(film review) - Supergirl

It took me a while to get around to watching this. I work full-time, my weekends are busy, I'm trying to keep up with TV shows and films for personal enjoyment and for ReelReeviews, and quite frankly, there's just too much to watch. So when you listen to some of the reviews from the critics and YouTubers who see these films before you, and the general consensus is mixed to negative, it's easy to wonder why you'd spend your hard-earned money on them. Between the Guardians of the Galaxy comparisons and complaints about the story, I nearly skipped this altogether. But that's exactly why you should make up your own mind. Because... I actually liked it.
It's far from perfect and certainly not amazing, but I had a genuinely good time with it.

Kara Zor-El, Superman's cousin, had a very different upbringing to Kal-El. She grew up on Krypton before losing her family as a teenager and is eventually sent to Earth with Krypto. While celebrating her birthday off-world, Krypto is poisoned, sending Kara on a race against time to find the antidote before she loses the last living connection to her home. Along the way, she meets a young girl hunting the very same person.

One of the biggest criticisms after the trailer dropped was that it looked too much like Guardians of the Galaxy. Honestly, I think that's a lazy comparison. Yes, James Gunn is running the new DC Universe, and yes, the soundtrack gives off Guardians vibes. Maybe the film could have leaned more on its score than its needle drops, but beyond that, I never felt like I was watching a Marvel film; I did feel like a lot of these aliens were bipedal, human-looking, but why not, I guess.

The story itself is fairly simple, and that's perfectly fine. This isn't another world-ending spectacle. It's a smaller, more personal story about grief, loss and trying to save the last piece of Krypton Kara has left.

The biggest issue is the execution.

Modern comic book films often feel the need to be overly childish to appeal to younger audiences. Constant silly humour and toilet jokes just aren't necessary, and unfortunately, this film falls into that trap a few times. It's a shame because the flying sequences and action are excellent, but some of the characters needed more development, and a few emotional moments don't land quite as well as they should.

Milly Alcock is fantastic and carries the film with ease. Her chemistry with her unlikely companion works really well, and Jason Momoa looks like he was born to play Lobo. He's chaotic, entertaining and leaves you wanting more.

The villain, however, is just... fine. Serviceable, but ultimately forgettable.

Supergirl isn't essential viewing unless you're already invested in DC, or the character itself, but if you've been put off by the reviews, I'd still recommend giving it a chance.

It isn't the disappointment many people have made it out to be, or how it came across to me and I went in with a very low bar. It's simply a good film that had the potential to be a great one.