Super formulaic, but that's not a bad thing
Review
Supergirl the character has always been in the shadow of her more popular cousin Superman throughout their history. That's both in the real world and in the DC universe. The follow up to James Gunn's first DC movie, 2025's Superman, is no different. Gunn's first movie foray into his own version of the DC universe was well received both critically and audience wise. Supergirl once again would have to live up to the standard Superman set.
For the most part, I believe the movie did show. The story beats shouldn't surprise anyone apart from a few scenes. Gunn clarifies what his universe's Krypton was like and the final scene of dealing with the movie's main antagonist could surprise some people. Beyond that, from the open scenes of Supergirl bar hopping on planets with red suns so she could get drunk to her of course being at the top of her abilities for the last fight follows a familiar plot. She has someone bring her out of her funk and reminds her of what it means to be heroic. It is simple, but it's well executed and the details of how Kara got to that point at the start of the movie are shown in flashbacks throughout the film. The main antagonist isn't really noteworthy. Lobo does provide some comedy in his few scenes. The star of the movie is Kara figuring things out as she turns twenty-three.
Milly Alcock did do an amazing job in her portrayal of Supergirl. I wasn't too familiar with her apart from her playing the young Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon. She definitely showed what she can do as we see a down on herself Kara eventually become the hero worthy of standing with her cousin. Eve Ridley's Ruthye also was a nice piece of the puzzle in helping Alcock's Kara become the hero she's meant to be. Those two were the real driving forces of the movie. The aforementioned Lobo was played by Jason Momoa. He wasn't in the movie too much to really get a handle of the character, but he seems pretty true to the character in the little that is shown. Lobo is definitely a character I look forward to seeing more in Gunn's DCU.
Closing / Recommendation
I do recommend Supergirl. Alcock's version of Kara is endearing when all is said and done. The movie does have some spectacular action sequences to showcase her fighting ability. At the end of the day, the heroic heart Kara comes out setting her up for more in Gunn's DCU. I am excited to see what more comes from Alcock and Gunn for the woman of tomorrow.
Image / media credit: dailytelegraph.com.au