Format: Streaming video from HBO on various sources.
Before we talk too much about Supergirl, we need to spend some time talking about the toxicity of nerd culture. If Supergirl had been a perfect superhero movie, something that rivaled the cultural relevance and power of Avengers: Endgame, there would have been a sizable contingent of nerds online rating it 1-star, sight unseen. Why? Because it’s a superhero movie with a female lead who isn’t entirely dependent on a male character or even in any kind of relationship with a male character. Wonder Woman got a pass because of Steve Rogers. Birds of Prey was downgraded because Harley Quinn escaped from the toxic influence of the Joker in that film. There are a lot of nerds who project their desperate desire for male dominance on all movies, and none so much as those they seem to think are theirs by divine right. Oh, and probably Supergirl isn’t hot enough for the standards of guys who haven’t touched a woman other than their own mother.
The truth is that Supergirl is not a perfect superhero movie. It’s not even the best DC superhero movie of the last few years. It is, however, at least very good, and presents a very interesting view on the title character. It also does this without a lot of the expected “Grrl power” attitude. In fact, for a good portion of the movie, Kara Zor-El/Supergirl (Milly Alcock) isn’t very likeable.
When the film starts, our putative heroine is celebrating her birthday week. She’s doing this by getting blackout drunk on worlds with a red sun, where she is essentially human rather than superpowered because on worlds where she is powerful, it’s harder for her to get drunk. While on her current bender, she meets Ruthye (Eve Ridley), whose entire family has just been murdered by a gang of brigands led by Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts). Ruthye pledges revenge, something Kara isn’t that interested in, until the brigands hit her dog Krypto with a slow poison that will kill him in 72 hours. Now, she’s invested in the problem.
This, more or less, is the movie. Kara, with Ruthye tagging along behind her, tries to hunt down the brigands so that she can get the antidote to save Krypto. Ruthye, for her part, is dedicated to revenge on the brigands, and on Krem specifically. They will also encounter fan-favorite character Lobo (Jason Momoa), an intergalactic immortal bounty hunter who has his own reasons for tracking down the brigand crew.
As you might expect, there are some massive fight sequences and huge battles that are filled with chaos. We’re also going to get a good look at what happens to a Kryptonian on a world with a green sun (answer: nothing good). There are a few moments of humor, many coming from Kara’s intoxication at the start of the film, but not nearly the sort of lightheartedness that has cropped up in James Gunn’s DCEU movies. But since this is not really a plot-heavy movie, let’s talk about a few specifics.
First, we need to talk about the Lobo character. Lobo, a character that is an unrepentant murderer and sociopath, is also a fan favorite just like Freddy Krueger is beloved by his audience. Jason Momoa is a pretty good choice for the role—he’s the right size and is a better actor than someone like Dwayne Johnson. The problem is that he’s hampered by the screenplay. He’s not really given that much to do and has no memorable lines, which is really what is not just needed for him, but expected. The fault, at least in my opinion, comes from the writing, not the performance. Momoa does what he can with what he’s given.
A much more important consideration is that of Milly Alcock. Power nerds will complain that she isn’t “hot enough” to portray the role (see also: Lupita Nyong’o in The Odyssey), and the truth is that she is not anything like a classical beauty. But it’s also true that she is portraying a character on a week’s-long bender. The puffy eyes and bleariness are, if odd in a leading female character, at least accurate.
For me, though, the entire film turns on a particular sequence as we learn about how Kara Zor-El became who she is. We see the destruction of Krypton, the rescue of her home city planned by her parents, and the subsequent deaths of those survivors from kryptonite poisoning. And this is what actually motivates the film—Kara isn’t drinking to celebrate her birthday or because she’s a “bad girl” or some sort of rebellious icon. She’s numbing herself to losing everything. Her cousin, Superman (David Corenswet) was sent away from his dying planet as an infant, and while he lost his family, he was raised in a loving home on Earth. He is a super-powered human who feels like he belongs here. Kara was raised elsewhere and knows what she’s lost and feels it every day.
That is what makes this a movie worth watching. The fights and the action set pieces are good, but nothing special and nothing that you haven’t essentially seen before. But the motivation for what drives the character, both good and bad, feels new.
Is it a great superhero movie? No, but it’s a pretty good one.
Why to watch Supergirl: It’s far better than you’ve been led to believe.
Why not to watch: It’s not as good as it could have been.
I still want to see this as I do like Milly Alcock's brief scene in Superman. I heard the making of it was a mess but I still want to check it out.
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