Kindness may be the new punk rock, but there’s something to be said for the old ways too. Milly Alcock is pure piss whiskey and vinegar more whiskey as Kara Zor-El, the other survivor of a destroyed world. Introduced as a cameo in James Gunn’s Superman, Alcock’s Kara makes her full feature debut in this energetic sock-’em-up by Cruella director Craig Gillespie.
It’s Kara’s birthday and she’s off-world, on an intergalactic bar crawl while cousin Kal-El (David Corenswet) frets back at home in Metropolis. While he enjoys a healthy relationship with his adoptive planet (that whole Lex Luthor business notwithstanding), Kara is old enough to remember Krypton and those she lost. Fragile and tormented, she’s a more cynical figure than Kal or Clark or Superman, and has more interest in getting blotto under the red sun of a distant world than saving anyone else’s.
Enter young Ruthye (Eve Ridley), the sole survivor of a massacre which leaves her orphaned and thirsty for vengeance. After a chance encounter in a bar, she enlists Kara’s help in tracking down the man responsible – space bandit Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts). Kara’s reluctant to get involved, but her hand is forced when Krem poisons her dog, the scene-stealing superhound Krypto. With only days to find an antidote, Supergirl charts her path to a showdown with killer Krem.
Gillespie’s Supergirl is an altogether heavier affair than its predecessor. Between its tormented hero and band of sex-trafficking villains, it doesn’t shy away from the story’s darker themes. Unfortunately, that’s not all that’s dark. So too is much of the cinematography, fermented in a brown-ish hue which pervades even when the film is at its liveliest. A shame, since the Star Wars slash Guardians of the Galaxy-esque world(s) Kara inhabits is an otherwise compelling one. This is especially galling given the beauty of the comic art upon which the film is nominally based – Tom King’s Woman of Tomorrow, as brought to life in page-popping glory by Bilquis Evely and colourist Matheus Lopes.
And Supergirl is at its best when it’s exploring those outer worlds – a Star Tours diversion involving Kara and a band of techno-pirates, or in flashbacks to her upbringing on Krypton. Alcock confidently alternates between hard-drinking rebel, swaggering superhero and vulnerable survivor, slipping into the role just as comfortably as Corenswet did his Superman. The same can’t necessarily be said for Jason Momoa’s over-egged Lobo (some things don’t translate well from the page to screen, and his delivery of the word “bastich” is one of them), nor Ridley’s fluctuating accent as Ruthye. But Alcock and Schoenaerts have chemistry to spare. And, hey, at least Momoa is having fun.
Supergirl is an imperfect but enthusiastic version of the superhero film. Relatably human (ish) stakes and an emotionally resonant core are let down by the rubbery combat and murky visuals, but it’s powered by a stratospheric performance from one of the nu-DCU’s most exciting stars. Long may she shine.
SUPERGIRL is out in UK cinemas from June 25th, 2026.
