'Supergirl' | A Muddled Mess of a Superhero Movie

Sometimes not even Superman can save your movie

In 2022, after a disastrous run of films in their first iteration of an “expanded universe,” DC Studios announced it would be rebooting their cinematic universe with rival Marvel talent James Gunn as its head. At the time, it was easy to see why DC decided to make such a move. Gunn was an accomplished director who had taken the D-list characters of the Guardians of the Galaxy source material and turned them into a fan-favorite, critically acclaimed trilogy. However, a few controversies surrounding discontented fans of the previous DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and a relatively silly first Superman teaser trailer released in late 2024 led to significant skepticism about whether Gunn had the chops to create a fully blown cinematic universe with a diversity of tones.

With this buildup, I myself was pleasantly shocked by how much I enjoyed the inaugural film of the new DC Universe (DCU) in 2025: Superman. The casting of David Corenswet as Superman and the Boy Scout, “All American,” take on the Man of Tomorrow was a home run. Critics and audiences were clearly pleased, with a 83% critic score and a 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, grossing over $600 million at the global box office and outperforming all three Marvel movies in 2025 (Captain America, Thunderbolts, and Fantastic Four: First Steps). The DCU was off to the races, or so it seemed.

In life, a good first impression buys you a runway; how long that runway is completely depends on the success and reception of what follows. Enter Supergirl (2026), the DCU’s second feature film starring Milly Alcock in the titular role with Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya; Dumb Money, and Cruella) in the director’s chair. Last night, I went to see a “Fan First Screening,” hoping it would measure up to its predecessor. So, does it?

In short, yes and no. Supergirl is a mixed bag. A confused and muddled mess. It’s the extremely naturally talented athlete who has no discipline or refinement to his or her game whatsoever. I have never been more conflicted about a movie during my initial screening. Some elements are outstanding. Some are less so. In the hour and 48-minute run time, my emotional experience ranged from tearing up at one of the more Catholic scenes I have seen in recent cinema to being completely taken out of the movie when, quite possibly, the worst needle drop in cinematic history happened in the film’s climactic action sequence. I left the film feeling like I want to see more of Supergirl and Superman, but also questioning whether or not I want to see James Gunn continuing to head this new expansive universe.

Since my emotions are so mixed, I think it would be good to highlight the highs and lows of the film.

Highs

1. Milly Alcock is superb as Supergirl. Genuinely, they knocked it out of the park with this casting. She plays the role of Superman’s traumatized, cynical, Kryptonian cousin extremely well. She’s charismatic and has profound chemistry with everyone in the film. Alcock’s performance even makes Eve Ridley’s Ruthie bearable in their scenes together, despite Ruthie being one of the more annoying and forgettable secondary characters in a comic book movie in recent memory. The highlight of Alcock’s performance was in the flashback scenes to her time on Krypton and Argo before arriving on earth. To play an immersive Kara Zor-El, Alcock learned a made-up Kryptonian language well enough to deliver several of the best-performed emotional scenes in comic book movie history; the one between her and her dad, Zor-El particularly stood out for me as profoundly Catholic in its anthropological philosophy (and was equally tear-jerking).

2. Jason Momoa as Lobo was also a standout. Every time he was on screen as the murderous immortal bounty-hunter god of the DCU, I wanted him to never leave. His chemistry with Alcock was a highlight, and he, too, elevates scenes he has with Ruthie. “I’m so proud of (him).” Inside joke - watch the movie.

3. David Corenswet as Superman. There are several cameos from our newest Supes in this film, and in every scene, you are reminded of why he IS Superman. I just adore his “gosh, golly gee” humane (and apparently comic accurate) take on Superman compared to Cavill’s more godlike interpretation in the Man of Steel. I left the theater more excited to see him return to the role in Man of Tomorrow.

Lows

1. The plot is not compelling. Everything feels rushed. I was excited for this movie specifically because the pitch and marketing for this film centered around Supergirl dealing with the trauma of watching Krypton be destroyed, and having to save the only living memory she has of Krypton: Krypto. Unfortunately, all of these plot points are severely undercooked. It reminds me of the Bill Burr skit where he makes an analogy between cake and abortion (surprisingly, in defense of the pro-life position); Gillespie prepared the batter and put it in the oven, then took it out halfway through and scattered it across the kitchen floor. I was actively upset during several moments of the film because of how much potential the film had, and how egregiously underrealized it was.

2. The villain has literally zero backstory or motivation. A weak villain is not something I usually care about in individual superhero projects. However, in all the superhero projects I have seen, there is at least SOME motivation given for the villain. In Supergirl, Krem of the Yellow Hills, the brigand warrior chief, is quite literally just a plot device.

3. James Gunn. There is a needle drop during a fight scene in this movie, which caused me to say, out loud in the theatre, “there’s no freaking way.” It was that bad. However, it is typical of Gunn films to add needle drops to fight scenes, so it wasn’t surprising even if it was disappointing.

All in all, I give Supergirl a 6/10. I am glad I saw it, and I am thoroughly pleased with the casting of Milly Alcock. I want more of her and David Corenswet’s Superman on screen in the near future. I also think the highs outweigh the lows enough for it to be worth a viewing experience. Whether that viewing experience is in a theatre or later this fall when it arrives on streaming is another question. You can decide, but if you only have the budget for one or two movies this summer, I’d sit this one out for Nolan’s The Odyssey and with the hope that Spider-Man: Brand New Day lives up to the hype.