‘Supergirl’ Review: How is it, Worth a Watch?

— Surya Prakash Josyula

Rating: 2.5/5

Story
Zor-El and his wife Alura realize that their planet Krypton is on the verge of destruction. Consequently, the couple immediately sends their little daughter Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock) to Earth along with their pet dog, Krypto. Upon her arrival here, she meets her cousin Clark Kent, aka Superman. He supports her in every possible way and helps transform Kara into Supergirl.

Now, if you think Kara—having become Supergirl—takes up the duty of looking out for people in distress and rescuing them, you would be mistaken. This girl belongs to the current generation. Parties are her life, and when it comes to drinking, it goes without saying—it is absolute chaos.

Celebrating her 23rd birthday, she hops from planet to planet, enjoying herself in an intoxicated state. If you wonder where her duty as Supergirl stands, her attitude seems to say, “Save the world? First, let the hangover kick off!” Of course, she encounters occasional attacks here and there, almost as if she is just testing her powers.

During one of her birthday trips, our Supergirl meets a young girl named Ruthye (Eve Ridley). Ruthye has been waiting to take revenge on the villain, Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts), a brigand leader who slaughtered her family. She shares her plight with Supergirl. But then, destiny has a way of trolling people.

Even though Supergirl initially wants to brush it off saying, “Your problem, you deal with it,” she cannot leave. In the meantime, Krem attacks our heroine’s spaceship and shoots her pet dog, Krypto, with a deadly poisoned arrow. The antidote is with Krem alone. If it isn’t retrieved within 72 hours, Krypto’s story is over. Whether she likes it or not, she has to join hands with Ruthye. On one side is Ruthye’s revenge, and on the other is Krypto’s life. For these two reasons, Supergirl sets out for the planet Bilqus.

How Supergirl confronts Krem, whether she manages to save Krypto, whether Ruthye gets her revenge, and whether this intoxicated superheroine ultimately completes her mission forms the rest of the story.

Analysis
Generally, what do we expect from a superhero movie? A strong villain, memorable elevations for the hero, a climax that reverberates with applause, and most importantly, an emotional connection with the protagonist. Supergirl flashes signs of having all of these, but not a single element is strongly designed. That is the biggest issue with this film. Consequently, the film passes by on screen but fails to connect with us on a deeper level.

After giving a great start to the new DC Universe with Superman, many expected James Gunn to maintain that momentum with this second film. However, nothing of that sort happened.

Furthermore, the protagonist in this film lacks a definitive goal; there is only a mandatory mission she is forced to undertake. If you consider that mission to be her goal, then it lacks any real punch. In superhero films, the journey usually operates on two levels: the external, visible objective and the internal transformation of the character. In this movie, the external goal is incredibly simple—Krypto is poisoned, and an antidote must be brought back in 72 hours. This is the mission driving the plot. But what inner battle is Kara fighting?

Is she fighting her past? Her loneliness? The grief of losing her family? The film fails to provide proper answers to any of these questions. As a result, the story progresses scene by scene, but the character remains stagnant. Moreover, it is hard to comprehend what was achieved by portraying Kara’s character as a heavy drinker.

Because of this, we find ourselves watching the film not out of concern for Kara, but to find out, “Will the dog survive?” This means the emotional focus of the story shifts away from the main protagonist to elsewhere. That is the fundamental weakness of the script. Consequently, even though action is visible when the climax arrives, it fails to deliver goosebumps because we haven’t traveled the journey with her.

Milly Alcock delivers a performance that transcends the script and possesses an excellent screen presence. She captures the rebel attitude beautifully, and her confidence shines through in the action sequences. However, the script failed to support her.

Final Thought

“Having superpowers isn’t enough; you need a super script too.” Otherwise, no matter how high Superman flies, he won’t move even a single step forward in the audience’s heart. A Superman who saves the world cannot save the movie.