ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

Last July, the end of James Gunn's "Superman" film (which I ended up HIGHLY enjoying), also briefly introduced viewers to the man of steel's not as squeaky-clean cousin, Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, and last weekend, viewers got to see her in her own feature movie. 

"Supergirl" follows our heroine (Milly Alcock) as she grudgingly joins forces with an unlikely young companion (Eve Ridley) on an interstellar journey after an unexpected adversary strikes a little too close to home.

I have to start by praising the casting, because the crew in charge of that actually did a pretty solid job. Milly Alcock (who some might know better as young Rhaenyra Targaryen in the HBO series "House of the Dragon") is absolutely fantastic as the movie's leading lady, and she does a great job portraying Kara's messiness and then her willingness to fully embrace her powers and be a hero. She also seemed to have A LOT of fun with the more physical/fight scenes throughout the movie, and it was great to see her cut loose there. She also did a great job in her more dramatic scenes, particularly when she's recounting her story about how she came to Earth and to know her more famous cousin. Overall, Alcock was the PERFECT choice as the movie's leading lady, though I did feel she deserved a better story to work with, especially with this being her major debut in the role. Jason Momoa is also rather a scene-stealer as Kara's frenemy, bounty hunter Lobo. He's wonderfully hilarious and also does a great job in his more physical scenes of the movie. I would have actually liked to see more interaction between him and Kara throughout the movie given how their characterizations are pretty similar, and I also felt he deserved a better story to work with. Overall, the cast for this movie was VERY well chosen, and I have to give a lot of props to the crew in charge of that aspect of the project. 

I also have to praise the costume and makeup department's work, because there was clearly care put toward that. The makeup for the villain gang was very well done and legitimately somewhat nightmare-inducing, and I absolutely loved the final result. Alcock was absolutely STUNNING in her Supergirl costume (which comes in the movie's final act), and I love how there was apparently a part of Christopher Reeve's original Superman costume incorporated into her look. I also felt the makeup crew did a great job helping Kara evolve from being completely hungover and miserable to more sober and powerful and literally glowing. Overall, the costume and makeup team did a great job, and they also deserve recognition. 

While I appreciate the cast and crew of the movie, I did end up feeling like there definitely could have been more effort put forth toward the movie's overall story, which is basically a road trip/revenge/adventure mixed with "John Wick." Given how multiple recent superhero movies have been getting called out for thin stories, and how this movie is introducing the Supergirl character to many moviegoing audiences, Alcock and audiences deserved much better than what ended up being the final result. There are multiple moments throughout the movies that show potential that ultimately end up not getting quite as fleshed out as they should have – for example, I would have loved to see more interaction between Kara and her more famous cousin (who does pop up a few times) and get an idea of just how influential he was after she initially landed on Earth, or maybe even some of her early adventures and/or what pushed her to her current circumstances. The potential for a truly good movie is in there, and with the caliber of talent involved in the cast, the story definitely could have been so much more than what we got. 

Overall, I would give "Supergirl" a C-plus grade. The movie's casting choices are VERY good, especially Milly Alcock as leading lady Kara Zor-El and Jason Momoa as her frenemy Lobo, and if there are future films in this universe, I hope there's more interaction between the two. The costuming and makeup department also did a great job, with the villains looking appropriately scary, and Alcock looks absolutely stunning in her Supergirl costume. Overall, however, the story could have been improved with extra effort, especially with this being Alcock's major debut as the character and many people's introduction to Supergirl. However, if you're looking for a good and fun superhero movie, "Supergirl" would be a good one to check out.