Honestly, it’s exhausting: scrolling through all the clickbait headlines proclaiming box office disaster, heralding the end of a franchise, and pointing a finger at the most feasible underachiever. It has become a pastime for the chronically shunned and socially out of favor — the coldshouldered malcontents indulging in their vicious brand of schadenfreude — to engage in online hate discourse, particularly if the media property they are disparaging provides them with an opportunity to manifest that pervasive strain of misogyny in the dark corners and back alleys of social media.
Sometimes it feels like the so-called fans of a given intellectual property become its most vociferous grumblers, spewing their petty admonishments in late night posts rife with misspellings and grammatical errors. Bellyachers. Hairsplitters. Nitpickers.
Case in point: The second film in the DC Universe arrived in theaters this weekend — but the online derision commenced months ago when the filmmakers announced their casting choice for the titular character. “Supergirl,” directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Ana Nogueira, was released on June 26. Despite all the griping and whining, the film delivers a refreshingly subversive, punk-rock rendering of a reluctant, sarcastic hero trying to come to terms with grief and lack of direction. Not quite as polished as last year’s “Superman,” “Supergirl” successfully redefines the character — who debuted in 1959 — for a new generation.
In the film, Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock) is emotionally adrift. She is a refugee who has lost her home. She has no one on Earth except for her cousin Clark (David Corenswet), who is better known as Superman. Unlike Clark, she has not embraced the role of super-powered hero and guardian of the vulnerable. That’s not surprising, given the fact that she remains emotionally exposed as she tries to process the trauma of losing her parents along with everything and everyone she has ever known.
Actually, instead of processing those issues, she is running from them at the beginning of the story. She is aggressively hiding from her sorrow and insecurity, hopping from planet to planet like a cosmic rover, drinking and partying to avoid any responsibility. At the start of her story, she is incapable of taking on any serious obligation or extending empathy to others — not because she doesn’t feel compassion, but because she perceives herself as broken.
An encounter at an alien bar furnishes a much-needed course correction for Kara. Ruthye Marye Knoll (Eve Ridley) is searching for someone to help her track down Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts), leader of a group of exceptionally abominable space pirates known as the Brigands. Krem slaughtered Ruthye’s family, and she wants revenge. Yes, this sounds a little like “True Grit” in space.
Kara rejects Ruthye’s request, warning the young girl that killing Krem would not alleviate her anguish. However, Krem shows up and shoots Kara’s dog Krypto with a poison dart. After discovering the only way to save Krypto is to secure the antidote from Krem, Kara grudgingly partners with Ruthye to track down the Brigands.
The ensuing chapters of the film twist and turn through somewhat familiar cinematic territory, with obvious nods and visual allusions to films such as “Star Wars,” “Logan,” and “Mad Max.”
The writing is choppy at times. The story is based upon the comic book miniseries “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow,” but changes have been made to fit it into a three-act structure. The abridgement results in a few clumsy plot contrivances and an occasional exposition dump. One blatant deus ex machina in a script is too many, and this movie has several. “Supergirl” sadly doesn’t do anything to override the current superhero fatigue moviegoers are experiencing.
One can always complain about genre clichés, but certain thematic elements are bound to make an appearance in superhero origin stories, just as the hero’s journey follows a common template. Are sorcerers and enchantresses cliché in an Arthurian adventure? Is a gunfight cliché in an American Western?
“Supergirl” certainly has its flaws, but it still manages to entertain. The film’s brisk pace never slows, its action is distinct and purposeful, and its plot is propelled by Kara’s tenacity and devotedness. Her mistakes stem from her recklessness, and each setback offers her a lesson to be learned. As viewers, we are seeing the character take those first steps toward embracing both an obligation to safeguarding the wellbeing of others and to making genuine connections with those around her.
And Alcock brings the perfect amount of vulnerability, stubbornness, and confidence to the role. When it matters, she seethes with rage. Did I mention that the all-male Brigands are basically human traffickers who routinely kidnap young women and force them to become their involuntary brides?
Alcock’s Supergirl is fittingly flawed, appropriately angsty, and unflappably cool. She is hauling a load of trauma around with her, having to cope with the knowledge that she is one of only two known survivors of her planet. The doom that came to Krypton weighs more heavily upon her than it does upon her cousin Clark because he was an infant when his parents dropped him into an Earth-bound escape rocket.
“This is very much a story of self-discovery and taking responsibility,” Gillespie states in the film’s production notes. “Kara’s been put into a situation that she didn’t ask for, she almost wants to run away from it, and it’s not until she faces her own trauma in a way — and seeing what Ruthye is going through — that she begins realizing perhaps she has to be accountable for herself, practice what she preaches, and just partake in life, really.”
If 2025’s Superman was aggressively optimistic, Supergirl is the levelheaded pragmatist. She’s imperfect but striving to be something better. It is the character’s uncompromising nature, and her desire to chart her own course rather than conform to society’s expectations, that make her so appealing.
Lee Clark Zumpe is entertainment editor at Tampa Bay Newspapers, a Tomatometer-Approved Critic, and an author of short fiction. He can be reached by email at lzumpe@TBNweekly.com.