Supergirl

For decades, Supergirl has lived in Superman’s shadow, often defined by her famous cousin rather than by her own identity. With Supergirl, director Craig Gillespie and screenwriter Ana Nogueira have finally decided to turn the tables, delivering a film that highlights the character’s pain, anger, and emotional complexity, rather than simply presenting her as a female version of the Man of Steel. Adapted from the acclaimed comic book Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King and Bilquis Evely, the film takes viewers far from Metropolis, to a harsh and unpredictable corner of the DC Universe where grief, revenge, loneliness, and redemption intertwine. The result is an ambitious space western that doesn’t always reach the heights it aims for, but which undeniably establishes Milly Alcock as one of the most fascinating new faces in the DC Universe.

What immediately sets Supergirl apart from last year’s Superman is its tone. While James Gunn’s previous DC film celebrated hope, kindness, and optimism, this film tackles a much darker and more introspective theme. Kara Zor-El isn’t a self-assured heroine on a quest for justice; she’s a survivor scarred by hardship, carrying memories that her cousin Clark Kent has never known. Unlike Kal-El, Kara remembers Krypton, her family, her culture, and the moment she watched everything she loved vanish. This trauma defines every aspect of her personality. The film skillfully uses intergalactic bars, planets with red suns, and a galaxy populated by outcasts to reflect Kara’s emotional isolation. She drifts through space in search of distractions rather than a purpose, and this emotional foundation gives the story a depth rarely explored in modern superhero cinema.

At the heart of it all is Milly Alcock, whose performance is undoubtedly the film’s greatest achievement. She strikes the perfect balance between Kara’s sarcasm, carefree attitude, vulnerability, and hidden compassion. At times she comes across as a rebel who drinks heavily in an attempt to forget her past; at others, she reveals the devastating emotional scars lurking beneath the surface. There is a raw authenticity to her performance that prevents the character from becoming a mere collection of clichés. Milly Alcock understands that Kara’s anger is nothing more than grief cloaked in armor, and she infuses this understanding into every scene. Even when the screenplay sometimes struggles to fully develop its ideas, Milly Alcock never loses control of her character. Just as Robert Downey Jr. transformed Iron Man into a character who transcended the script, Milly Alcock succeeds in making this version of Supergirl her own creation.

The film’s most moving moments come from its exploration of Krypton and Argo City. Rather than retelling Superman’s well-known origin story, the screenplay offers heart-wrenching flashbacks that reveal Kara’s final days with her family. David Krumholtz and Emily Beecham bring genuine warmth and tragedy to Kara’s parents, creating scenes that are often more emotionally powerful than the present-day narrative. These sequences finally provide answers to questions that Superman stories have rarely addressed: What happens when someone actually remembers Krypton? What does survivor’s guilt feel like when the survivor can recall every face that’s been lost? These moments transform Kara, shifting her from a traditional superheroine to a far more human character, and they form the emotional foundation that ensures her journey continues to resonate long after the action has ended.

Visually, Supergirl creates a vast universe populated by strange aliens, wild frontier planets, bounty hunters, smugglers, and forgotten corners of space. The influence of films such as Mad Max: Fury Road, True Grit, and even Guardians of the Galaxy is impossible to ignore. Sometimes this works wonderfully, giving the film a distinctive cosmic-western atmosphere. Other times, the inspiration seems a bit too obvious, preventing the film from fully asserting its own visual identity. Nevertheless, the art direction remains impressive throughout the film, particularly in the creature design and world-building. The galaxy feels lived-in and authentic—a place populated by civilizations that seem to exist beyond the immediate needs of the story. Paired with a soundtrack punctuated by energetic tracks, the film maintains strong momentum even when the narrative occasionally becomes uneven.

The supporting characters deliver mixed results. Eve Ridley gives a sincere performance as Ruthye, the young woman seeking revenge against Krem, and her relationship with Kara serves as the film’s emotional backbone. Their evolving dynamic gradually shifts from a reluctant partnership to something akin to a sisterly bond, even if the screenplay sometimes rushes this development. Jason Momoa, for his part, finally takes on the role that many comic book readers have wanted to see him play for years: Lobo. Each of his on-screen appearances is entertaining, chaotic, and undeniably charismatic. Unfortunately, his screen time seems surprisingly limited, often leaving viewers wanting more of the galaxy’s most notorious bounty hunter. On the other hand, Matthias Schoenaerts does his best with the character of Krem of the Yellow Hills, but he never rises above the level of a relatively conventional villain. In a film steeped in emotional complexity, Krem often comes across, disappointingly, as a one-dimensional character.

The action sequences are energetic and often brutal, highlighting the difference between Kara and her cousin. Superman tends to hold back; Kara frequently fights with an aggressiveness that reflects years of pent-up pain and frustration. The film successfully demonstrates that Supergirl is just as powerful as Superman while maintaining her own distinct fighting style. Yet, despite several memorable fights, the screenplay sometimes suffers from pacing issues and an overabundance of narrative threads. Some supporting characters are underdeveloped, certain subplots feel shallow, and the adaptation sometimes struggles to strike a balance between the characters’ personal drama and the large-scale cosmic adventure. One can’t help but feel that a slightly more focused screenplay could have elevated the entire film to another level.

Supergirl succeeds because it understands that Kara Zor-El’s greatest strength isn’t her ability to fly, her heat vision, or her invulnerability. It’s her resilience. It’s the story of someone who learns to live with loss rather than let it define her. Although the film never quite reaches the emotional heights or narrative confidence of Superman, it introduces a captivating new heroine whose future within the DC Universe seems incredibly promising. Thanks in large part to Milly Alcock’s standout performance, Supergirl stands out as an imperfect but captivating cosmic adventure that finally allows the Girl of Steel to step out of Superman’s shadow and claim an identity all her own.

Supergirl
Directed by Craig Gillespie
Screenplay by Ana Nogueira
Based on the DC characters and “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow”
Produced by James Gunn, Peter Safran
Starring Milly Alcock, Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham, David Corenswet, Jason Momoa
Director of Photography: Rob Hardy
Editing: Tatiana S. Riegel, Fred Raskin
Music: Claudia Sarne
Production Companies: DC Studios, Troll Court Entertainment, The Safran Company
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures (worldwide)
Release dates: June 22, 2026 (Brooklyn), June 26, 2026 (United States), July 1, 2026 (France)
Runtime: 108 minutes

Viewed on June 25, 2026, in Paris at the Élysée Lincoln

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