Poster Description: The
Superman logo (a giant red "S" on a yellow diamond) is spray-painted
onto a blue wall, with paint dripping in places. Kara floats in front of it
with her hands stuffed into the pockets of a long brown coat that almost hides
her red-and-blue costume. She wears thick sunglasses, and her messy blonde hair
covers one side of her face. Above her head is the DC Studios logo in white.
Near her feet, the yellow tagline reads, "Truth. Justice. Whatever.",
alongside the film's release date.
Growing up, I'd always found Superman too overpowered, too perfect, and too... bleh, nice; nowhere near as compelling as flawed heroes like Iron Man or Thor. Nevertheless, last year my partner wanted to see James Gunn's take on Superman, so I thought I'd give it a go. As it turns out, David Corenswet (which sounds like "corn sweat") was endearing as both Clark Kent and Kal-El, while Nicholas Hoult almost stole the show as an incredibly, and likeably hateable, Lex Luthor. The brightest star of the film, however, was Krypto the dog. Not just because he was modelled after James Gunn's own rescue dog, Ozu, but because his sweet, chaotic nature easily won audiences' hearts. I assumed Krypto belonged to Superman, so imagine my surprise when a dishevelled young woman crash-landed near the end of the film wearing a costume similar to Superman's. Her name was Kara, and Krypto is actually her rambunctious dog.
In
Supergirl,
Kara (Milly Alcock, House of the Dragon) is dragged into an
interplanetary quest for vengeance after rescuing a young girl during a bar
fight. Ruthye (Eve Ridley, 3 Body Problem) is
hellbent on avenging her family by killing one of the most ruthless brigands in
the galaxy.
It
could be argued that the grumpy adult and determined child duo is an overused
trope, but I enjoyed it because Kara and Ruthye's motivations are believable
and painfully emotive. While Ridley's performance is articulate and spirited, I
often found it difficult to understand what Alcock was saying. Yes, it's fairly
normal for teenagers to mumble, especially one who's hungover after partying on
red-sun planets, but I'd still like to know what the protagonist is talking
about. Also—and this is a terribly pernickety point to make—I do wish Kara had
something to keep her hair out of her face. It would have made reading her lips
much easier. Still, Kara's character arc is compelling. She's celebrating her
birthday by drinking, but what is she really trying to escape?
The
ruthless brigand Kara and Ruthye are searching for is Krem, played with relish
by a near-unrecognisable Matthias Schoenaerts (The Old Guard 2).
With an appearance somewhere between a corkboard and Doctor Who's Tim Shaw, Krem
spends almost every scene eating—or at least looking for something to eat. Were
it not for the unforgivable crimes that would have John Wick reaching for his
favourite handgun, I might even consider Krem a likeable villain.
The
honour instead goes to Jason Momoa's latest foray into the DC Universe. Forget
Aquaman—he's playing Lobo this time. I went into the film knowing next to
nothing about the character, apart from the fact that he's a bounty hunter and
a fan favourite, but it's easy to see why they love him. His make-up reminded
me of KISS, while the vampire fangs, permanently grumbling attitude, and flying
motorcycle quickly won me over. Will we see Lobo again in future DC films?
Almost certainly.
As
superhero films go, Supergirl isn't groundbreaking. There are
some fun action scenes, entertaining villains to hate, and gorgeous
cinematography, with one particularly moving sequence elevated by a solemn
rendition of Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle". However, many of the alien
worlds look bizarrely similar, and Alcock's performance never leaves a lasting
impression. Krypto, on the other hand, remains a wonderfully chaotic good boy.
My Rating: 3 STARS OUT OF 5
My Sources:
Supergirl poster – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supergirl_%282026_film%29
When was James Gunn’s
Superman released? - https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/james-gunn-superman-digital-release-peacemaker-season-2-1236345046/
Inspiration for
Krypto - https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/12/entertainment/superman-krypto-dog
Milly Alcock’s
filmography - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6854116/?ref_=tt_cst_t_1
Eve Ridley’s
filmography - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12302417/?ref_=tt_cst_t_3
What’s the name of
the Doctor Who alien with teeth in his skin? - https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-series-11-episode-1-monster-revealed-jodie-whittaker/
Tim Shaw - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/4KzK535KSd4HmV0PQZkW3Ql/t-zim-sha
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