Director Craig Gillespie reconciles the portrayal of Supergirl thus far in the new DC Cinematic universe with a compelling origin tale that also sets her on a path of self-discovery
SUPERGIRL (2026)
★★★ OF ★★★★★ stars
I’m a fan of Craig Gillespie’s work. I, Tonya really showed that he knew how to tell a story about a complex and, at times, unlikeable character and really make you empathize with them. Supergirl starts off on that foot, picking up on the portrayal we saw of Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock) that we saw in last year’s SUPERMAN from James Gunn. Supergirl is on a nihilistic journey through life, having been the survivor not just of Krypton’s destruction, but a plague on her adopted home of Argo City that left her as truly the last of her kind. She ends up on Earth with just her dog, Krypto and her cousin Kal (David Corenswet) who can’t even speak her language, leaving her truly alone and longing to be with her people who are long since dead. In this condition, she goes to planets with red suns where she has no powers and can obliterate herself with alcohol. On one of these worlds, she meets Ruthye (Eve Ridley) a girl whose family has been killed by a gang of space sex traffickers and brigands led by Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts). Along the way of trying to steer Ruthye away froma life of empty vengeance, Krem and his folks come across Kara and Ruthye and gravely wound Krypto with a poison arrow, giving Kara 3 days to save her by getting the antidote from Krem and his brigands with few leads to follow and with Kara largely depowered. On top of that, there’s a bounty hunter named Lobo who is also on the hunt for the brigands as Kara tries to keep Ruthye’s bloodlust at bay. Will she be able to save Ruthye’s soul, will Lobo get in Kara’s way and will Kara come out of this a better person? These are the questions Supergirl sets up and largely does well at addressing them.
In many ways, Supergirl is a distaff cousin of MAD MAX FURY ROAD and THE OLD GUARD (which also features Schoenarts), films where a strong female protagonist tries to save someone as a means of saving their own soul and giving them a taste of something they have lost. Kara isn’t Furiosa, but she shares her sense of loss and her desire to make a difference while seeing herself as lost. Milly Alcock does a great job of personifying this quality and her charisma really does carry the film and brings you into this cosmic DC world. Make no mistake, this is a cosmic DC film and some will compare it to Guardians of the Galaxy, but it’s its own thing. The aliens are not humanoid, the character design is unique and the fight scenes in this film reflect this Silver Age meets Heavy Metal world. Speaking of metal, Momoa’s Lobo is a big draw for many to see this film and what we see of him is great, but he is also a peripheral character. He’s got his own mission and his path crosses with Kara and Ruthye’s through the film, but he’s in the film just as much as Corenswet’s Superman in a small supporting role. I don’t know if the muscle suit look works great on Momoa, but when he’s on his bike and quipping he’s at his best. The brigands also make good villains in that this is personal tale. Much like the Reavers in Logan, they wouldn’t be a match for Supergirl at full strength, but in a film where the real foe is self-doubt and the pain of personal growth, they do the job. Corenswet’s Superman channels the Silver Age/Christopher Reeve Superman even more so in this film than in 2025’s Superman and I look forward to more of him and Alcock’s characters in the future.
Supergirl hits theaters on June 26th and for fans of space opera and gritty comics tales, this will be right up your alley. Check out our reviews of the McFarlane Toys Supergirl figure HERE and Lobo HERE
—
VIDEO REVIEW