‘Supergirl’ Soars on Milly Alcock’s Charisma
Supergirl is a movie with a preset of internet haters ready to cast vitriol against the film regardless of the outcome. For most of those naysayers, they probably don’t know why they are eager to cast a dark cloud on the property, except for a “girl in hero costume bad” mentality. The anger towards this specific movie is even more questionable after seeing it. For the most part, Craig Gillespie’s film has no agenda or overarching feminist message. And it’s far less political than James Gunn’s Superman.
In all honesty, Supergirl is far from perfect. There are portions of the writing that could have benefited from another revision. But the one aspect no one should be debating starting on Friday is whether Milly Alcock works as Kara. She is the steady throughline that holds this chaotic ship together.
What is Supergirl about?
Directed by Gillespie and written by Ana Nogueria (The Vampire Diaries), the film centers on Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, a troubled Kryptonian who numbs herself by partying and drinking. As the film begins, we get a sense that she lives a vicious, unhealthy cycle of bottles, bars, and endless mayhem. And while doing so, her cousin Clark (David Corenswet) calls her incessantly, urging her to visit him. We also see the loving relationship Kara has with Krypto and how much he makes Kara feel less lonely.
While Kara leads a dysfunctional lifestyle, somewhere far off, a girl named Ruthye (Eve Ridley) mourns the murder of her family. The murderer responsible is Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts), leader of a gang of Mad Max-inspired space pirates called the Brigands. While searching for a resource in her vengeful quest, Ruthye finds Kara. And despite Kara’s instability, she is the most effective at dealing with the threats Ruthye has found.
But enlisting Kara’s aid accidentally comes at a price. Krem tracks the two of them down and leaves Krypto inflicted with a slow-acting poison. For Krypto to live, she must track down Krem for the antidote by three moon rises or Krypto dies. Ruthye and Kara then begin a journey across the cosmos to hunt down Krem and his sadistic crew.
Craig Gillespie’s film has scope but an underbaked script
Once Kara and Ruthye begin their search, the film takes joy in showcasing all the creatures in its world. Various aliens, each with unique character designs, are set within space buses and intergalactic taverns. Watching Gillespie build out his weird little sandbox is one of the more joyful experiences of watching the film.
The best of these sequences features a tavern that feels partially inspired by the cantina in Star Wars: A New Hope. This is also the same sequence in which we first catch a glimpse of Jason Momoa as Lobo. It’s also one of the many places that the film displays a weakness.
Momoa is outstanding as the intergalactic bounty hunter, bringing the same sarcasm and intensity as in the comics while outfitted in makeup and small fangs. He almost looks like a nasty mixture of Slash from Guns N’ Roses and Brandon Lee from The Crow. The only problem is that Lobo serves absolutely no purpose to the overall story. He’s a great character, and it’s wonderful to see Momoa in the role. However, one could easily replace him with any antihero from the DC catalog, and the story would likely be unchanged.
There are also a few messy story beats surrounding Kara. The first centers around a tragic event involving Krypton. The film discusses the great tragedy that took Kara’s family, and as a whole, the sequence lacks the intended emotional impact. I am not trying to be harsh here. The opening Krypton sequence from Man of Steel carried more weight. The lack of connection within the sequence also makes the film feel like it brings the pacing to an abrupt halt.
Kara’s story also feels like it never reaches an area of growth. She begins the movie emotionally jaded, and by the end, she is slightly less jaded and more open to hanging out with her dorky cousin Clark. Yes, there is a progression, but the film would’ve been enhanced if the screenplay had dug a little deeper. Depending on one’s perspective, the lack of character progression might be forgiveable. For example, almost every Iron Man movie had Tony Stark hit the reset button on previous life lessons.
Milly Alcock rescues a shaky screenplay for Supergirl
Given everything written so far, one might think I disliked Supergirl. But the truth is, the film entertains, thanks to Milly Alcock’s charismatic performance. Last night, I compared her approach to a Han Solo-style charm. For instance, if someone told her they loved her, you could easily see her respond, “I know.”
But the more I think about it, Kara is hilariously comparable to John McClane in Die Hard with a Vengeance. In that film, Bruce Willis is washed up and hungover, and he becomes entangled in a threat without meaning to. Kara, like McClane, also gets tangled in a mess she didn’t ask for while battling hangovers and exhaustion. And like McClane, Kara’s humor is cynical, reactive, and a little self-deprecating as a defense mechanism.
Overall, Supergirl combines elements of Star Wars with plenty of creatures and elements of Mad Max. At the center of it all, Supergirl is like Han Solo, pushing a dry wit with zero F bombs to give. The screenplay is far from perfect, but overall, I have become a big fan of this character.
Alcock’s performance exudes confidence, making every scene she inhabits extremely entertaining. As illustrated earlier, there is a scene that harkens back to the cantina scene from A New Hope. Within that scene, Alcock demonstrates a Han Solo conviction, maintaining a sarcastic cynicism while being overly cocky about the danger she poses to everyone in the room. For this reason, Alcock’s charm makes many of the messier sections of the film easier to wash down, like a lime after a tequila shot. And if critics were willing to overlook some of the flaws in films like Thor: The Dark World and Iron Man 2, what is holding them back here?
Also check out: DC Showcase: Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow Comic Review
