Supergirl shoots for the moon, but runs out of fuel

Australian Milly Alcock is the latest actor to take on Supergirl. (Supplied: Universal) Link copiedShareShare article"Why are you Supergirl, and he's Superman?" is a great question posed by Eve Ridley's Ruthye Marye Knoll in the latest offering from the DC Cinematic Universe. Born only a few years after her famous cousin Clark Kent on the planet Krypton, there's little reason for the equally powerful Kara El-Zor to adopt her infantilising moniker (beyond staying in line with the sacred source material, of course). What: The follow up to James Gunn's 2025 Superman reboot Starring: Milly Alcock, Jason Momoa, Eve Ridley Likely to make you feel: Wanting and waiting and disappointed But no matter the name, wouldn't it be exciting to use Supergirl's first solo flick since 1984 to explore and subvert what it really means to be a super girl? To dissect the comic book heroine's origins and show that, maybe, the difference between a supergirl and a superwoman is purely superficial? It would! Alas, I'm still waiting to see that particular film. As I endured Craig Gillespie's bland-as-flour Supergirl, an even better question came to mind: "Why is the titular Supergirl so diminished and dull in her own movie?" On paper, there's little reason why this film should not work. Gillespie, an Australian director, helmed the blistering sports biopic I, Tonya (with fellow Aussie Margot Robbie as troubled ice-skating champ Tonya Harding), and the equally great — but far less seen — Lars and the Real Girl (with Ryan Gosling). And Milly Alcock, Australia's latest darling (and certified CGA Rising Star), is evidently deserving of the Supergirl role, having already impressed the world as the young Rhaenyra Targaryen in Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon. Her cameo in 2025's Superman, wherein she drunkenly stumbled into Clark's Fortress of Solitude to collect her dog Krypto and abruptly bounce, had me cackling and instantly wanting more. Milly Alcock shines as a cynical Supergirl but the script works against her. (Supplied: Universal) Alcock's got oodles of star power, and her drunken, apathetic female protagonist is a rich character study that begs to be explored. Could it be, then, that the problem is the script? Scriptwriter Ana Nogueira does seem relatively new to the feature film writing business (but she's certainly no stranger to showbiz, having originated the role of Eliza Schuyler in smash-hit musical Hamilton). She's penned a great starting point to work with: Superman's party-loving cousin is turning 23, and to celebrate, she's going on an intergalactic pub crawl where no-one knows Brat Summer ended in 2024. In other words, she's going to get incredibly drunk on every red-sun planet she can find! That's fun! And then what? Hmm. Well, I guess that's when we turn to the back issues of Supergirl comics and pluck out a secondary protagonist, a generic bad guy, and a morally grey bounty hunter/KISS-wannabe called Lobo. And then some stuff happens? The side characters being completely unrecognisable to the average movie-goer is a little worrying, but not necessarily a bad thing. I'm no DC die-hard, so I'm used to needing a bit of exposition on who everyone is. The obvious appeal to a film writer is that the less everyone knows about them, the lower the expectations are. It's a pretty safe choice! Jason Mamoa plays chain-smoking bounty hunter Lobo in Supergirl. (Supplied: Universal) We can get to know the revenge-bound Ruthye and explosion-loving Lobo in real time, just like Kara gets to know them. I didn't even mind very much that Ruthye was a cut-and-paste model of Arya Stark, nor that Jason Momoa seems to be channelling a mash up of Beetlejuice and Ghost Rider. I don't know why these particular characters were chosen to decorate the sides of Supergirl, but they certainly are here. The real problems with Supergirl begin when the bad guys disable and poison her beloved dog Krypto, effectively shelving him for the entire run time. Definitely not a safe choice — and bold is not always better. As a way to generate an emotional hook, it's undeniably effective. However, weren't we promised a story of Supergirl and her naughty dog fighting crime together? Wasn't that the point of introducing the fabulous flying four-legged mutt in Superman? What are we doing here? WHY DID YOU SHOOT THE DOG?! After the success of his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, director James Gunn brings wisecracks, cartoonish violence and sincerity to America's marquee superhero. The needle drops are fun, but they just don't land the way James Gunn gets them to. Say what you will about the man, he's damn good at marrying music to moving images. A Riot Grrrl track or two wouldn't have gone astray. Instead, the choices here are just too pop-punk and clunky. In a brief reprieve from the madness, we are gifted a solemn montage about Kara's youth on the planet Kypton. Here, Alcock flexes her talent for fictional language fluency, and Davi

Supergirl shoots for the moon, but runs out of fuel

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