Supergirl (2026)

By: Mike Ward on Friday, June 26

PG-13 Running Time: 107 mins

SHOULD I SEE IT?

YES

  • Milly Alcock has arrived, delivering a performance that is both charismatic and emotionally engaging.

  • Will resonate with viewers who want something light and breezy, despite the themes it explores.

  • Despite being a CGI creation, Krypto steals every scene he’s in.

NO

  • This is a rather bleak film in terms of subject matter, but Supergirl retreats from truly exploring its deepest ideas.

  • There’s a villain. And that’s about the most memorable thing about him.

  • The film’s tonal shifts can be jarring and elements of the film feel designed for social media clipping and sharing.


OUR REVIEW

This modern-day reinvention of Supergirl wants to be many things at once. At its core, this is a coming-of-age story. Craig Gillespie’s film frequently plays as a comedy, while venturing into darker, more mature themes. As a major summer superhero blockbuster, its individual pieces work more often than not. When taken together, Supergirl struggles to blend everything into something truly meaningful or memorable.  

In fact, for all the one-liners and gags happening here, Supergirl spends much of its running time hinting at a darker, more emotionally complex story. Yet, whenever the film appears ready to embrace those darker elements, it turns toward comedy and flinches from exploring where those ideas might lead.

Mileage will vary on Milly Alcock’s spunky, spirited performance as Kara, the 23-year-old “Supergirl.” When we meet her, she’s lost in a hungover, “me against the world” persona. At her side is a scene-stealing CGI canine named Krypto, as rambunctious and adorable as you can imagine. 

The premise here is that Kara wants nothing to do with her powers and is attempting to stay away from her cousin, Clark, the proverbial “Superman.” He wants her to join him on Earth, and she refuses. As she is celebrating a solitary bar-hopping birthday tour, Kara crosses paths with a teenage girl named Ruthye (Eve Ridley), an orphan looking to recruit soldiers to kill the villainous Brigands who slaughtered her family. 

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the screenplay by Ana Nogueira is as shambolic and messy as its heroine. The film’s exploration of themes like trafficking and the exploitation of young girls, alcoholism, nihilism, trauma-response, and vigilante justice makes me wonder if something darker and more mature was once considered. Gillespie does not shy away from showing violence here, though largely bloodless because of that pesky PG-13 rating. And when considering all of these elements, one could rightfully surmise that this Supergirl movie is quite bleak. 

The irony is that these real-world ideas are not out of place in a superhero movie. They simply require more exploration and follow-through than Gillespie is willing to give them.

Alcock, though, is a find. Her comedic timing and ability to balance drama, comedy, and action sequences is impressive. There’s a precociousness about her that serves as a perfect antithesis to Superman, played again here in a cameo by David Corenswet. For a young performer tasked with carrying a major blockbuster on her back, she proves she is up for the challenge. Even when the screenplay saddles Kara with an extended babysitter/mentor role opposite Ruthye, she remains an engaging and important screen presence. 

Here, Kara and Ruthye find themselves immersed in an intense conflict with Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts), the leader of the evil Brigands and the person responsible for the murder of Ruthye’s family. His actions also leave Kara racing against time to save something near and dear to her.

Gillespie’s film veers into poignancy when we learn the backstory around Kara’s upbringing. In yet another example of where the film runs away from something potentially intriguing, we get an effective, emotional glimpse into the moments that made Kara who she is. Yet, almost immediately, jokes are made, sarcasm takes over, and we are back trying to figure out if we are watching a comedy or a science-fiction drama aiming for depth and deeper meaning.

With bedazzled silver studs in his face and a style reminiscent of the War Boys from Mad Max, Krem may underwhelm in screen appearance, but he remains ruthless enough to keep us invested in his villainous rampage. The arrival of Lobo, portrayed by a scene-chewing Jason Momoa, provides yet one more example of a film using humor as a distraction from more substantive ideas.

Offering a hip soundtrack, somewhat comical creature design, and cynical main characters, Supergirl feels customized for the social media era, constructed around moments designed to create GIFs, viral clips, and quotable lines. For a film about a young woman drowning sorrows in bottle after bottle, living on planets which purposely suppress her superpowers, and trying to fend off the leader of a child-trafficking ring, Supergirl is a movie that feels at odds with itself.

Like Kara, the overall vibe of the film is entertaining but guarded. I enjoyed much of this, and no one is arguing that superhero blockbusters shouldn’t be fun and enjoyable. But whenever the film has the potential to dig deeper, it falls back on attempts at humor. For a film about discovering one’s inner strength and agency, Supergirl never quite seems comfortable trusting its own.

CAST & CREW

Starring: Milly Alcock, Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, Jason Momoa, David Corenswet, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham, Kadiff Kirwan, Thalissa Teixeira

Director: Craig Gillespie
Screenplay by: Ana Nogueira
Based on characters created by Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster
Release Date: June 26, 2026
Warner Bros.