When it was announced that Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn was becoming co-head of DC Studios, after the mixed reaction to Zack Snyder’s Batman/Superman movies, there was hope that having a man who obviously has a love for comic books and superhero characters would bring a fresh and exciting new realm that could challenge Marvel’s stranglehold on the genre. Last year’s Superman was a mild success, with a throwback to Christopher Reeve’s days while adding Gunn’s irreverent humour. Now we get the studio’s second movie, a fresh take on Supergirl, Superman’s cousin. While there have been some seriously awful things said about its star, this is a film that, despite trying something new, fails due to plotting issues and a director trying to emulate Gunn’s style, when he should have gone with his own unique vision.

Kara Zor-El, also known as Supergirl, spends her time drinking heavily, roaming the galaxy looking for another bar with her faithful dog, Krypto. When a call for help from a young girl seeking revenge after the murder of her family, Kara ignores it, but finds herself helping the girl after the same pirates inject Krypto with a deadly serum and steal her ship, and she only has three days to save her furry friend.

Taking the reins is director Craig Gillespie, who made a huge impression with both I, Tonya and Cruella. he would seem the perfect man to create the punk attitude of Supergirl, from the comic series Supergirl: World of Tomorrow. It all starts off quite promising as we witness that lacklustre and unlikely superhero suffering from hangovers, spending her days playing with a dog and partying all night. Unfortunately, this is short-lived as the story starts to kick in. The arrival of Krem, a pirate whose face is covered in studs, brutally murders a sword maker in front of young Ruthye, who immediately demands revenge.

Once the pair meet, Kara is reluctant to help, but when Krem and his crew shoot Krypto with a serum that only has one cure, a vial that hangs around Krem’s neck, the film then goes into a routine that all superhero films follow: good guys trying to chase down bad guys, with set pieces galore, lots of noise and little else. Actually, that’s unfair, because this does have flashes and moments that you almost crave.

There are some nice moments between Kara and Ruthye that work well, and the flashbacks to when Krypton was destroyed, and a small section of the planet escaped, leaving the inhabitants floating in a small bubble until the effects of Krypton start making the people ill, are also interesting additions. There are also the scenes between Superman and Supergirl, which show so much promise as they both have such different attitudes to being special. A promise that could be something in the future of this new Universe.

Where the film fails is the plot. It never feels coherent, as if one idea fails to drive the movie forward, and so another idea has to be introduced, and it all feels very much stop/start. Even though this is one of the shortest superhero movies, it feels much longer because the pacing is very uneven. One of Gunn’s traits is the needle drops, the songs included in the film. In Guardians, Gunn gave us a memorable 70s soundtrack that worked well, covering the mood of the scenes. Here, Gillespie has tried the same approach, but the songs, mostly unknown, fail to capture any of the moments, and even Claudia Sarne’s score lacks impact.

It also feels like a cheap copy of a Gunn movie. Gillespie has proved he has a unique style with his previous hits, particularly Cruella, which would be similar in approach to Supergirl, but it feels like he had Gunn watching over him and stifling his artistic approach. A little like when Tobe Hooper made Poltergeist, and it had Steven Spielberg’s fingerprints all over it.

Thankfully, what does make the film work are the performances. Matthias Schoenaerts, unrecognisable as Krem, seems to be having fun playing the villain in a very pantomime manner. Jason Momoa pops up as bounty hunter Lobo, which seems like an introduction to a new movie character, covered in devilish leather, with red eyes, riding a tough guy’s motorbike. Eve Ridley does a good job as Ruthye, and David Corenswet return as Superman, which makes you feel he is right as the superhero.

In the lead, Milly Alcock has taken a lot of stick from online trolls for her looks, which is completely unjustified. She is delivering a very different Supergirl from the cute, girly ones that have appeared in previous outings of the character. What she brings is an edgy and punk attitude to the character that works well, and she takes no nonsense from anyone. She is a perfect companion to Corenswet’s Superman and could become a dynamic double-act, with the right script. I look forward to seeing her in future DC movies.

Supergirl isn’t a disaster, but a massively flawed adventure that is fine for the summer and a decent introduction to the new version of the character. I just wish I had seen Gillespie’s vision, not a carbon copy of a James Gunn movie.

3 out of 5

Director: Craig Gillespie

Starring: Milly Alcock, David Corneswet, Eve Ridley, Matthias Schoenaerts, Jason Mamoa, Emily Beecham, David Krumholtz, Diarmaid Murtagh, Ferdinand Kingsley, Emily Piggford

Written by: Ana Nogueira, (Supergirl based on characters created) Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

Running Time: 107 mins

Cert: 12A

Release date: 26th June 2026