Supergirl Review: Kara and Millie deserve better
I feel like I was one of the few people who were really hyped for Supergirl. I'm always hoping that we get more female superheroes with realistic personalities that are charming and flawed. It always makes me sad that many perceive female superhero movies as lesser, and that's largely because many of them just haven't been great films, whether the story is spotty or the script is subpar. Of course, some super stupid sexist misogynists hate these films for reasons that are no more than embarrassing bandwagon talking points, but most outside of that vocal minority just want more than a mediocre script for fantastic super-women—like Kara Zor-El—and comic writers to be vindicated with their Hollywood adaptations.
So, did Supergirl surprise me, as the overly maligned Suicide Squad from 2016 did when I finally brought myself to watch it earlier this year? Was it a straight dumpster fire like Captain Marvel, or just a solid-enough flick like The Marvels or Black Widow? Was it a project with super high highs that made some misguided choices like Ms. Marvel, or a fun one with glaring plot holes that destroy the movie like Wonder Woman 1984, or just a great film like the first Wonder Woman? Or maybe a wonderfully niche win like Agatha All Along, an iconic, gripping watch like WandaVision, or just a straight masterpiece like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever? That's what I, Brighton Nelson, ultimate champion of female-led superhero projects, will be discussing in today's Reel Ranker review. Thank you so much for joining me on the site today, and I hope you enjoy this article!
First, I'll get into the great stuff about the movie. Across the board, the performances are fantastic. Millie Alcock, Jason Momoa, Eve Ridley, and Matthias Schoenaerts all do a great job with what they're given in their respective roles!
Millie continues to do a remarkable job playing the character—yes, Internet ragebaiters are obviously wrong yet again. I honestly don't know if I prefer her or David Corenswet (or Cornsweat, for short) as Superman. They both perfectly embody their roles, as emphasized by my favorite quote from the movie: "He sees the good in people; I see the truth." From the first trailer, I've been excited to see what she'd do with her character in a full-length picture, and she doesn't disappoint.
Ruthye is done a little dirty by some plot choices and changes from the comics—which I'll cover later—but that doesn't change the fact that Eve Ridley is wonderful at capturing the vibe of a well-read, knightly heroine who makes way too many rash decisions. Jason Momoa brings the stuff he's always been good at here, adding an extra bit of sauce to the film, even if it feels like he was added in post, à la Sidewinder in Captain America: Brave New World. He's only got a PG-13 raunch here, but he'd be fantastic to see him pop up in a more gnarly film that has a tone more akin to Suicide Squad... Who knows, Gunn might randomly greenlight a One-Man-Gang movie, as long as it has a "ready-made script".
Honestly, while the character design for the main villain looks like a leftover B-tier Ravager from Guardians of the Galaxy, I actually really enjoyed the ridiculously cartoony performance that Matthias Schoenaerts brought to the table. Many people are hating on him, but, all things considered, I'd honestly say he's an above-average superhero movie villain. Though that's thanks to a repeatedly dicey lineup that we've been given over the years.
The action also found a way to differentiate itself significantly from Superman and most previous DC films. Kara's fighting feels spontaneous and gritty, and I can't wait to see her beat up a whole lot more dudes in the future. The backstory on Krypton may have some problems, as I'll discuss later, but the city's aesthetic and general production design weren't bad. Maybe it looked overly green-screened, but it still felt unique, and I liked it. Krypto is cute as ever, and Superman's couple of cameos in the film were effective, and added a nice spice to the film, just like Supergirl added a similar spice to Superman.
The film also did a great bit of alien worldbuilding that I appreciated. I honestly got a completely different vibe from this movie's worldbuilding and tone than from Guardians of the Galaxy, and I might actually be the only one who still agrees with Gunn's statement that each film cuts its own path. He said that "each project would be full expressions of their writers and directors", and this film didn't feel as vanilla to me as some said. It might have similar cosmic aspects to Guardians of the Galaxy, but it doesn't feel derivative. It's like Guardians, but treated with more reverence and subtlety, like a middle ground between it and Interstellar. It isn't nearly as polished as either, but it's genuinely good.
However, if we look at Gunn's other mission statement for this universe, that "we won't give the green light to movies without ready-made scripts," this film doesn't hold up to scrutiny, falling apart at the seams. I actually appreciated some of the super-awkward, non-badass things Kara said. While many lines needed a bit more refinement to actually sound more human, I liked the direction. I liked that she feels like a super awkward drunkard. Ruthye, Superman, and Lobo's lines all worked just fine for me, as the awkward aura felt unique. There were a couple of times that it took me out of the film, but it was not that bad.
What really failed the film, in my opinion, is the story. The film gives Ruthye and Lobo almost nothing to do. As great as he is, Lobo feels like an out-of-place desperation play to get older men interested in the film, and Ruthye gets almost no action with her sword; Kara always coming in to ruin her moments drove me insane, like some mad, maniacal beast.
The film also needed more time to flesh out Supergirl and Krypto's relationship, because it didn't get me nearly as emotional as the trailers led me to believe it would. It also needed to keep the comic book's original timeline to get me to buy into Kara and Ruthye's relationship more. There was too much cynicism throughout, and not enough of a real bond by the end. Their relationship was simply underdeveloped.
My biggest gripe with the film wasn't the needle drops, as bad as they all were—I actually disliked the Lobo drop more than The Middle drop, and that's saying something. The fact that they didn't use the perfectly fitting trailer song in the movie is ridiculous. As a musician, I found the creative choices here especially grating.
But no, my biggest issue was the misguided and borderline terrible execution of this character, as Kara is leading Ruthye on. In concept, the arc is incredible, and could be great characterization for Supergirl, but in its current state, it makes literally no sense and is overtly hypocritical to a fault. The whole movie cringely executes this idea of not getting your revenge and sparing the villain for the sake of Ruthye's soul (even though the dude literally needs to die and be stopped!). While the idea is fine, it would've been perfect and an easy fix for it to be more heavily framed, as Kara is already jaded enough. It kind of tries to attempt that, but it's not committed and instead just feels unsatisfying.
The Reel Ranker Verdict
Reel or Unreel? - Reel
The Reel Ranker Score: 57%
Letter Score: B-
Star Ranking: 3 out of 5
Supergirl is much like Black Widow. It has some really great elements, but they're all underdeveloped; the film's placement in the Cinematic Universe feels out of place, and several decisions completely take you out of it. It's not a horrible film, and is worth a watch for the good it does have, but this film is yet another iteration in the Mediocre Female Superhero Films Cinematic Universe, or MFSFCU for short.
Interested in checking out some recent reviews for some other sci-fi, action, and superhero films? See them below!
Brighton Nelson
Brighton Nelson
Brighton Nelson
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