“Supergirl”

There’s sure to be a lot of chatter about director Craig Gillespie‘s “Supergirl,” which isn’t just another bright, hopeful superhero adventure. This darker, character-driven story is about grief, trauma, and what happens when someone who’s already lost everything is pushed to the edge.

After a ruthless enemy strikes close to home, Kara (Milly Alcock) sets out on an interstellar quest for justice alongside an unlikely companion Ruthye (Eve Ridley). It’s a mission of journey of vengeance and justice led by two strong female characters. Her determination to save her dying best fur buddy Krypto gives her a strong (and understandable) reason to track down the evil villain Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts), and the film treats that motivation with complete sincerity. You just don’t come between a woman and her dog! The chemistry between Alcock and Ridley feels effortless, which grounds the cosmic adventure in a believable relationship that feels different from other big summer superhero movies.

Unlike Superman (David Corenswet), who grew up surrounded by love and security on Earth, Kara witnessed Krypton’s destruction firsthand. The film explores the psychological toll of surviving that kind of loss, revealing that her hardened exterior is less about toughness than survival. Grief, survivor’s guilt, and the temptation to answer violence with more violence all shape her journey, but the story never loses sight of the person beneath the cape.

Complicated, wounded, and determined, Supergirl isn’t trying to be Superman. She isn’t an idealized version of a superhero, and the film never asks her to be. She doesn’t exist to fulfill anyone’s fantasy or make herself smaller to put others at ease. She’s impulsive, stubborn, and often abrasive, yet she’s also compassionate and driven by an unwavering moral center. One line captures the character perfectly: “You’re not always nice, but you’re kind. You’re not always perfect, but you’re good.” It’s a simple distinction, but an unusually thoughtful way to define a hero.

Alcock is really, really terrific as Supergirl. She gives the character a rough edge that makes her feel like a real person instead of a polished superhero. Her Kara is angry, vulnerable, stubborn, and scarred by everything she’s endured, and Alcock never softens those flaws to make her more conventionally likable. One scene in particular featuring a silent scream in the vacuum of space perfectly sums up the themes of the movie. It communicates everything without a word, and I suspect many women will recognize that feeling because sometimes there’s nothing left to do but scream into the void.

The film isn’t without its problems, and the main one is the screenplay. Some plot points could have used another pass, and a few story elements feel sorely underdeveloped. Plenty of beloved superhero movies have uneven scripts, but the difference here is that the characters feel fully realized. It’s not all that easy to forgive the rough spots, but it’s also not all that hard to look the other way.

Much like the script, the film itself looks muddled and dark, and its battered alien worlds feel grimy and lived in rather than sleek and artificial. I suppose that’s appropriate when trying to reinforce the idea that these are interstellar societies shaped by corruption, cruelty, and indifference from those in power, but it’s not all that fun to watch a movie when the main color palate is brown and tan. Most of the visual effects are well done at least, especially the flight scenes. My one exception is Krypto, whose CGI appearance occasionally pulled me out of the movie because it never looked as convincing as everything else. It would be impossible to use a real animal actor though, and that little white furball certainly is cute.

In the end, I guess you could say that I mostly appreciated what the film refuses to do. It isn’t built around a romance, nor is Kara’s story defined by proving herself to a man. Instead, it’s about a woman carrying unimaginable loss, making impossible choices, and helping others because it’s the right thing to do. “Supergirl” is a film about women helping other women, working together to find their individual peace, and I liked that a lot.  

By: Louisa Moore