Supergirl review: Bright, bouncy and a little too familiar

After James Gunn and Peter Safran rebooted DC Studios and launched the new DCU with Gunn’s Superman, Supergirl follows as the franchise’s second theatrical outing and makes clear that Gunn’s house style can be replicated. Director Craig Gillespie and writer Ana Nogueira lean heavily into Gunn’s signatures—spinning-camera fights, a cluttered, Guardians-like universe, and a snarky-but-sentimental take on heroism—producing a serviceable, good-natured film that is frequently fun, especially when Milly Alcock is on screen.

The plot borrows loosely from Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and from True Grit: teenage Ruthye (Eve Ridley) seeks vengeance after raider Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts) kills her family, and her hunt drags Kara Zor-El—Supergirl—into the mess.

The movie trims many of the comics’ darker, surprising details and settles into a repetitive pattern: Kara tries to leave Ruthye, Ruthye pushes forward and gets in trouble, Kara saves her.

supergirl, dcu, james gunn, peter safran, superman, craig gillespie, ana nogueira, milly alcock, tom king, woman of