Supergirl: cocky, drunk, but mediocre at most
Milly Alcock as sassy Supergirl is a lot of fun to watch. It’s just a shame that the movie can’t decide if it wants to do its own thing or be a poor man’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
Fear not, this review contains zero spoilers. I won’t be revealing anything more than what’s already in the public domain or has been shown in trailers. Supergirl will hit Swiss cinemas on 25 June.
Anyone who’s seen the trailers knows exactly what served this film as inspiration: Guardians of the Galaxy. The gritty, worn-out future, the rock songs, the main character being an outsider with a tear-jerking backstory – it all has the same DNA as James Gunn’s first Marvel hit.
Kara Zor-El is no angel in a red cape. She’s a drunk mess in search of a place that feels like home. When a group of space punks poison her beloved dog Krypto and make a run for it, Supergirl isn’t about to let that slide. Her sidekick Ruthye, a young girl whose family was wiped out by that same gang, is for revenge.
It all sounds like a movie with a unique charm. And indeed, in some respects, it is charming. But you’d be forgiven for thinking «We’ve got Guardians of the Galaxy at home.» An outsider with a hard shell and a soft heart navigating seedy worlds? The formula works, but the execution disappoints.
Milly Alcock carries the movie
What partially saves Supergirl from being completely mediocre is Milly Alcock in the leading role. She barhops herself into a drunken stupor, chucks up all over the floor, is cantankerous and has pretty much lost control of her life. But that doesn’t mean she’s not likeable. It’s a balancing act Alcock pulls off with impressive ease.
Source: Warner Bros.
The flashbacks to Supergirl’s past on Krypton, in particular, are among the film’s most emotionally powerful moments. They explain what shaped this woman without being overemotional about it. Her story even makes me feel a little sorry for Krypton’s fate. Which says a lot, as the movie’s another reminder that the Kryptonians are the DCU’s evil conquerors of the universe who send their children – such as Clark Kent – to other worlds to rule them as deities.
I suppose I’ll never get used to that. However, this doesn’t take away from Alcock’s cocky charm. She already displayed it in House of the Dragon. All the more disappointing that the film lets her down.
Starts strong, ends weak
In terms of craft, the film’s a double-edged sword. The sets, especially at the beginning, are elaborate, the creature designs full of love and attention to detail, and costumes that add to an atmosphere somewhere between Mad Max and the Star Wars cantina.
But as the film unfolds, Supergirl starts to lose its visual appeal and descends into a CGI abyss that’s become an unsightly thing in modern blockbuster cinema. The tangible elements become more artificial and interchangeable, and the handmade quality that sets the film apart in its best moments literally dissolves into green-screen mush.
Source: Warner Bros.
Then there’s the same old boring story that’s been told in almost all Supergirl or Superman films of the past 50 years. Namely, how uberpowerful she (or he) is. Supergirl’s invincible under a yellow sun, so the movie constantly has to come up with contrived reasons why she can’t use her powers at that particular moment.
There’s red sunshine on one planet, green on another. Not to mention pieces of kryptonite popping up out of nowhere whenever it suits the plot. You can almost feel someone standing there with a clipboard: Supergirl too powerful? No problemo, we’ll just swap the sun. Still too strong? Bring out the Kryptonite. Problem solved, back to work.
Source: Warner Bros.
This bothers me. Truly. When Richard Donner’s Superman hit theatres in 1978, the special effects were just about good enough to make Christopher Reeve’s flying look halfway believable. Granted, back then you couldn’t create opponents who were a threat to Superman. The technology simply didn’t allow it.
But today? You can put anything on screen! Not to mention the DC Comics universe with its countless villains who could easily hold their own against Superman or Supergirl without the movie having to recalibrate the solar system every five minutes. In other words, there are plenty of characters to choose from. But it seems, there’s no intention to use any of them.
The weak core
Which brings us to the next big problem: Ruthye, played by Eve Ridley. Conceptually, she’s intended to be a moral compass – the character who shows the messed-up Supergirl the right path (even if that path involves revenge. The script isn’t that consistent after all). In reality, though, she’s one thing above all: a girl who constantly needs rescuing.
This pattern is repeated throughout the entire movie. Supergirl shows up in the nick of time to save her from a tight spot. After you’ve seen this formula for the third time at the latest, it gets old.
Source: Warner Bros.
The main bad guy Krem, played by Matthias Schoenarts, is even more bothersome. The Belgian actor has proven his talent in other productions. In this film, however, he’s been handed a role that never allows him to reach his full potential.
Krem is shallow, lacklustre and not even a real threat. He looks like an extra from Mad Max: Fury Road who somehow ended up in Supergirl and is surprised he’s landed the role as head villain. And yet, the film keeps trying to make us believe how dangerous, ruthless and feared he is. But it’s never convincing. That’s no minor issue in a superhero movie, either.
Oh, and did I mention Jason Momoa as Lobo? The impression he leaves behind is meagre as the amount of words I’d like to dedicate to him.
In a nutshell
Meh, pretty much what I expected
Supergirl isn’t a bad movie. But it’s not great, either. It’s fun to watch, preferably with a bag of popcorn in hand, but not one you’ll talk about on your way home.
Admittedly, Millie Alcock does give the flick a face and soul. But then there’s Ruthye, who constantly needs saving, Krem, a villain without bite, and an ending that visually falls apart. All of this prevents Supergirl from leaving a lasting impression.
I write about technology as if it were cinema, and about films as if they were real life. Between bits and blockbusters, I’m after stories that move people, not just generate clicks. And yes – sometimes I listen to film scores louder than I probably should.
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