"Milly Alcock Soars In A Bold, Broken And Brilliant DCU Entry"

Supergirl is the latest film in James Gunn’s evolving DCU, and I found it to be a lot of fun. I know “fun” gets a bad rap these days, but that’s exactly how I’d categorise the film. More than that, though, it knows exactly what story it wants to tell, and because of that, the film remains impressively even-toned throughout its runtime.

Adapted from Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King, we meet Supergirl, Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock), on a birthday bender across planets with red suns, where she can actually get drunk. It’s an unconventional introduction, but it immediately tells you this is not the Supergirl audiences are used to.

Alcock’s Kara is burdened by survivor’s guilt as the last daughter of Krypton. Through flashbacks, we see her origin — the fall of Krypton, the desperate lengths her father, Zor-El (an excellent David Krumholtz), went to in order to save Argo City, and the eventual loss of her mother, Alura Zor-El (wonderfully portrayed by Emily Beecham), who, like most of the city’s survivors, succumbed to Kryptonite poisoning.

It’s a smart narrative device. We’ve seen Krypton fall countless times on screen, and by starting Kara at her lowest point — already broken, already carrying that trauma — the film gains an emotional edge over most origin stories.

Milly Alcock is excellent in the role. There’s a tremendous amount of pain in her performance, much of it conveyed with little more than a glance. Unlike Superman (played by David Corenswet), Kara doesn’t pull her punches — and crucially, she isn’t written as “Superman in a dress.” She’s her own person: rougher, angrier, more rebellious. With the DCU already establishing its “boy scout,” it makes sense to let Supergirl be the rebel.

I haven’t read the source material, but from what I understand, the miniseries includes a space unicorn — an idea that might have felt too out-there for where the DCU currently is. Instead, the film introduces Lobo, played by Jason Momoa, a character King originally wanted to include.

And frankly, this is the role Momoa was born to play.

As “The Main Man,” he’s phenomenal. He absolutely stands out, but importantly, he never overshadows Alcock. This is still Kara’s story, and Alcock holds the centre of it with confidence.

The other major standout is Eve Ridley as Ruthye Mary Knoll. She’s fantastic in the role, and her dynamic with Kara helps ground the story emotionally.

One of the bigger departures from the source material is the redesign of the Brigands, particularly Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts). He works well here — brutal, vicious, and immediately effective, especially in his opening scene where he decimates Ruthye’s family. Though the moment he shoots Krypto, you can more or less predict his fate, the journey to get there remains compelling enough that it never hurts the film too badly.

Director Craig Gillespie and his creative team have crafted something special here. Starting the DCU’s next phase with the “Super Family” was a smart move — it’s territory we haven’t really seen explored on the big screen before, despite how successfully it worked in the Arrowverse on TV.

The action is incredible. Nobody holds back, and Ridley in particular is fantastic with that sword.

All in all, Supergirl was an enjoyable ride and another strong step forward for the DCU. More importantly, it continues to differentiate what Gunn is building from what came before — and if this is the standard moving forward, DC fans have every reason to be excited.