Everybody's got an opinion, and with the internet, everyone does their best to make themselves heard, with hot takes getting the most attention. So when some people decide "Supergirl" isn't for them, they have to post that it as "the worst superhero movie ever," "James Gunn is done," or "I hate the movie with every fiber of my body." Wow!
I don't have an extreme opinion to get clicks, just an honest one: I thoroughly enjoyed "Supergirl," not because it's a great movie but because it's a fun one with characters I enjoy hanging out with. In fact, I will say that James Gunn's gift as a director, writer and ruler of the DCU is creating characters we like to be with, even if their stories fall short.
Gunn is an alum of Troma, the most indie of indie studios, and it probably takes pride in the lack of respect it often receives. Having started with Lloyd Kaufman's rebel studio probably allows Gunn to ignore what people say or think about his films, and good for him.
Gunn produced "Supergirl," with Craig Gillespie ("I, Tonya," "Lars and the Real Girl") helming, and yes, the film is fun and has some genuine heart.
Kara Zor-El (the fabulous Milly Alcock) is nothing like her cousin Kal-El, aka Superman (David Corenswet, still nerdy and sweet).
She states, "My cousin and I have very different ideas about what it means to be a hero. He sees the good in everyone, and I see the truth."
Seeing the truth has made her a bit cynical and unwilling to be the gullible, naive and eager-to-help hero her cousin is. But her circumstances are different. While Superman was sent as a baby to Earth to escape the destruction of Krypton, Kara had to spend years on a dying planet with an insular group of people trying desperately to survive and maintain their culture. Superman's story was clearly an immigrant story created by a pair of Jewish men. Kara's story, as a friend pointed out, is that of a refugee, and that makes her less trusting of others and gives her a different kind of trauma to carry.
Alcock gives us a punky, coming-of-age superhero in the new "Supergirl" movie. She spends half the film drunk or hungover before finally giving in to the heroic goodness we know she possesses deep inside. In that respect, she is like her cousin. I like that Supergirl has a different tone and character from Superman. The contrast is good for the DC Universe.
Is "Supergirl" as good a movie as Gunn’s "Superman"? No. But is it a fun and worthy companion piece? Absolutely.
Once again, I confess that Krypto is key to winning me over. Women are usually paired with horses or cats, so I loved finally getting an iconic woman-and-dog story, with the bonus attraction of seeing her on a John Wick path of vengeance. I can't believe that some people complained about the story revolving so much around a woman wanting to save her dog. As a dog mom, I can confirm that I would travel to all corners of the universe and take on any bad guys to save my dog.
The film creates a kind of parallel storyline to Kara's. While Kara is forced to leave Krypton knowing that her family will soon die, Ruthie (the excellent Eve Ridley) saw her family killed and now wants revenge. Kara tries to convince Ruthie that killing her enemy is not a wise choice because it can destroy your soul. But in a comic book realm, I do find that argument a little harder to accept.
The action in the film is fun, but after seeing "The Furious," it feels less intense. Once Kara decides to fight and to use her superpowers, the battles are a little one-sided. Jason Momoa finally gets to play the role he's been campaigning for, Lobo, but the character is not really integrated into the plot and seems to show up just for a punch line, physical and verbal.
"Supergirl" gives us a reluctant superhero for her first solo outing. The ending implies that maybe she and her cousin will share a more similar mission. I do appreciate that Kara's mother tells her daughter that she needs to be good but not necessarily nice. I like that advice. And I like this movie for letting me hang out with Kara as she finds her way in the world, without perfect teeth or a Barbie bod.
