Supergirl review: "A grittier, edgier, and rougher second entry in the DCU"

Supergirl crash-landed in 2025's Superman, and now she's back with her own solo film: a suitably grittier, edgier, and rougher second entry in the DCU that puts Milly Alcock's Kara Zor-El on a quest through space to save her dog, Krypto, from a vicious poison.

The trouble begins when sadistic brigand Krem (a near-unrecognizable Matthias Schoenaerts) callously shoots Krypto with a poisoned dart, after slaughtering the family of Ruthye (Eve Ridley), setting the youngster on a revenge mission that leads to her path crossing with Kara's. Since we saw her reclaim Krypto in Superman, Kara has been drinking her way across the galaxy, enjoying the benefits of a red sun (which strips her of her powers), and ignoring calls from her cousin, one Clark Kent, urging her to return to Earth so she can find her feet on the planet.

But when Krypto is critically injured, Kara shifts into gear: the dog isn't just an adorable companion, but her only real link to the family she was forced to leave behind on her dead home planet of Krypton. What follows is a surprisingly dark – and often gross – adventure to save Krypto and stop Krem, with the bond between Ruthye and Kara, two young girls who lost their family too young, at its heart.

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Girl of Steel

Tonally, Supergirl is very different to Superman. The DCU has been unafraid to mix it up with its projects, and that ethos continues here – Superman was all about hope and optimism, while Supergirl peels open the galaxy's seedy underbelly. In fact, a surprising amount of the plot revolves around young girls being abducted into sexual slavery, which brings Mad Max: Fury Road to mind (the girls are even called "the brides" by the brigands). Kara encounters more foes than friends on her quest, including tech pirates who hijack a space bus to rob everyone onboard and strip it for parts, and countless brawlers in bars.

There's also a certain gross-out element to the film: Krypto pees on a newspaper article about Superman, Kara and Ruthye eat popcorn that's actually the excrement of an alien creature, and at one point, Kara is forced to make herself chug milk and vomit when she inadvertently drinks poison.

While DC Studios co-president James Gunn doesn't direct – I, Tonya and Cruella's Craig Gillespie is at the helm – the film does recall Guardians of the Galaxy, too: the irreverent tone, messy protagonist, and frequent needle drops all seem to owe something to the Gunn MCU trilogy, though Supergirl has more bite to it.

Kara is indeed a mess, beginning the film as a mix of perpetually drunk or hungover, convinced it's not her problem to help Ruthye get her revenge. She hasn't truly embraced being Supergirl like Clark Kent has embraced being Superman, made most obvious by the fact her iconic suit is lying abandoned on the floor of her spaceship. As the film goes on, flashbacks to Krypton reveal that Kara is this way because she wasn't ready to leave her home. Consequently, she can't find her place on Earth, despite Clark's advice.

But Kara does slowly begin to embrace her role as a protector, which involves getting back to a yellow sun and powering up. The film does a great job at making us understand Kara's pain, with the well-placed flashbacks giving context to some of her quirks, like her penchant for listening to music or her love for Krypto. Still, it feels like a long time until we see Kara truly using her powers, and even longer until she really lets loose without some kind of impairment, be that poison or Kryptonite.

The action is fun if a tad frenetic, and it's certainly satisfying to watch Kara stomp her way through bad guys. The bond between her and young Ruthye flourishes naturally, too, and it makes for an effective heart to the film: the duo has a lot in common, and they genuinely need each other on their journey, both practically and emotionally.

Ridley stands out as her perfectly precocious Ruthye, an earnest, balancing counterpoint to Kara's more cynical worldview. Alcock completely embodies Kara, too, whether that's the drunken, stumbling version of the Girl of Steel or the more determined, heroic version of her waiting in the wings, bringing the grit and sadness of a young girl forced to abandon her entire way of life for an alien land, as well as the sly humor of a 23-year-old trying to have a good time anyway.

This duo is more than enough to carry the film, so it's a little confusing why Jason Momoa's Lobo is included, in a change to Tom King and Bilquis Evely's source material. Momoa is plenty of fun as the cigar-chomping, growling anti-hero, but he's given a throwaway introduction and barely any plot relevance, which leaves him feeling like an entirely unnecessary addition to the film.

A cameo that does work, however, is David Corenswet's Superman. His screen time is very brief, but he is, once again, the quintessential Big Blue for those few minutes on screen, with his smiling optimism butting up against Kara's polar opposite attitude – a dynamic that seems ripe with potential for Man of Tomorrow and beyond.

Woman of Tomorrow

As the second DCU film, Supergirl feels somewhat oddly placed. More of a character study than a big blockbuster, the film does suffer from coming after last year's stellar Superman, which set the bar high for the new DC era. That film also felt like more of an event than its new younger sibling (or cousin); perhaps Supergirl will work well as a middle chapter between Superman and Man of Tomorrow, but that remains to be seen.

With Clayface coming later this year, though, the DCU is doubling down on its commitment to an eclectic mix of projects and tones, so Supergirl appears to be just one thread of a – hopefully – rich tapestry in the making.

Just like its protagonist, Supergirl is rough around the edges, but holds plenty of promise for the future. With two more DCU appearances confirmed, it seems this is only the beginning for Alcock's Kara. Up, up, and away…

While you wait for Supergirl, check out our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and shows, or how to watch the DC movies in order.