True Grit in Space? Milly Alcock Shines, But This Cosmic DCU Journey Stumbles on Craft and Morality
Rating: 6/10 (or 3/5 stars)
Not every franchise movie has to be a masterpiece, but it does need to justify why it exists. Following Masters of the Universe and The Mandalorian & Grogu, Supergirl lands as another familiar-title movie aimed at a wide audience. But does it give the new DCU needed momentum, or does it feel like another safe entry trying not to upset anyone?
Separating Performance from the Noise
Whatever bad-faith noise exists online around Milly Alcock, separate the movie from the nonsense: she is absolutely not the problem. Alcock entirely commits, giving Kara Zor-El a sharp edge, a bruised heart, and a reactive, harsh attitude that separates her from Clark Kent’s clean optimism. Unlike Clark, who was raised by loving parents on Earth, Kara remembers the trauma and loss of Krypton, which carries into her messy worldview. When the film pairs her against David Corenswet’s hopeful Superman energy, that contrast gives the movie its best character material.
A Faithfully Truncated "True Grit" in Space
Adapted directly from Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, the narrative functions closer to a cosmic road movie than a standard origin story. When young Ruthie's parents are murdered and Krypto the Superdog is poisoned, Kara is pulled into a ticking-clock, three-day interstellar hunt across alien worlds for the villainous Creme of the Yellow Hills.
The biggest addition to this cinematic adaptation is Jason Momoa as Lobo. Momoa weaponizes his loud, physical, and chaotic screen persona to cut through the movie's heavy, self-serious tone and inject a badly needed jolt of energy whenever he is on screen.
The Mid-Tier Craft Dilemma
Where the film starts to stumble is its safe, oddly flat execution, occasionally feeling like a below-average imitation of Guardians of the Galaxy without the same visual weirdness, rhythm, or emotional control.
From a craft standpoint, director Craig Gillespie handles the quiet character beats far better than the large-scale space opera action. Ana Nogueira’s screenplay captures Kara's reluctant hero arc well, but is severely uneven—overwritten in parts, rushed in others, and bogged down by logic gaps.
The technical elements complicate the experience further:
Cinematography & Lighting: Rob Hardy provides great scale, but the lighting is muddy, dark, and underlit around the actors' faces.
Editing: Tatiana S. Riegel and Fred Raskin keep the pace moving, but the action sequences are choppy, over-edited, and lack clean geographic clarity—failing to live up to the sharp, action-packed standards set by recent films like They Will Kill You.
Music & Score: Claudia Sarne’s score is serviceable but lacks a sweeping, glorious identity—evoking a similar response to John Williams' work on Disclosure Day. Furthermore, the pop needle drops prove distracting, highlighted by an oddly pausing, slow cover of Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle" during a vital third-act battle.
A Polarizing and Hypocritical Climax (Spoilers)
The movie establishes an effective third-act stakes booster by placing the characters under a green sun, stripping Kara of her powers so a flatly written Ruthie has to defend her. However, the narrative completely unravels its core thematic message during the ending.
After an entire movie built around Kara teaching Ruthie that personal vengeance will ruin her soul, Supergirl literally stops Ruthie from executing Creme—only to immediately turn around and stab him in the neck herself. It’s a hypocritical, cynical beat designed for "gritty" shock value that doesn't sit with the weight of its choice, rushing straight into a cute final dog joke with Krypto that causes massive tonal whiplash. Additionally, lore purists may balk at a polarizing twist where Zor-El claims Jor-El originally sent baby Kal-El to Earth to conquer the planet and start a harem.
Final Verdict
With a 57% Rotten Tomatoes score, a 50 on Metacritic, and a production budget of $170 million, the broader critical reception mirrors this mixed reality. Supergirl is a cautious recommendation for hardcore DC fans. It features an excellent lead performance and strong individual pieces, but the full movie doesn't quite come together into the confident next step the universe needed after Superman. You might want to save it for a streaming watch unless you really want the Dolby Theater experience.
