After relaunching the DC Universe with Superman last year, James Gunn and Peter Safran faced a crucial challenge: proving that the franchise's future wasn't dependent on Gunn alone. Unfortunately, Supergirl, the second big-screen chapter in the new DCU, struggles under the weight of expectations set by its predecessor.
Directed by Craig Gillespie and based on Tom King’s comic Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, the film introduces audiences to a radically different version of Kara Zor-El. This isn’t the cheerful, optimistic heroine familiar from previous adaptations. Instead, she's a hard-drinking, emotionally scarred wanderer drifting across the galaxy, trying to outrun a past she cannot escape.
It's a bold creative choice. And for a while, it works.
The film follows Kara (Milly Alcock) as she crosses paths with Ruthye (Eve Ridley), a young girl seeking vengeance against Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts), the ruthless leader of a gang of space marauders known as the Brigands. When Krypto the Superdog is poisoned by Krem, Kara reluctantly joins Ruthye on a journey across distant planets. Their mission is simple: find the antidote, track down Krem, and settle old scores.
On paper, the story has all the ingredients of an engaging space adventure. There’s revenge, redemption, intergalactic battles, and a deeply flawed protagonist searching for purpose. Yet despite possessing a sturdy narrative framework, Supergirl rarely manages to transform those elements into something emotionally compelling or visually memorable.
The film’s greatest asset is undoubtedly Milly Alcock. Fresh off her breakout success in House of the Dragon, Alcock brings a natural charisma to Kara that helps hold the movie together even when the script doesn’t hold her back. She captures the character's cynicism without making her unlikeable and injects genuine vulnerability into scenes that otherwise feel underwritten.
It's easy to see why DC Studios placed so much faith in her. She feels entirely comfortable inhabiting the role and establishes a distinct identity separate from David Corenswet's Superman. Where Clark represents hope and idealism, Kara is driven by anger, trauma, and skepticism. That contrast gives the character an interesting foundation for future stories.
The problem is that the movie never fully knows what to do with her.
For a film about self-discovery, Kara often feels strangely disconnected from the main narrative. Much of her emotional development comes through flashbacks and exposition rather than decisions she actively makes in the present. As a result, audiences understand why she is troubled, but they rarely feel like they're experiencing that journey alongside her.
The screenplay, written by Ana Nogueira, seems uncertain about what kind of movie it wants to be. At various points, Supergirl presents itself as a gritty revenge tale, a coming-of-age character study, a cosmic road-trip adventure, and a quirky space opera. Any one of those approaches could have worked. The issue is that the film never fully commits to any of them.
Tom King's comic is celebrated for its striking imagery and sweeping sense of scale. The adaptation, however, often feels surprisingly generic. Despite traveling across multiple alien worlds, the environments blur together into a collection of dusty wastelands, dimly lit settlements, and familiar science-fiction backdrops. There are flashes of creativity, but not enough to make the galaxy feel truly expansive or distinctive.
Jason Momoa's debut as Lobo injects some much-needed energy whenever he appears. His swaggering bounty hunter instantly commands attention and briefly gives the film the unpredictability it otherwise lacks. It’s telling that some of the movie’s most entertaining moments arrive when the focus shifts away from its central storyline.
David Corenswet also returns for a handful of scenes as Superman, reminding audiences why his portrayal resonated so strongly in the first place. His presence reinforces the emotional contrast between the cousins and leaves viewers eager to see that relationship explored further in future DCU projects.