Supergirl, the second movie in James Gunn’s DC cinematic universe, is out this week. As you’d expect, reviews are now flowing from outlets and they’re…well, not as glowing as those for last year’s Superman, that’s for sure.
The Milly Alcock-led superhero film follows Superman’s cousin Kara Zor-El who, after having awoken from her unintended cryo sleep on Earth and dealing with all the grief of having lost her friends and family, ends up on a galactic revenge tour in order to save her superpowered doggie Krypto. Those stakes are enough to get most viewers invested, and reviewers say Alcock’s portrayal of a rough-around-the-edges Kara shines through the duller parts of the film, but the broad sentiment seems to be that Supergirl is derivative and messy, and not in a way that compliments its lead.
IGN
Where the DCU is concerned, I’m here for James Gunn’s universe. I’ve liked what’s gone into it so far and I loved Milly Alcock’s first appearance as Kara in her cameo in Superman. I think this version of Supergirl is a blast and her solo outing didn’t do anything to change my mind on that front. But this is also where Supergirl starts to become a tale of two movies. For everything that the movie does right, that thing’s got an alter ego that’s doing it wrong. As a result, the movie is this shuffling, few-steps-forward, few-steps-back kind of slog that never really finds a rhythm.
The Independent
Despite DC’s co-chair James Gunn – writer and director of Superman – handing the Supergirl reins to director Craig Gillespie and writer Ana Nogueira, the mandate here appears to be to keep things as distinctly Gunn-esque as possible. In return, Superman’s moodier, more cynical relative has been robbed of the chance to speak with her own voice. It’s the superhero equivalent of a Vegas impersonator.
But Why Tho
Supergirl is altogether a mess. It feels like a rushed production whose strong characters could have carried a better film with equally interesting villains, a better-developed script, and any amount of authenticity in its visuals. Supergirl doesn’t need comparisons to Superman; they’re different kinds of movies attempting to do different things with their characters and action, but it’s impossible not to recall how beautifully colorful and well-scored that movie was, and how well developed all of the characters were, when judging how this spinoff and second building block in a supposed cinematic universe fares. Supergirl could be much worse; Milly Alcock single-handedly ensures that it isn’t, but it deserves to be much better, too.
DiscussingFilm
The once-logical next step after Superman is now arriving in theaters with heavy baggage. Along with the usual scrutiny from the misogynistic culture war that almost every female-led comic book film has attracted, this also bears the burden of proving to audiences that the DCU is a viable franchise. Unfortunately, despite Gunn and Safran’s promise of a director-driven, character-first approach (in opposition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s “house style”), Supergirl suffers from the same blandness that has plagued so many middle-of-the-road superhero movies. It may be watchable, but between a fantastic leading performance from Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon, Netflix’s Sirens) and the beloved source material, the unrealized greatness is what hurts this DC adaptation the most.
Little White Lies
Beneath the grime and personality lurk the usual familiar beats, franchise obligations and CGI-laden set pieces. Supergirl rarely rises above the genre’s limitations, but it has enough character to avoid sinking into mediocrity. Gillespie brings the same swagger that ruled Cruella (2021), embracing grunge over superhero slickness. The film won’t blow your mind, but it is a rough-around-the-edges adventure with heart.
USA Today
A lack of focus, not nearly enough Krypto and a one-note baddie in [Mattias] Schoenaerts’ Krem don’t do Supergirl any favors, but they also don’t derail the film’s overall vibe of spunky weirdness. With [Superman actor David] Corenswet’s handful of appearances, he continues to cement his place as a darn good Superman (with his own sequel in the works). But here it’s Alcock who’s making her own cinematic statement: She’s not going anywhere, and the new DCU is better with a hell-raising Supergirl in it.
Commentary Track
While last year’s Superman was a promising refresh that felt invested in the uniqueness of its character, Supergirl plays like the same kind of anonymous, VFX-packed blockbuster that failed to attract audiences to The Flash and Black Adam. Everything that’s unique about the character gets sanded down into its blandest form, and director Craig Gillespie can only echo far better blockbusters rather than give the Woman of Tomorrow a picture of her own.
Deadline
There is a ton of action, destruction, chases, explosions, spaceship crashes — you name it. But at its center is the budding relationship between Zor-El and Ruthye, very reminiscent, as some online have already noticed, of Rooster Cogburn and Mattie Ross in True Grit. But Alcock is no John Wayne or Jeff Bridges, and [Ruthye actor Eve] Ridley lacks the spunk of Kim Darby and Hailee Steinfeld.
Roger Ebert
It might very well be a winner at the box office, and it thankfully doesn’t require that much homework in order to follow. But that doesn’t mean that this noisy and unimaginative picture, powered by little else than merely passable action sequences, flat humor, and a collection of slimy inter-galactical characters with fangs, fins, and numerous eyes around their oddly-shaped noggins, is any less headache-inducing.
The Hollywood Reporter
Supergirl only intermittently comes to life when it revisits her painful past. Given Australian director Gillespie’s history with films about spirited, rule-breaking women, like I, Tonya and Cruella, the failure to find emotional depth in the sisterhood of Kara and Ruthye is notable.
Multiverse of Color
Fortunately, with a crisp run-time of an hour and 48 minutes, the film moves fast enough that the bumpy parts are already in the rearview before you can dwell on them too much. Supergirl is her own unique character with her own vibe, and when the movie fully embraces that, it soars.
Supergirl is coming to theaters on June 26, but it’s not the only DC movie coming to the big screen in 2026. Clayface, a body horror film starring the titular Batman villain, will premiere on October 23, and will put the DCU’s ability to represent different characters with distinct genres and tones to the test. The next Superman movie, Man of Tomorrow, is coming in 2027.
