The best reason to go see Supergirl is Krypto – and he spends most of the movie playing dead.
The film follows Kara Zor-El, Superman’s sullen cousin, as she reluctantly joins a young alien girl on an interstellar mission of revenge against the mercenary Krem of the Yellow Hills. Along the way, Kara needs to find an antidote to save her poisoned super pooch, avoid miscellaneous space pirates and trade barbs with intergalactic biker Lobo.
It’s a road movie by way of a space western, stitched together with skirmishes, detours and bursts of cosmic spectacle, albeit one that feels endlessly derivative of other genre films – Guardians of the Galaxy, Mad MaxFury Road, Star Wars etc.
Craig (Cruella) Gillespie directs, from a screenplay by Ana Nogueira. The story is ostensibly based on ‘Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow’, the comic mini-series written by Tom King.
Nogueira is currently writing a reboot of Wonder Woman, as well as a live-action Teen Titans for DC Studios.
It’s a road movie by way of a space western, albeit one that feels endlessly derivative of other genre films…
There are flashes of something interesting beneath the surface. The glimpses of Kara’s childhood on Krypton, and her life in Argo City, are among the film’s strongest moments. We get her first meeting with Krypto, as well as her Earthly introduction to Clark (a welcome cameo from David Corenswet). Some of the action scenes have bubble gum bravado. But in the end I didn’t care.
Alcock portrays Kara as a charmless brat. Her take lacks the heart that Melissa Benoist brought to the CW series, and the supporting cast – Jason Momoa’s Lobo and Matthias Schoenaerts’ villain – fail to elevate the material.
Jason Momoa cosplays as the bastich-cursing Lobo, all leather, face paint and CGI cigar smoke, while Matthias Schoenaerts is a villain in search of scenery to chew on.
Most grievously, the film spends most of its time undermining Kara’s superpowers. Her supersuit remains in the wardrobe for much of the running time, incongruously side-lined by a Blondie T-shirt, and pair of conspicuously retro headphones.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment is the lack of James Gunn’s signature stamp. His Superman crackled with energy, humour and emotional clarity. Here that wit and comic book vision is no where to be seen.
There’s also no post-credit scene, offering little sense of where this franchise is heading next. As a result, Supergirl ends not with anticipation but a super shrug.
Supergirl is directed by Craig Gillespie, and stars Milly Alcock, Jason Momoa, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Krypto. 12A, 108 minutes.
The British Museum is bringing two thousand years of Korean art to London in a major exhibition supported by Samsung Electronics, and drawn from the celebrated Lee Kun-Hee Collection. The consumer electronics giant, along with the British Museum, hosted a gala yesterday to mark the opening of Korea, a major presentation of works from the…
Ever wished you could go back to 1986 and see Freddie Mercury command a stadium in his absolute prime? London is about to offer the next best thing. On Saturday 3 October, Camden’s Roundhouse will transform into a giant Queen gig for Queen Budapest: The Concert Film Experience, an immersive screening of the band’s legendary…
Tom Cruise took a trip through more than four decades of Hollywood history at BAFTA this week, sharing stories from some of his most famous films and revealing what makes him want to keep making movies. Cruise was in London for the premiere of his new film Digger, when he joined BAFTA for an extended…
The best reason to go see Supergirl is Krypto – and he spends most of the movie playing dead.
The film follows Kara Zor-El, Superman’s sullen cousin, as she reluctantly joins a young alien girl on an interstellar mission of revenge against the mercenary Krem of the Yellow Hills. Along the way, Kara needs to find an antidote to save her poisoned super pooch, avoid miscellaneous space pirates and trade barbs with intergalactic biker Lobo.
It’s a road movie by way of a space western, stitched together with skirmishes, detours and bursts of cosmic spectacle, albeit one that feels endlessly derivative of other genre films – Guardians of the Galaxy, Mad Max Fury Road, Star Wars etc.
Craig (Cruella) Gillespie directs, from a screenplay by Ana Nogueira. The story is ostensibly based on ‘Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow’, the comic mini-series written by Tom King.
Nogueira is currently writing a reboot of Wonder Woman, as well as a live-action Teen Titans for DC Studios.
There are flashes of something interesting beneath the surface. The glimpses of Kara’s childhood on Krypton, and her life in Argo City, are among the film’s strongest moments. We get her first meeting with Krypto, as well as her Earthly introduction to Clark (a welcome cameo from David Corenswet). Some of the action scenes have bubble gum bravado. But in the end I didn’t care.
Alcock portrays Kara as a charmless brat. Her take lacks the heart that Melissa Benoist brought to the CW series, and the supporting cast – Jason Momoa’s Lobo and Matthias Schoenaerts’ villain – fail to elevate the material.
Jason Momoa cosplays as the bastich-cursing Lobo, all leather, face paint and CGI cigar smoke, while Matthias Schoenaerts is a villain in search of scenery to chew on.
Most grievously, the film spends most of its time undermining Kara’s superpowers. Her supersuit remains in the wardrobe for much of the running time, incongruously side-lined by a Blondie T-shirt, and pair of conspicuously retro headphones.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment is the lack of James Gunn’s signature stamp. His Superman crackled with energy, humour and emotional clarity. Here that wit and comic book vision is no where to be seen.
There’s also no post-credit scene, offering little sense of where this franchise is heading next. As a result, Supergirl ends not with anticipation but a super shrug.
Supergirl is directed by Craig Gillespie, and stars Milly Alcock, Jason Momoa, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Krypto. 12A, 108 minutes.
British Museum brings 2,000 years of Korean art to London with Samsung-backed Korea exhibition
The British Museum is bringing two thousand years of Korean art to London in a major exhibition supported by Samsung Electronics, and drawn from the celebrated Lee Kun-Hee Collection. The consumer electronics giant, along with the British Museum, hosted a gala yesterday to mark the opening of Korea, a major presentation of works from the…
The Roundhouse is turning into a giant Queen gig – and it’s the closest you’ll get to seeing Freddie Mercury live
Ever wished you could go back to 1986 and see Freddie Mercury command a stadium in his absolute prime? London is about to offer the next best thing. On Saturday 3 October, Camden’s Roundhouse will transform into a giant Queen gig for Queen Budapest: The Concert Film Experience, an immersive screening of the band’s legendary…
From Taps to Digger, Tom Cruise reflects on four decades of cinema at BAFTA’s A Life in Pictures
Tom Cruise took a trip through more than four decades of Hollywood history at BAFTA this week, sharing stories from some of his most famous films and revealing what makes him want to keep making movies. Cruise was in London for the premiere of his new film Digger, when he joined BAFTA for an extended…
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