Supergirl

Before we dive into what I thought, it’s worth talking about where this movie sits in the new DC Universe. Superman introduced us to James Gunn’s new vision for DC, but Supergirl has a completely different job. This isn’t about following Superman around. It’s about proving that Kara can stand on her own as a character, and after walking out of the cinema, I think that’s exactly what this film achieves.

A Star-Making Turn from Milly Alcock

Before seeing the movie, the person I was most excited to watch was Milly Alcock. Most people know her from House of the Dragon, and she’s terrific in that, but if you’ve never seen the Australian series Upright, I’d genuinely recommend tracking it down. That show gives you a much better idea of her natural screen presence. She’s funny, confident, a little rough around the edges, and after seeing Supergirl, I found myself thinking about Upright far more than House of the Dragon. That’s probably the biggest compliment I can give her. She doesn’t disappear behind the cape. She creates a version of Kara that feels completely her own, and what I loved most is that she never tries to be Superman. She’s a very different person. This version of Kara is sarcastic, reckless, stubborn, with a real attitude, but underneath all of that is someone still carrying enormous grief, and Milly Alcock balances every one of those emotions brilliantly. This honestly feels like a star-making performance.

One thing that surprised me was just how different this movie feels from Superman. Yes, they share the same universe, but tonally they’re worlds apart. Supergirl is darker, grittier, the consequences feel real, people die, and characters make morally complicated decisions throughout. There’s genuine emotional weight here that I wasn’t expecting to hit as hard as it did. At its heart, though, this isn’t really a story about revenge. It’s about what revenge costs. That idea is explored beautifully through Ruthie. Without giving anything away, she’s driven by loss and convinced that revenge will somehow make everything better. Kara understands that pain better than anyone, and watching those two characters challenge each other’s beliefs quietly becomes one of the emotional highlights of the film. It’s a surprisingly mature story.

Krypto, Lobo and a Ticking Clock

Then there’s Krypto. Anyone who follows my reviews knows I’ve got a soft spot for dogs, so I was probably always going to connect with this part of the movie. But Krypto isn’t just there for laughs. He’s the emotional heartbeat of the story. Everything is built around a ticking clock. Kara has just three moonrises to retrieve an antidote and save him, and every time that countdown comes back into the story, you feel the pressure building. It gives the whole film momentum without ever feeling forced. As someone who loves dogs, I completely bought into those stakes. What I also really liked was how naturally all the storylines come together. Kara is trying to save Krypto, Ruthie is chasing revenge, Lobo has his own reasons for hunting the same people, and instead of feeling like three separate plots, they gradually merge until everyone’s heading towards the same destination. It keeps the movie moving at a really satisfying pace.

Speaking of Lobo, Jason Momoa looks like he’s having the absolute time of his life. He’s loud, arrogant, completely over the top and violent, but somehow also incredibly entertaining. Every time he appeared on screen, the energy lifted another notch. He brings plenty of humour without ever feeling like comic relief, and if anything, he just made me want to see a lot more of Lobo in future DC films.

Worlds Worth Getting Lost In

Visually, the film is fantastic as well. Krypton and Argo are beautifully realised, and some of the imagery during those earlier sequences genuinely stayed with me after the credits rolled. The different alien worlds make this universe feel much bigger than Superman did, and at times I found myself getting little flashes of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome in some of those rough, lived-in environments, then moments that reminded me of Guardians of the Galaxy through the colourful worlds and supporting characters. None of those comparisons feel like copies. They’re just little reminders of other stories that came to mind while I was watching.

If I have one criticism, it’s the villain. He’s not terrible, he just never becomes as memorable as I wanted him to. For someone who sits at the centre of so many storylines, he never quite develops the presence to become truly intimidating. Ironically, the emotional conflict surrounding him is much stronger than the character himself. Thankfully, Kara is such a compelling lead that the movie never loses its momentum.

Walking out of the cinema, the thing I kept thinking about wasn’t Superman. It wasn’t the new DC Universe. It was Kara. This movie succeeds because it gives us a Supergirl who feels completely different from every other superhero we’ve met so far. She’s flawed, emotional, impulsive, funny, damaged, and most importantly, she feels human. That’s why this movie works. It’s not trying to make her the next Superman. It’s letting her become the first Supergirl.