Film Review: SUPERGIRL (2026): This Superhero Film Doesn’t Fly as High as It Should Have Flown

Supergirl Review

Supergirl (2026) Film Review, a movie directed by Craig Gillespie, written by Ana Nogueira, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and starring Milly Alcock, David Corenswet, Jason Momoa, Eve Ridley, Matthias Schoenaerts, Diarmaid Murtagh, Ferdinand Kingsley, Emily Piggford, Bruce Lennox, Audrey Brisson, Avye Leventis, Wil Coban, David Krumholtz, Charlie Rawes, Leo Bill and Clara Rosager. 

It will be really hard for Warner Bros. to justify the disappointment of filmmaker Craig Gillespie’s weak superhero movie, Supergirl. There are so many problems with the new picture that it’s hard to know where to start, but to think that the Batgirl movie (which was pulled from the theatrical slate a few years back) was worse than this makes one wonder whether superhero movies should be made at DC as frequently anymore. Milly Alcock, who plays Supergirl, isn’t the problem. It’s the film’s lack of emotional depth and poor execution of its action sequences that sink the ship. Alcock actually puts in 100% and the movie, sadly, fails her.

Supergirl starts out as a likable screen presence as she is in her early 20’s and relies on the companionship of her dog, Krypto. So far, so good. This film has other characters than Supergirl populating the screen, though, and the film eventually revolves around the premise that a young girl named Ruthye (Eve Ridley) vows vengeance against the wicked Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts) who murdered her family. Krem is a well-conceived villain, but the film doesn’t develop him nearly enough to make him work as a memorable bad guy.

Tossed into the action is the anti-hero/bounty hunter Lobo (Jason Momoa). This is a wild character that could have worked if the script did the character justice. This film has him riding around, looking cool, but fails to develop him as anything other than a catalyst to jump start some key scenes in the movie. Momoa has been working steadily these days, and his performance isn’t the problem with Supergirl. It’s the conception of the characters and the execution and follow-through which come up short.

No end-credits scenes hint that the movie felt like there was nothing to brag about. Supergirl is one of the most dismal DC movies since Black Adam. If the plug was pulled on future Black Adam movies, then it’s doubtful Alcock will replay this Supergirl role too often. While other projects are in production or development, this new movie could disappoint at the box-office and pull the plug on some of those potential projects.

Craig Gillespie is a great director. Cruella was one of the best films of 2021. Then again, Brendan Fraser is a great actor and that didn’t stop Warner Bros. from pulling the plug on Batgirl. Because Alcock got such a warm response in last year’s Superman movie, Warner Bros. probably thought Supergirl could be a cash cow. If the movie zeroed in more on Supergirl then it could have worked. Instead, the side characters and the villain get allotted so much screen time that they will detract viewers’ attention from Alcock’s clever performance in the title role.

David Corenswet reprises his role as Superman, but he’s pretty much in the background as one would expect from the trailers of Supergirl which don’t highlight his presence in the action too much. David Krumholtz is actually really good in support as Zor-El, Supergirl’s dad. If one performance truly stands out in the supporting cast, it’s the one from Krumholtz who seems more earnest than the film in terms of taking all of this seriously.

Of course, Krypto is cute, but the movie bit off more than it can possibly chew. It features flat world-building and isn’t up to the standards of last year’s Superman movie at all. Alcock can shine and have a great personality, but if everything (and everyone) around her is dull, what’s it all worth at the end of the day?

Batgirl should be released. Why? Because Supergirl was. It’s hard to imagine another big-budget superhero movie being this lackluster. Does Eve Ridley do her very best in her role? Yes. Does Schoenaerts put in effort as the bad guy who is so slimy that he brings a very distinct presence to the screen? Yes. Does Alcock shine? Yes. However, the script needed another polish. It needed to lighten up the dark material just a bit and that includes a mid-end credits scene or final after credits scene, as previously stated. Those scenes are standard in today’s superhero movie climate.

Superman had a lot of fun with the material it presented last year. It ended with audiences tapping their toes to the “Punkrocker” song at the end. Surprisingly, Supergirl takes all the joy out of the superhero movie and replaces it with a rather dark story line. Is there some substance to the story? Yes. However, the way the film is executed just doesn’t cut the mustard in a time where summer movies like this are expected to be more enthralling and more captivating. It’s not even a close call. It’s safe to say that Supergirl should be skipped.

Rating: 5.5/10

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