DIRECTOR
Craig Gillespie
Dumb Money, Cruella, I Tonya, The Finest Hours, Million Dollar Arm, Fright Night, Lars and the Real Girl, Mr Woodcock

STARS
Milly Alcock, Eve Ridley, Matthias Schoenaerts and Jason Momoa


Well, what do you know… Supergirl is directed by a man! I for one do roll the eyes and raise my hands in dismay, especially considering the likes of Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman) and Cathy Yan (2020s Birds of Prey) have successfully made previous DCU movies, and the opportunity this would have been for the likes of talented trio Greta Gerwig (Barbie), Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) and Chloé Zhao (Hamnet), to name a few.

Despite Supergirl‘s shunning of she and therefore not employing the best person for the top job, Craig Gillespie, a fine filmmaker in his own right who has previously directed several quality films mentioned above, ensures Supergirl never outstays its welcome, isn’t ever convoluted and keeps it entertaining for a broad audience throughout.

After a young girl named Ruthye (Eve Ridley) witnesses devastation in her own home at the hands of Krem (a brilliantly cast Matthias Schoenaerts), leader of a group of space pirates known as the Brigands, she goes in search of Supergirl, aka Kara (played by Aussie actor Milly Alcock from HBO Series House of the Dragon). Initially reluctant to help Ruthye, Kara changes her mind after Krem and his crew give her a darn good reason to. Despite having different motivations to pursue their villain, they must find a common cause in limited time while working together, made problematic furthermore when they encounter Lobo (a very fun Jason Momoa), whom Kara describes as an immortal with a God complex.

From the perspective of this casual observer as opposed to avid fan of this genre of film, there is one area it stands out in above others and a few others it puts in solid work but not enough to make Supergirl a super film.

Starting with its strongest suit, I found Supergirl’s production and set design consistently attention-diverting, reminiscent in ways of the Guardians of the Galaxy films and even of the newest Mad Max movies in select scenes. These aspects, together with some of the props and supernatural capabilities of the characters, bring much-needed visual freshness to this DC film.

Still on the subject of visuals, the character design compliments the influence each main character is intended to have. Our villain, Krem, for instance, is a formidable one that looks as menacing as he evidently is (and as though he sent the owner of a piercing store on some planet into early retirement!). Lobo has a face that somewhat resembles a member of American rock band KISS and also injects menace and mirth at different moments. Staying on characters now, some viewers might be missing a more constant comic-relief presence typically on-screen for longer in these movies than seen here. The character to deliver this in spades comes from a scene-stealing and wise-cracking miniature extra-terrestrial character I believe is voiced by Seth Rogen that I’d agree Supergirl could benefit from keeping involved in proceedings for much longer than it does.

Another move it doesn’t get quite right is the timing in which it brings Kara’s abilities as Supergirl to the fore. These are delayed for too long and there are times I found the irreverent titular character being outdone by her strong and determined much younger sidekick. On the flip side, an important piece of writing it perfectly judges is the provision of sufficient backstory for Kara and Ruthye to validate their values and actions, and to justify their respective motivations without heading down the path of being an origin story for them.

Supergirl is showing in cinemas across Australia from June 25th, 2026.

Moviedoc thanks Warner Bros and Universal Pictures for the invitation to the screening of this film.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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