REVIEW: The Acting Outshines A Mediocre Story With ‘Supergirl’
May 1959, the world was introduced to Superman’s biological cousin, Supergirl. Nearly seventy years later, different variations of the beloved female Kryptonian would grace our screens, books, and games. Now, director Craig Gillespie is bringing his own iteration of the heroine to life with DC Studios’ new big screen pic, Supergirl.
Lost in a world of rebellion, Supergirl (Milly Alcock) is spending her days on a perpetual pub crawl across the planets with a red sun. Why? Her powers are diminished by the color sun, unlike the yellow sun, that gives her her god-like Kryptonian powers. It’s while she is out on one of these benders when she literally stumbles across, Ruthye Marye Knoll (Eve Ridley). A teen alien on a quest to kill Krem, the leader of a group space pirates traffickers the Brigands. When Kara’s beloved pup, Krypto is caught in the crosshairs of this quest, Kara finds herself on a journey across the cosmos to save her pup before time runs out.
Screenwriter, Ana Nogueira used Tom King’s comic series Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow as inspiration for Supergirl’s story. However, what the comic series managed to deliver, unlike the film, was an actual story. It’s astounding that this film doesn’t have any meat to its bones, especially since Kara has endured quite a bit since leaving Krypton…death, grief, a loss of identity. It felt superficial from start to finish. But this version of Kara is worth watching. She is such a juxtaposition to Clark Kent’s, aka Superman, profound love and empathy. She knows pain, she sits by it’s side day in and day out, struggling to handle it in a healthy way. But, any moment where the film begins to enter the territory of Kara dealing with her feelings or building a solid relationship with Ruthye, it’s gone in a blink of an eye. It’s such a disappointment.
On top of the fact that, Lobo (Jason Momoa) could have been removed from the film entirely. His presence adds a dash of comedy to his scenes, but the story would have progressed the same without him in it. Which seems a tab bit wasteful for a character as beloved as Lobo.
Alcock takes on the role of Kara, and honestly, she is too talented to not be given more material to work with when it comes to Supergirl. The film is forgettable, but Alcock’s performance will leave the public supporting her as the female heroine. Momoa brings to life the crude bounty-hunter, Lobo, in a performance that can only be described as typical Momoa. It’s fun, it’s over the top, it’s Lobo, and Momoa takes his opportunity and runs full speed ahead with it. Ridley brings to life Ruthye, a young girl hell bent on exacting revenge on Krem for the death of her family. Unfortunately, Ruthye spends the majority of the film with a Inigo Montoya complex, declaring her vengeance at almost every opportunity, that viewers never get the chance to see Ridley shine. David Corenswet makes brief appearances throughout the film as Superman, but those short moments only make you wish that Supergirl would get her butt back to Metropolis.
It’s a disappointment that the second big screen adaptation of Supergirl was not better. However, with all of the negativity aside, the actors are worth watching. Plus, knowing that Alcock will return in Superman‘s sequel, Man of Tomorrow, makes this a film that viewers can watch from the comfortability of their own home when it is released on streaming later this year.
Grade: C+