‘Supergirl’ Review: A Strong ‘Superman’ Sequel That Could Really Use More Lobo

Supergirl is the second full-length film from James Gunn’s DC Studios and it switches gears from last year Superman focusing on her younger cousin Kara. Milly Alcock steps into the shoes of a Kryptonian. So far, Supergirl has been mostly on the small screen, thankfully the CW series.

This iteration of Supergirl exists in the same stylistic space as Guardians of the Galaxy. Kara, like Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), lives in an analog environment where her surroundings are dirty, intimate and emotional — a stark contrast to the colorful world of Metropolis, where Clark Kent lives.

Kara and Star-Lord feel cut from the same cloth, from the way they dress and their preference for old-school headphones to their sarcastic interactions with others. Both also sport a rugged, self-deprecating exterior that resists various traumas.

As seen throughout the Guardians trilogy, Star-Lord cultivates a found family, giving his life meaning and purpose. On Supergirl, the only family Kara has — besides her older cousin, “nerdy” (her words, not mine) — is her faithful dog, Krypto. And it doesn’t take long before his life is put in danger, sending him on a galaxy-hopping mission to save him.

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Alcock stars alongside Eve Ridley, who plays young Ruthye, a girl who puts Kara on a dangerous mission of revenge. Jason Momoa an absolute blast as the iconic immortal hunter Lobo, while Matthias Schoenaerts plays the villainous Krem of the Yellow Hills. (Spoiler: She doesn’t have a mustache.) If you’re familiar with the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic book, those words should ring a bell. If not, don’t worry: The movie strays from the source enough to make for a fun ride regardless.

David Corenswet pops up here and there, using a modem Craig Gillespie-directed trip to Superman, but for the most part, this is a Milly Alcock story. And his dog Krypto is the key to the whole plot.

When I wrote about Superman last year, I repeated the idea that grace was the new punk rock. It was a refreshing theme that ran throughout the film. Supergirl isn’t going there.

Rather, the lesson here is to simply be a good person in a world that can often be unfair, uncaring and unkind.

Through his journey with Ruthye, whose sole purpose is to kill Krem, we see an eye-opening history of his life on Krypton. Unlike Kal-El, who was sent to Earth as a child, Kara enjoyed a childhood there. And when the planet begins to crumble, the film explores the tragic consequences of watching his family slowly die as he is sent to a new planet, never to see his home or his loved ones again.

This is where Krypto comes in. That little ball of spunky, honest energy was the highlight of Superman. In Supergirl, her backstory is revealed, making her role in Kara’s life even more important. He found her on Krypton, making her his physical connection to home. He is also his closest lover and most trusted friend, making the dog like home itself.

With three days to spare, Kara travels to various planets — by ship, on an empty space bus and by other means — to track down Krem. Along the way, he forms a bond with Ruthye, fights alongside the wisecracking Lobo and saves a boatload of young girls from Krem after learning that his crew is abducting them as brides to propagate their all-male species.

If that sounds familiar, it’s because a similar plot is explored in Mad Max: Fury Road. In fact, almost everything about Krem’s staff screamed Mad Max to me. I didn’t care about the honor, but the way this particular point was handled felt unreal.

Performance wise, Alcock is great as Kara. He expertly balances the weight of his character’s tragic history with witty tidbits and powerful displays of courage. The film begins with Kara on a bender, wandering aimlessly through space without a sense of purpose. Finally, he has found a friend in Ruthye (played with emotional tenacity by Ridley) and a strong conviction to fight crime with his older cousin.

It’s safe to say that most reviews you read about Supergirl will praise Jason Momoa’s turn as Lobo. The only thing that bothers me about his performance is that it was not enough. Every time he stepped out of the frame, I wanted the camera to follow. Hopefully, they will make a standalone Lobo movie happen.

Schoenaerts’ take on Krem is an exercise in villainy. I’m sure others will be offended by the way he portrays this evil person. I didn’t pay attention, really. After all, this is a science fiction comic book movie. However, like the Mad Max details I mentioned above, his performance kept reminding me of Christopher Plummer’s turn as General Chang in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered World — minus, extreme and minus all the Shakespeare quotes.

I guess my point is that Supergirl feels like a collection of ideas inspired by other things, repackaged into something new here. Along with Gunn’s signature move of having every fight sequence inspired by some sort of pop music, I found myself checking out more than once.

Maybe that’s because Craig Gillespie has never helmed a movie like this before. Maybe it’s because of the randomness of the text. For all the fun visuals and deep emotional thoughts, Supergirl ultimately felt like a pedestrian movie without fully and truly living in the character’s shoes.

That doesn’t mean it’s not good; movie entirely. But it’s not on the same level as Superman, and that’s okay. Supergirl has thrills, emotions, action sequences and needle drops that will keep the audience entertained.

Don’t expect an end credits scene — James Gunn doesn’t like that.