Supergirl: A Mildly-Compelling, but Flawed Second Outing for the New DCU (4K)

The Film:

Just last year, James Gunn & Peter Safran kicked off their new DC Comics Universe with a new take on "Superman" (written & directed by Gunn himself), which definitely had a little room for improvement, but was received well overall, on top of being a modest box office success. For the DCU's second outing, they opted to go with a "Supergirl" solo film, an endeavor that hadn't been done since the 1984 iteration starring Helen Slater.

Sadly, the reaction was quite the opposite to their new universe's debut outing, garnering not only harsh reviews, but also a pretty abysmal box office take that saw the film bombing rather badly. However, now that it's getting its physical release, the film will have a second chance to find its audience among the multitude who chose to skip it in theaters. The question is, is it even worth the time for them to check it out at home, or were the critics right in their initial dismissal of this latest superhero project?

As the film opens, we find Kara (aka Supergirl) (Milly Alcock) going on a planetary pub crawl to celebrate her 23rd birthday. Her cousin Clark (aka Superman) (David Corenswet) constantly calls her, worried that she's not adjusting well to living on Earth, and inquiring when she's coming back, though she keeps brushing him off. While hitting up a bar on the planet Holzherr, she encounters Ruthye Marye Knoll (Eve Ridley), a young girl whose family has been killed by Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts), the leader of the Brigands, a band of pirates and human traffickers.

Ruthye attempts to recruit help on her quest for revenge, but quickly gets into trouble, forcing Kara to step in and save her. Kara subsequently turns down her plea for help in her quest, but after Krem hijacks her ship and shoots her dog Krypto with a poisonous dart, she too finds herself going after the Brigands' leader in order to get the antidote, ultimately pairing these two together as they hunt their shared target.

From the time it was announced, it seemed like a rather odd decision to jump right into another Kryptonian film with the vast assortment of heroes that DC Comics has to offer, but I suppose they thought it made some logical sense to go with Supergirl after she was introduced at the end of "Superman." This gave screenwriter Ana Nogueira and director Craig Gillespie the all-important task of continuing the momentum that the previous film had created, a challenge that, as we saw, was not seen as particularly successful by many, and indeed, the result is a rather curious mixed bag that had a few issues in need of addressing.

The story, for the most part, is fine. There's a lot that can be done with a good revenge tale, so having young Ruthye & a somewhat lost Kara team up together with a common goal works as far as giving the film its driving force. However, one of the biggest issues that's quite noticeable throughout the film is the lack of a three-dimensional villain. With Krem, what we basically have is a stand-in for where a fully-fleshed-out villain should be, giving us one with very little personality who is merely a common pirate that kidnaps girls. By the end, the only detail you're likely to remember about the man himself are the multitude of piercings on his face.

Another issue that crops up early on, and lingers quite a bit, is just how mopey this rendition of Supergirl is. Milly Alcock has proven herself to be quite a talented actress, especially when it comes to her role on "House of the Dragon," but here her character is merely given a constant state of being down-in-the-dumps. It's understandable that she would be feeling displaced after leaving the only home she's ever known, but then this state continues as she desperately tries to save Krypto's life. It doesn't leave a whole lot of range for Alcock to play with, but at the very least, for this particular story, it's understandable why the character is the way she is.

The only other strange thing, one I'm not even sure you would call a "problem" per se, is the under-utilization of Lobo (Jason Momoa), a bounty hunter that Kara and Ruthye meet along the way. His character basically pops up at random times to cause chaos & provide a bit of comic relief, though, sadly, his presence ends up being rather brief. Obviously the filmmakers didn't want to take too much attention away from our main pair, but one is left to wonder how much the film could've been spiced up if he had become more of an official companion on their crusade. If he had, it would've likely lightened the tone a little more by countering the titular heroin's mopiness.

The shocker here is, even with all of that in mind, the film is not the all-out disaster that several others would have you believe. As mentioned, the story is there, complete with the appropriate flashbacks to show how Kara got to be in the condition that we find her in at the start, and it's compelling & exciting to a point, but there were obviously a few issues that really needed to be addressed beforehand in order to make this new iteration of the character as effective as it could be. If the screenplay had gone through another draft or two to iron out its flaws, this could've made for a superior follow-up to the DCU's debut. All things considered, it actually ends up being at about the same level, where there are aspects that work, but where there was also definitely room for improvement, ultimately leaving an intense amount of pressure on the upcoming "Man of Tomorrow" to be the one that finally kicks this new universe into gear.

Video/Audio:

"Supergirl" comes to 4K in a 2.39:1, 2160p Ultra High Definition transfer of marvelous quality, presenting a beautifully clear picture throughout the entire 108-minute duration that perfectly highlights the film's multitude of special effects & designs. Likewise, the Dolby Atmos-TrueHD audio track is spectacular, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and music in excellent quality. Overall, Warner Bros. has done an outstanding job in both areas for the film's 4K debut.

Special Features:

Flying Off the Page (11 Minutes)

Girl's Best Friend (5 Minutes)

A Practical Legacy (11 Minutes)

The DC Dream: Lobo (7 Minutes)

Showdown at Evely Square (9 Minutes)

Space is a Bad Neighborhood, Babe (11 Minutes)

Mixtape for a Hero (5 Minutes)

The Making of Supergirl (25 Minutes)

You Are Here: A Supergirl Map of the Galaxy (4 Minutes)

Krypto Save the Day!: Coastal Catastrophe (6 Minutes)

Deleted Scenes (2 Sequences, 5 Minutes)

The film comes with a little over 90 minutes of bonus material, consisting primarily of featurettes that delve into different areas of its making, including the source material, the practical effects, one of its big action sequences, the music, and its overall look. Definitely plenty of material here for anyone looking to learn more about the film and how it came together.

Conclusion:

Craig Gillespie's "Supergirl" has a few positive aspects going for it, such as its mostly-solid revenge tale that's mildly exciting & compelling, and the talented Milly Alcock taking on the role of the titular superhero, but sadly there are also a number of issues holding it back from being as effective as it could be, including a flat, forgettable villain & a somewhat subdued rendition of Supergirl herself, ultimately making this second outing of the new DCU a rather mixed bag.

Score: 3/5

Now available on 4K.

Follow me on Twitter @BecKFilmCritic.