Review by Jon Donnis
Craig Gillespie’s Supergirl attempts to launch a bold new DC direction, but it never quite locks into a clear identity. It opens with the fall of Krypton and the desperate survival of Argo City, before shifting to Kara Zor-El’s arrival on Earth and her later life drifting between worlds with Krypto. The story eventually settles into a revenge-driven pursuit after Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts) of the Yellow Hills attacks her and poisons Krypto, forcing Kara into an interstellar chase that should feel urgent but often plays out in a fragmented and uneven way.
Krypto is easily the strongest part of the film. Every scene he is in feels more alive than anything surrounding him, and he brings a level of warmth and clarity the rest of the story consistently lacks. There are also brief moments in the Krypton material that hint at something more emotionally grounded, particularly in the depiction of Argo City’s slow decline, but the film never fully returns to that depth once the plot moves outward into its wider space setting.
A major problem sits right at the centre of the film in Milly Alcock’s portrayal of Supergirl. The performance comes across as unlikeable and difficult to connect with, and the character never develops into someone the film invites the audience to invest in emotionally. Instead of a compelling presence at the heart of the story, Kara often feels detached in a way that drains momentum from the scenes around her. This is not softened or redirected elsewhere, it is simply one of the film’s core weaknesses and it consistently undermines the emotional stakes.
The narrative itself struggles under the weight of trying to be too many things at once. It shifts between revenge story, space adventure and wider universe building without ever committing fully to any of them. Encounters with groups like the Sklarian Raiders or the shifting situations on Bilquis and Barenton arrive and pass without leaving much impact, and the overall structure feels episodic rather than purposeful. Krem, as the antagonist, never becomes a strong enough force to anchor the revenge arc, functioning more as a plot device than a meaningful threat.
Ruthye Marye Knoll (Eve Ridley) and Lobo (Jason Momoa) add movement and energy, but they also highlight how unstable the emotional core has become. Ruthye’s grief and desire for vengeance could have created a powerful counterpoint to Kara’s journey, but the relationship between them never develops enough depth to carry real emotional weight. Lobo brings chaos and presence, yet even that feels slightly disconnected from the central narrative rather than reinforcing it.
By the final act, the film resolves its conflict with Krem in a way that feels more functional than satisfying, closing out the immediate danger while leaving much of the emotional thread underdeveloped. Kara’s eventual acceptance of Earth as her home is present, but it does not land with much force because her journey has never fully grounded itself in a relatable emotional progression.
What remains is a film with occasional visual ambition and a sense of scale, but very little cohesion or emotional consistency. Krypto stands out as its only truly reliable element, while everything else struggles to connect into something meaningful or memorable.
Supergirl ultimately scores 3 out of 10.
I will never watch this film again, and no young girl is going to watch and dream of being Supergirl.
What a waste of a franchise.
Out In Cinemas Now
