‘Supergirl’ review: Milly Alcock shines as a messier superhero

Craig Gillespie’s Supergirl may not reach the same heights as Superman, but it still soars.

Considering that Superman has been on the silver screen in one form or another since 1941, it’s odd that his cousin, Supergirl, has faced such an uphill battle in adaptations. The character wasn’t adapted in any form before 1984 — 25 years after her comic debut — when then-unknown Helen Slater played the character in a spin-off to the Christopher Reeve Superman films. But the film was marred by several production issues, including the cancellation of the planned Reeve appearance, which would have lent it more credibility.

It still managed an impressive cast, including Faye Dunaway, Peter O’Toole, Peter Cook, and Mia Farrow. But even an impressive ensemble couldn’t overcome a boring and sluggishly paced script.

It didn’t help that DC was about to kill off Supergirl in the comics. The character was one of the primary victims of the publisher’s attempt to streamline continuity, dying in 1985 and not being properly resurrected until 2004 with a new revamped backstory.

Bringing an iconic character back to cinematic life.

The character has appeared here and there in other media, most prominently in the DC Animated Universe and Smallville. Then, in 2015, the Melissa Benoist-led Arrowverse television series premiered, marking the character’s second lead role outside of comics. When the rebooted DC Universe film slate was announced, Supergirl, the second film in the new series, was one of the biggest surprises.

Unlike most Supergirl adaptations of the last 20 years, this film has no problem leaning on the Silver Age comics. This Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock) grew up with her parents (David Krumholtz and Emily Beecham) in Argo City, a small section of Krypton that survived the destruction of the planet.

Which means that, unlike her cousin Kal-El (David Corenswet), she actually had the opportunity to experience Kryptonian life and culture. But she also had to watch the citizens of Argo City slowly succumb to kryptonite poisoning, leaving her and her dog Krypto the sole survivors.

Craig Gillespie crafts a compelling galactic universe.

This is how Kara ends up on Earth under her cousin’s care. But she’s never really taken to Earth, nor is she all that keen on her cousin and his relentless optimism. She leaps at any excuse to leave the planet for long stretches, visiting planets orbiting red stars where she loses her powers and can thus lose herself in alcohol. It’s on one of these worlds where she meets Ruthye (Eve Ridley), a young girl seeking revenge for the slaughter of her family. Ruthye thinks Kara is just the person to help her take on Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts) and his band of space pirates. Kara wants to stay out of it. But when Krem puts Krypto’s life on the line, Kara must reluctantly join forces with Ruthye to bring Krem to justice.

Director Craig Gillespie has created a picture of intergalactic space that is not appealing. These worlds are industrial at best and completely desolate at worst, and the space between them doubly so. But there is a difference between unappealing and uncompelling. The relatively bleak nature of both the title character and the worlds she explores is in stark contrast to what viewers have seen in Superman and Metropolis, and it feels very deliberate in that regard.

While no one will walk away wanting to vacation in this setting, they will leave with a better understanding of the breadth of this new DC universe. So while this may have seemed like an odd choice for a second post-reboot film, the logic is very clear in execution. Superman showed us the reasons hope is easy. Supergirl shows us the reasons it is not. The future will allow for whatever falls in between.

Milly Alcock makes for a charismatic and engaging Supergirl.

I have seen a number of comments comparing the aesthetics and vibe of Supergirl to those of Guardians of the Galaxy. And with respect to my colleagues and other moviegoers, I need to ask: have y’all just not seen that many space movies? Sure, James Gunn’s role as producer makes it easy to compare. But over the last decade, Guardians of the Galaxy has become the standard comparison for any space movie that doesn’t easily juxtapose to Star Wars, Star Trek, or 2001: A Space Odyssey. In many cases, particularly with  Supergirl, it just doesn’t feel like a relevant comparison.

That’s not to say Supergirl‘s rendition of space is entirely novel. It isn’t. But it is far more reminiscent of the science-fiction works of Roger Corman or the ’90s direct-to-video titles that found cult followings on Blockbuster shelves. And it’s fun to see Gillespie lean into that. There are oodles of practical effects and shooting locations. The character design finds lots of fun and exciting new ways to stick things onto otherwise humanoid characters. And there’s a general scrappiness to the production that is charming to see.

Alcock is excellent as the title character. Even those who struggle with the script will feel some excitement to see what she does with the role in the future. This is a more angsty and grief-stricken version of the character than previous adaptations, something Alcock has no trouble navigating.

The film has a villain problem.

And she especially shines when the film contrasts Kara’s relationship with Superman against her relationship with Ruthye. Supergirl’s inability to meet the standards she projects onto her cousin’s support and concern only serves to further isolate her. So when her unwitting mentorship of Ruthye finds her expressing many of those same concerns, the difference in how she expresses those same feelings of concern becomes particularly interesting.

Matthias Schoenaerts delivers a strong performance as Krem, but it only highlights how much of a villain problem Supergirl has. Schoenaerts has an interesting and unique screen presence. He has menace. But at no point does his Krem feel like a big bad. This is less a result of anything Schoenaerts is doing than it is a flaw in the film’s pacing.

Every scene with Krem feels as if he’s the henchman the heroes have to get past to fight the real villain. Which means it always feels a bit confusing to get to the next scene and see… that guy? Again? It prevents the stakes from ever reaching the level that viewers generally expect from superhero fare. It’s especially disappointing when it’s so obvious that Schoenaerts is capable of handling more.

The bottom line.

It’s still great seeing Corenswet as Superman, even in a reduced role. And it’s fun to finally see Jason Momoa play Lobo, though no one will be surprised to learn the actor is good at playing a character he was seemingly created in a lab to play. But this is meant to highlight Alcock, and the film has no problem showing why she’s the right fit. And while it may not be the most interesting take on grief to ever hit cinemas, it does manage to do a better job at it than most blockbusters and look great while doing it.

Supergirl is out now in theaters. Watch the trailer here.

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Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.