Supergirl Delivers Killer Performance, But Its Real Kryptonite Is Bad Writing
By Chris Snellgrove | Published
Last year, James Gunn Superman thrilled audiences by introducing an exciting alternative to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While the MCU helped popularize the snarky-yet-scary “well, that just happened” school of humor, Superman provided a cinematic universe that took its cues from the titular hero. It was bright, colorful, and delightfully energetic from start to finish. Entering SupergirlI was hoping for more of the same. Unfortunately, the movie is a big step back from the DCU, which has always bitten Marvel’s style. It wants to be in DC Guardians of the Galaxy; instead, it’s dangerously close to being DC’s answer to it Thor: The Dark World.
Like that famous Marvel movie, Supergirl presents great performances from its best players. Milly Alcock is effortlessly beautiful as the steel woman, and in his brief appearance, David Corenswet is all colorful confidence and charm. Jason Momoa, on the other hand, is so good as Lobo that he’ll cry for the movie alone after his first scene. Unfortunately, good acting is not enough to create a good movie, and to like it Thor: The Dark World Before Itby Craig Gillespie Supergirl it suffers under the weight of mediocre writing, lackluster cinematography, and poor chemistry between the strong cast. Overall, it has some good moments, but they are hampered by some missteps that act as the film’s deadly Kryptonite.
In Space, No One Can Hear You Bark
SupergirlHis story begins with his journey through space with Krypto, his faithful dog. He’s doing some kind of intergalactic pub crawl to celebrate his birthday, but to get drunk properly, he has to live on planets with red suns, rendering his powers useless. Eventually, some Brigands steal his ship, and their leader shoots Krypto with a poison that can only cure him. This forces Supergirl to travel the galaxy with an unlikely friend: a teenager whose entire family was killed by a Brigand boss, leaving her with nothing but a sharp bloodlust and a deep taste for revenge.
There are several things Supergirl does very well, starting with its featured players. Milly Alcock is perfect as the titular heroine and gives a wonderfully complex performance. The character is not just a bad guy with superpowers: she is also a young woman caught between the pain of her past and the challenges of building a future for herself. He is always worried about Krypto, as the power pooch only has three days to live. The role arguably asks more of Alcock than Superman asked of David Corenswet, and she handles everything with a vibrancy and flexibility that will leave you hungry for more Supergirl appearances in the future.
Fun (But Cheap) Fun
Speaking of Corenswet, she looks a lot younger in this film, but she’s still an inspiring hopeful hero, this is Alcock’s striking heroine. However, Corenswet may now have competition for the coolest dude in the DCU thanks to Jason Momoa. The former Aquaman character is the spitting image of Lobo, one of the most iconic characters DC has ever created. He steals every scene he’s in, and it’s not hard to see why: Lobo’s entire role in the film is to throw off one-liners and aura his way into fight scenes. Momoa wanted to play this character yearsand his passion for the role shines through in every scene.
One of the SupergirlAnother great strength is its humor. Although not as funny as laughing Supermanthe movie has a few solid gags throughout its good running time. And, it’s almost impossible not to laugh whenever Lobo opens his big mouth. There are some great action scenes, including a climactic final battle that shows just how dangerous Supergirl can be when she finally unleashes her full power. Throw in some memorable characters, outrageously irreverent dialogue, and a really unpredictable plot, and you have a relatively good superhero movie. Unfortunately, DCU guru James Gunn needed this second DCU film to be real bigand in that, it misses the mark.
It’s All Downhill From Here
The biggest problem with Supergirl it’s pacing. The film can never decide whether it wants to be a cool space adventure or an action extravaganza, and sits, frustratingly, in the middle. There’s a lot of world-building going on as Supergirl travels through the stars; unfortunately, the world you build is not that interesting. Most of the foreign designs are just boring, and the bandits (foreign bandits called Brigands) painfully one sided. That’s especially true of Krem, the Big Bad who has no personality or defining characteristics aside from occasionally trying to attack the camera.
When Supergirl decides to deliver the goods (like the aforementioned blockbuster fight), it’s really good, it gives the audience everything they bought the ticket for and then some. Unfortunately, there aren’t many of these scenes, and if we do get a fight on screen, there’s a 50/50 chance you won’t be able to see much of anything. That’s because of the confusing choice to have Supergirl’s cool moments from the first half of the movie basically happen off-screen while the other characters are struggling. And it’s because the film looks indescribably bad: apart from the title character’s colorful uniform, the film alternates mostly between muted grays and piss filter yellows.
A Film That Remains Unmarked
The final sin of this film is that there is surprisingly little chemistry. I haven’t heard much of a connection between Milly Alcock and Eve Ridley, who plays the most annoying type of all: the kid’s sidekick. Unfortunately, their relationship is meant to be the beating heart of the movie, which is probably why so much Supergirl he feels unhealthy. Our heroine similarly has no chemistry with the Big Bad or Lobo; In fact, in the end he’s just another character to bounce funny one-liners off of. Finally, things are moving it is oldmainly because we all know that Supergirl’s good dog will end up being good.
The result is a decidedly mixed bag. Supergirl not a it’s bad movie, and if you’re a DC fan, you’ll find a lot to enjoy. But it is not a big a film or, more specifically, a film that should follow in last year’s footsteps Superman. The action is solid…when you can see it. The jobs are amazing, but no one has chemistry. The results are good, but the designs are bad. It’s a hodge-podge of movies that make for a decently entertaining way to kill a summer afternoon. But in the end it’s a film that wastes the talents of Milly Alcock and Jason Momoa while killing almost all of the leading momentum of this thriving cinematic universe.
