Female-led superhero movies have struggled to find a strong audience. From R-rated spin-offs like Birds of Prey to Marvel origin stories like Captain Marvel, very few have garnered the attention that many male-dominated films of the genre have. The DCU is looking to change that with their second film, Supergirl, with Milly Alcock taking on the titular character. Although the film takes a unique approach to female superheroes, it sadly falls into the trappings of many recent superhero movies.

Based on the comic book story, Woman of Tomorrow, the film follows Kara Zor-El/Supergirl as she grapples with her traumatic past while attempting to find an antidote for her dying dog, Krypto, who was poisoned after an attack by the space pirate Krem(Matthias Schoenaerts). Joining Kara on her journey is Ruthye(Eve Ridley), a young warrior who seeks revenge on Krem after he murdered her family.

In most cases, female superheroes are depicted as perfect specimens, with a heavy focus on their bodies and flawless morals. Supergirl spins this idea on its head entirely, as Kara is one of the most complex female superheroes depicted on screen in quite some time. She is constantly making irrational and spontaneous decisions, and while this could be perceived as annoying, the film’s dedication to diving into why she acts the way she does makes for a fulfilling character, and one that is easy to root for despite her flaws. The film avoids voyeurism entirely, which also makes for a refreshing look at the superhero genre that hammers in the psychological themes beautifully.

Known mostly for TV, Milly Alcock proves more than worthy of taking on a superhero in her debut studio lead role. Despite going through many moments of emotional turmoil, Alcock plays the role with an air of extreme relaxation, emphasizing her character’s carelessness toward the world around her. Whether she is stumbling around drunk or beating up dozens of supervillains, Alcock always commits to the role, which elevates parts of the film that aren’t operating at her level. If there is any reason to seek out Supergirl, witnessing Alcock’s stellar performance is more than enough.

Although they don’t compare to Milly Alcock, the rest of the ensemble deliver solid performances. Jason Momoa has long been a fan-cast for Lobo, and he luckily does not disappoint here. Momoa makes the most of his limited screen time, with his twisted sense of humor and quirky physicality making for some of the film’s strongest comedic moments. Despite the paper-thin characterization, Matthias Schoenaerts imbues Krem with an insanity that makes him even more sinister than he already was. The weakest of the main cast is sadly Eve Ridley, whose drive for revenge became tedious throughout the film.

The film flashes back to Kara’s origin story, disclosing how she was raised and where her trauma stemmed from. These sequences were easily the most engaging in the film, as they not only fleshed out the film’s thesis on what it means to be super but also delved into why she acts the way she does. Whenever flashback scenes occurred, there was an immediate jump in quality, which made the rest of the film feel extremely unspecial. The space-adventure storyline had its moments of entertainment, but felt too much like familiar territory. Although James Gunn was not the writer, there were times when sequences felt ripped straight from a Guardians of the Galaxy movie, lacking originality and coming across as stale. While there are countless films with worse writing than Supergirl, it still lacked in many areas.

The first two-thirds play out as a fun odyssey with solid visuals and great set-ups for character development, but all of it goes out the window in the third act. Not only does the climactic final battle have horrendous visual effects, but the characters lack any natural progression. A suit-up scene involving Kara was meant to be her moment of redemption, but it comes across as extremely rushed and underwritten. Moments of weak writing in the early parts of the film were easier to overlook because of the film’s whimsical nature, but the third act seemed as if the filmmakers had given up on delivering anything compelling in terms of spectacle or psychological impact.

Supergirl may be littered with problems, but Milly Alcock’s excellent lead performance and the film’s subversive take on the female superhero make for a worthy-enough entry into the DCU. While it never reached the highs of Superman, there is enough here to make James Gunn’s DC universe more than exciting for the casual viewer. As a phase-one superhero project for this universe, it gets the job done.

Supergirl is now playing in theaters nationwide.

Rating: 6/10

Oscar Prospects:

None