supergirl opens in theaters on June 26, 2026.