‘Supergirl’ Review: Up, Up, And It’s Okay

The first Supergirl movie in 42 years is nearly out, but much like that original Helen Slater film, audiences may not be as receptive as the Superman film that came before it.

I definitely have a complicated relationship with Craig Gillespie’s Supergirl. After watching Superman last year and being absolutely enthralled, my hype for Supergirl skyrocketed based on the newfound hope that film instilled in me. When the first poster for the film was dropped that same month, my excitement solidified, sitting among the top five most exciting films of 2026. Though when that first trailer released, I was pretty unmoved. Rough muddy visuals weren’t something I expected from Craig Gillespie, whose other works are pretty much exclusively bright and vibrant, despite having a very polished look. When the second trailer debuted, I got more excited, but a lot of those same issues persisted. Then, the final trailer finally upped the game, though the damage was already done by then, and I suspect this will be similar for a lot of other audience members. Now that I have finally seen the film, it’s about what I expected, with some parts surprising me more than others.

Supergirl is the second film of the DC Universe, and follows Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock), a refugee from Argo City of Krypton, who, in a drunken and depressed state, finds herself having to race across the galaxy to battle the space pirate Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts) in order to cure her superdog Krypto of a poison. Along the way, she joins forces with Ruthye Mary Knoll (Eve Ridley) who is seeking revenge for the murder of her family, and the space bounty hunter Lobo (Jason Momoa), a chaotic motorbike-riding killer.

It is a pretty run-of-the-mill story, and the movie does not attempt to be anything besides that. At its core, it is an action adventure film, where the main characters seek revenge against a villainous leader who possesses child brides— sound familiar? That’s because this description also applies to Mad Max: Fury Road, a much better film. Supergirl does try for greatness, though, with some great motives behind its principal cast members; the backstory for Alcock’s Supergirl is tragic on several levels, and her dysphoria feels broadly applicable to many, who struggle with past adversities and find themselves feeling empty. Ruthye too applies to this philosphy, where he backstory is shown over what is a tense but brutal minute, when a child like prank results in bloody murder.

The performances here are definitely a strong point. Alcock is really good here, and with more focused direction could have delivered something game-changing. Eve Ridley is solid too, for her first proper feature film role, but isn’t anything groundbreaking either. Jason Momoa really steps up into his role as Lobo the Bounty Hunter, though the role is minimal enough that his inclusion in the film feels like fan service, or I’d even go as far as to say gimmicky. David Krumholtz is a highlight here, making use of his flashback-only screentime to deliver some hard-hitting moments with ease; he remains one of the most underrated actors in all of Hollywood. That brings us to the villain, Matthias Schoenaerts’ Krem, who is an interesting character. At the end of the day, he is a weak and underwritten antagonist with about as much depth as a bucket, though you can tell Schoenaerts understood the assignment and really hams up the performance when he needs to. An interesting character because he is both good and bad. Oh, and David Corenswet is good too!

The visuals are probably the single most discourse-driving aspect of the film, with the cinematography by Rob Hardy facing a lot of the backlash in the first two trailers. Here, without the downright evil bitrate of YouTube, the film does look at least serviceable for most of the runtime; a lot of the visual effects and sets look great, though the film is very dark, and the fact that 90% of shots are backlit will definitely be irksome to some audiences. It’s definitely a stylistic choice, but a good one? No. A safe one? Also, no, and that’s why I at least respect and understand what they were wanting to do here. I think another underrated aspect of the film will inevitably be the costume and makeup, with a lot of the alien creatures in the film looking gruesome, slimy, grimy, and weathered, something aliens in Star Wars films don’t look like. Many of these aren’t humanoid, and I think that is a great realisation because aliens aren’t always going to be humanoid. Supergirl’s suit is fabulous, and the Brigand’s (Krem’s pirate crew) look aptly disgusting, perfectly representing their actions in the film.

Supergirl isn’t the homerun I’m sure DC Studios would have liked it to be, but for me, the movie lands well with its emotional pay-off, solid catalogue of music, great performances, and the promise of a good future. If you needed more confirmation, Milly Alcock IS Supergirl, and her career is only going up, up, and away.

Supergirl stars Milly Alcock as Supergirl, Eve Ridley as Ruthye, Matthias Schoenaerts as Krem of the Yellow Hills, Jason Momoa as Lobo, David Krumholtz as Zor-El, David Corenswet as Superman, Seth Rogen as an alien bus driver, Emily Beecham as Alura In-Ze, Alice Hewkin as Ruthye’s mother, Ferdinand Kingsley as Elias Knoll, and Diarmaid Murtagh. The film hits theatres June 26, 2026, though is now playing across Oceania, Asia, and Europe.

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