Supergirl Movie Review: A Fun, Flawed Heroine Soars

The premise is deceptively simple: Kara Zor-El (Alcock) is living a quiet life on Earth, still processing the loss of Krypton, when a brutal new enemy, Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts), strikes too close to home. In classic hero fashion, Kara has to reluctantly team up with an unexpected ally - Ruthye (Eve Ridley), a young alien with her own score to settle. Their intergalactic road trip becomes a mission of vengeance and justice, with stops for explosions, emotional breakdowns, and a run-in with the galaxy’s most dangerous bounty hunter, Lobo (Jason Momoa). Along the way, we get flashbacks to Krypton via David Krumholtz’s Zor-El and Emily Beecham’s Alura, plus a brief but welcome cameo from David Corenswet’s Superman. It’s less “coming-of-age” and more “coming-of-revenge,” which is fine - but the plot sometimes feels like a string of set-pieces looking for a home.

Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way: Milly Alcock is a revelation. Fresh off House of the Dragon, she brings a raw, almost feral energy to Kara that feels distinct from the polished optimism of her cousin. She’s tired, she’s angry, and she’s not always sure she wants to be a hero - which makes her far more interesting than a standard-issue savior. Gillespie leans into this, giving us a Supergirl who sweats, stumbles, and screams in frustration. The chemistry between Alcock and Eve Ridley’s Ruthye is genuinely charming, a sort of reluctant buddy-cop dynamic that keeps the middle act from dragging.

The action, on the other hand, is a mixed bag. The Kryptonian power set is fun to watch in theory, but the CGI gets noticeably wobbly during the big space battles - there’s a mid-air brawl between Kara and Lobo that’s supposed to be epic but feels like a video game cutscene from 2018. That said, Gillespie knows how to frame a punch. The fight choreography is brutal and personal, with a few moments that genuinely made me wince. Kudos to the sound design for making every super-speed impact feel like a car crash.

Jason Momoa’s Lobo is exactly what you’d expect: loud, leather-clad, and chewing scenery like it’s his last meal. He’s a ton of fun, but his inclusion feels almost like a cameo from a different movie - tonally, he’s all chaos and one-liners, while Kara is dealing with literal grief and rage. It makes for an uneven ride, but Momoa’s charisma is infectious enough to forgive the whiplash. Matthias Schoenaerts’ Krem is a serviceable villain, though he’s more “menacing guy in a helmet” than a fully realized antagonist.

Thematically, the film grapples with vengeance versus justice, and what it means to carry the weight of a dead world. But the script doesn’t always trust its audience to get it - there are a few too many monologues explaining themes that the action already communicates. Still, that final act twist (no spoilers, promise) is genuinely surprising and gives the whole movie a needed emotional gut-punch.

And let’s not forget the Superman cameo. David Corenswet shows up for a brief scene that’s warm, witty, and reminds us why we love these characters. It’s a nice palate cleanser before the chaos.

Pros

• Milly Alcock delivers a career-defining performance as a raw, relatable Supergirl
• The relationship between Kara and Ruthye is heartfelt and surprisingly funny
• Jason Momoa’s Lobo is a wild, entertaining tornado of machismo and chaos
• The fight choreography is visceral and well-paced, with real stakes
• The 108-minute runtime keeps things moving without overstaying its welcome

Cons

• The CGI in some action sequences is distractingly uneven
• The villain, Krem, is one-note and underwritten
• Tonal whiplash between Lobo’s goofiness and Kara’s darker emotional arc
• The plot follows a familiar revenge trail without many surprises until the third act
• Some dialogue feels like it’s explaining the themes instead of trusting the audience

Supergirl isn’t the home run DC might have hoped for, but it’s a solid double with a lot of heart. Milly Alcock proves she’s more than ready to carry a franchise, and Craig Gillespie’s direction gives the film a scrappy, emotional core that elevates it above a typical superhero origin. It’s messy, loud, and occasionally frustrating - but it’s also honest, fun, and surprisingly touching. If you’re looking for a space-faring revenge flick with a strong female lead and a dose of cosmic weirdness, you could do a lot worse. Just don’t expect it to rival The Dark Knight or Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s its own strange, beautiful thing.

Rating: 6.5/10