When an unexpected and ruthless adversary strikes too close to home, Supergirl reluctantly joins forces with an unlikely companion for an interstellar journey of vengeance and justice.
Director: Craig Gillespie
Cast: Milly Alcock, Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham, David Corenswet, Jason Momoa
Release Date: June 26, 2026
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, action, language, and smoking.
Runtime: 1h 50m
Review:
Supergirl, much like its central character, is a messier and less refined than last year’s Superman as Milly Alcock capably takes center stage as an emotionally damaged version Kara Zor-El. Craig Gillespie film borrows heavily from plenty of sources with Guardians of The Galaxy and Mad Max being the most obvious but there’s a grimier, 80’s B movie vibe, that permeates the whole film. It gives the film a distinctive look and feels that works in its favor as we move from world to world and run into a cornucopia of alien species. The visuals and action are chaotic by design but once the dust settles it does leave you wondering why everything feels so familiar. The majority of the characters and their motivations are well worn tropes that we’ve seen a million times before. Eve Ridley’s Ruthye Marye Knoll quest for revenge after Matthias Schoenaerts’s Krem of the Yellow Hills kicks off the action with both character’s introduced early in the film and take up a good amount of screentime which makes you wonder why the characters are so thinly drawn. Ridley feels miscast as she never really sells the burning fire that’s driving the character after witnessing her family’s murder. She comes off as too sweet with the role needing something closer to Bella Ramsey’s Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones. It doesn’t help that we aren’t offered up more depth or backstory about her or her family outside of the fact that her father made swords. Matthias Schoenaerts’s Krem fares even worse as he’s given the most generic villain in recent memory with the script giving him even less to work with as the character is simply evil, well because. It’s a shame because Schoenaerts is talented character actor and could have brought something more interesting to the screen if he had better material to work with. Milly Alcock, on the other hand, gives the titular character much more nuance and depth to this self-destructive version of Kara. She’s always the most interesting performer onscreen, especially when she’s given a chance to dig into the character’s more traumatic backstory which works as the perfect mirror to David Corenswet’s optimistic and hopeful Superman. It’s a strong turn across the board but the story has a far more melancholy tone, especially in the 2nd half, than Superman which might turn off some people looking for another light, fizzy superhero story. Her performance is generally the best thing about the whole film, which makes it a real headscratcher when they decide to take the focus off her character and move to the other less interesting ones. Jason Momoa does provide a nice boost every time he pops up as DC’s legendary bounty hunter, Lobo, taking the reins of a character that’s much more tailor made for his vibe. The film would have been better off if they’d given Momoa’s Lobo and Alcock’s Kara more time together to take full advantage of their natural chemistry together. As is, Supergirl is a serviceable launching pad for the character and Alcock’s take on her but are you left wishing it was something more engaging and memorable.
B-
