‘Supergirl’: Milly Alcock Flies Above Craig Gillespie’s Lightweight Adventure

Alci Rengifo

There are no big soaring themes or apocalyptic showdowns for Superman’s blonde cousin in “Supergirl.” This is a micro DC snack within the ongoing brand revamp headed by James Gunn, though with the feel of a truly standard comic book movie. Its key charm is Milly Alcock, who embodies so well the “punk” attitude Gunn aspires to. She turns the title character into a persona all her own, traumatized and carrying her superpowers around like a convenience to deal with life hassles. Directing duties go to Craig Gillespie, who, like Gunn, loves misfits. What eventually constrains the effort is the eventual demands of a large-scale commercial product. What begins as a quirky caped adventure ends with an explosive yawn.

For most of its first half, “Supergirl” is still a fun time. We first met this version of her in last year’s “Superman,” as she stumbled into the secret fortress of cousin Kal-El aka Clark Kent (David Corenswet) to pick up her beloved super dog Krypto. Now, Kara Zor-El (Alcock) spends her time on Holzherr, where the red sun holds her powers at bay and lets her feel the effects of getting buzzed at local bars. Clark still checks up on her through video messages encouraging Kara to return to Earth, so she can feel at home there where the yellow sun powers her abilities. Kara doesn’t feel at home anywhere, especially since her parents sent her to Earth as a teen after what remained of her destroyed planet, Krypton, began its final collapse. Things take a turn when Kara is approached by Ruthye (Eve Ridley), who seeks revenge on Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts), a ruthless Brigand who murdered her parents. Our hero is then left with no choice when Krem poisons Krypto and must now be tracked down to get the antidote.

“Supergirl” has a curious lack of color in comparison to “Superman,” beginning with its grungy planets where the aliens and buildings look like rusty leftovers from “Mad Max.” At first this is not such a bad thing since it helps differentiate Kara from her all-American icon cousin. As she tells Ruthye, Clark is a nerd with an overly optimistic heart, mostly because he landed on Earth as a baby and was raised with a family. Kara witnessed the death of her world old enough to remember it forever. At her best, Alcock has shades of Margot Robbie’s Tonya Harding in Gillespie’s great “I, Tonya,” as someone who deep down is good but struggles with how the world shapes her. The screenplay by Ana Nogueira, mostly based on the comics series “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow,” does not set out to make an easily “heroic” version of this character. Do not bother making comparisons with 1984’s “Supergirl” by Jeannot Szwarc, which was nothing more than an attempt to cash in on the popularity of the Christopher Reeves “Superman” franchise. For most of this movie Kara walks around in a grungy coat, barely showing the red and blue trademark costume. Like many people whose pets become their only true family, saving Krypto is also about preserving her sanity.

Despite these unique dramatic flourishes, cinephiles walking in to see what Craig Gillespie brings to DC will instead find another notable director overtaken by franchise standards. As has happened over at Marvel, the studio’s set product style comes first. Surprisingly short for a comic book film at about an hour and fifty minutes, “Supergirl” establishes an enticing premise before rushing through a series of gags, un-memorable action scenes and shots of rickety ships. We meet various aliens that look like horror film rejects or just large blobs, some work for comic relief. There are those James Gunn-style little details like a space snack that originates from the wrong end of an alien in a sci-fi popcorn machine. As a villain, Krem is quite lightweight and lacks a single decent line. He walks around with a face full of piercings, mostly grinning. More entertaining and terribly underused is Lobo (Jason Momoa eating the scenery), an immortal bounty hunter constantly chomping on a cigar. He talks and cackles like a cosmic member of the Hells Angels. Among DC fans this character has his own little following and it is surprising how little use the film finds for him. The rowdy energy of Gunn’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” or “The Suicide Squad” is missed with a character like this.

If in the first act and a half we’re engrossed by getting to know Kara, the third act becomes the typical showdown most comic book movies require. Chases culminate in fights atop massive shops with plenty of CGI flames and smoke all around. Then again, the filmmakers feel like they had few avenues left since the very nature of the plot feels so simple. Supergirl needs Krypto’s antidote, which hangs around Krem’s neck. The most convincing part of her journey is that she grows to care for Ruthye, in a sense learning to provide the kind of family she feels cheated out of. “Supergirl” should have spent more time allowing its pop art characters to grow a bit more on us. Krem’s overall scheme even carries a sort of message about human trafficking, yet it feels tagged on. Overall, this is a DC film where its early moments are worth watching for how they introduce a character who is gloriously human despite being able to fly, covering up her fears with a drunken middle finger aimed at life’s cruelties. The rest is popcorn filler that cares more about securing those box office figures.

“Supergirl” releases June 26 in theaters nationwide.