MOVIE REVIEW: SUPERGIRL

 

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-

Cindy Prascik's Review of The Old Guard

With local cinemas still struggling to get by on a diet of classics and films whose theatrical releases were interrupted by Covid_19, this week I again threw myself on the mercy of streaming services. I really wanted to watch the Tom Hanks movie, but I don't have Apple+ and I *do* have Netflix, so...the Old Guard it was.

Spoiler level here will be moderate, likely nothing a trailer wouldn’t have revealed if you saw one, which I did not.

A team of immortal mercenaries struggles to keep its existence secret while unexpectedly finding another of their kind.

I have to admit, dear reader(s), that the Old Guard couldn't quite hold my attention for its duration, though, in fairness, little does these days. The world as it stands is difficult to keep at bay, and it's tough to avoid distractions and interruptions outside the cinema. That aside, the movie does try a bit too hard at times, and some of the dialogue is awkwardly written or awkwardly delivered, or maybe both. It probably could have used at least a small trim as well.

Despite those few small quibbles, the Old Guard gets it mostly right. Characters who have lived for hundreds of years have volumes of backstory, and the movie provides enough, but never bogs down with explaining itself. Its action is well spaced and well paced, and the fight choreography is really good. Characters and those portraying them, faces familiar and not, are engaging; there isn't one of the principals I didn't want to learn more about. Charlize Theron is fantastic, as always, in the lead, and the supporting cast is pitch perfect, too. The Old Guard is beautifully diverse, but never for the sake of it. Everything feels organic; the movie doesn't beat its audience over the head to make a point. The story winds to a nice finish, but definitely leaves plenty of room for prequels or sequels if the demand is there.

The Old Guard clocks in at 125 minutes, and is rated R for "sequences of graphic violence and language."

The Old Guard is a smart, solid action flick that wouldn't have felt out of place in a normal summer of blockbuster superhero fare.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, the Old Guard gets seven and a half. Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: THE OLD GUARD

A group of mercenaries, all centuries-old immortals with the ablity to heal themselves, discover someone is onto their secret, and they must fight to protect their freedom.

Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood

Cast: Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Chiwetel Ejiofor

Release Date: July 10, 2020

Genres: Action, Fantasy

Rated R for sequences of graphic violence, and language.

Runtime: 2h 5min

Review:

Charlize Theron is one of those actresses that make pretty much any production better simply by taking part in it.  She’s the type of performer that’s always interesting especially when she has a role that’s meaty enough for her talents.  The Old Guard offers an intriguing and fun role for her even if it doesn’t take full advantage of her talents.  Gina Prince-Bythewood directs the film with an impressive bit of energy even if the story covers some well worn tropes in the comic book genre.  The film’s action sequences are impressively choreographed with some of them being particularly brutal ballets of destructions.  The quieter moments have varying levels of effectiveness with some feeling like genuine character building moments while others feel like they could have been left on the cutting room floor.  The cast plays well off each other even if KiKi Layne comes off as a bit stiff in here and there but for the most part the ensemble make for an engaging group.  Sadly, Chiwetel Ejiofor isn’t used nearly enough which seems like a major misstep and the villain played by Harry Melling is about as stereotypical as they come.  The story does suffer from being a franchise starter with the finale leave a massive open door for future installments.  As a result, it feels like the film doesn’t explore the story to its fullest potential with a handful of story threads left unexplored. 

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: RED SPARROW

Prima ballerina Dominika Egorova faces a bleak and uncertain future after she suffers an injury that ends her career. She soon turns to Sparrow School, a secret intelligence service that trains exceptional young people to use their minds and bodies as weapons. Egorova emerges as the most dangerous Sparrow after completing the sadistic training process. As she comes to terms with her new abilities, Dominika meets a CIA agent who tries to convince her that he is the only person she can trust.

Director: Francis Lawrence

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Charlotte Rampling, Mary-Louise Parker, Jeremy Irons, Ciaran Hinds

Release Date: March 2, 2018

Genres: Mystery, Thriller

Rated R for strong violence, torture, sexual content, language and some graphic nudity

Runtime: 2h 19 min

Review:

Red Sparrow is a solid if predictable throwback to 80’s cold war spy thrillers like Gorky Park.  Those walking into this film expecting a fast movie action centric spy film will be thoroughly disappointed.  Francis Lawrence film moves at a snails pace with the cast keeping everything interesting even during some of the quieter moments.  The plot plays out in a pretty straightforward fashion so the twist and turns that inevitably occur don’t really surprise or shock that much.  Some of the graphic sequences are uncomfortable but they don’t hit the intended tone.  Thankfully, Jennifer Lawrence carries the film ably even though she’s acting through some impressive bangs an unconvincing Russian accent.  Still, she’s always interesting and engaging.  If this film had cast a lesser actress in the lead the film would have been thoroughly unbearable.  The supporting cast is rounded out with the excellent actors like Joel Edgerton, Jeremy Irons and Ciaran Hinds.  Sadly, Edgerton and Lawrence don’t really share much chemistry making their relationship feel forced throughout.  Jeremy Irons character could have used a bit more screen time to flesh out his motivations which are sadly passed off in single sequence late in the game.  Red Sparrow isn’t a terrible movie, it just one that feels like it could have been much better.

C+