Supergirl Review: Milly Alcock Soars While the Script Stalls

Is Supergirl good?

It’s mixed — Supergirl holds a 55% Critic Score against a stronger 75% Audience Score, with a 49 Metascore, a 3.1 on Letterboxd, and a 6.1 on IMDb. Craig Gillespie’s second DC Universe installment lands in the awkward middle ground between franchise promise and formula fatigue: critics praise Milly Alcock’s swagger as Kara Zor-El and Jason Momoa’s anarchic Lobo, but the intergalactic revenge plot never fully escapes the shadow of better superhero road movies. The split between critics and audiences is real — general viewers are responding to the emotional grief story and the new hero’s attitude more warmly than the press is.

What is Supergirl about?

After a devastating attack strikes her adopted family, Kara Zor-El abandons restraint and crosses the galaxy hunting the warlord who destroyed her last ties to home. Ana Nogueira’s script, inspired by Tom King’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, frames Kara not as a sunny counterpart to Superman but as a furious survivor processing loss through action. Eve Ridley’s Ruthye becomes the unlikely companion on that journey, while Matthias Schoenaerts’ Krem embodies the ruthless enemy who pushed Kara past mercy. David Corenswet’s brief Superman appearances remind Kara — and the audience — that hope still exists in this universe, even when she isn’t ready to embody it.

Should you watch Supergirl?

Yes, if you’re invested in the DCU or want to see whether Milly Alcock can carry a blockbuster — but temper expectations if you want a top-tier comic-book epic. At 108 minutes the film moves efficiently, and Momoa’s Lobo alone justifies a ticket for franchise fans who’ve been waiting for the character to land on screen with real personality. Audiences clearly connect with Kara’s messy, vengeance-driven arc even when the set pieces blur together; critics are mostly arguing that the film around Alcock needed one more rewrite. A fine summer matinee, not a genre landmark.

Does Supergirl have a post-credits scene?

Yes — stay through the credits for a tease that connects Kara’s story to the wider DC Universe roadmap. Without spoiling specifics, the stinger sets up future confrontations and confirms that James Gunn’s Chapter One plan treats Supergirl as a long-term player rather than a one-off experiment. It’s the kind of tag audiences now expect from shared-universe filmmaking, and it lands with more clarity than some of the film’s mid-story exposition.

How does Supergirl compare to last year’s Superman?

Both DCU entries center on Kryptonian heroes learning what their power means, but Gillespie’s film is angrier and lonelier than Gunn’s hopeful Superman reboot. Where Superman’s arc moved from doubt toward public responsibility, Supergirl begins with trauma and asks whether justice can survive revenge — a darker, more episodic western-in-space structure that fits the source comic but feels less cohesive on screen. Alcock and Corenswet share genuine chemistry in their few scenes together; the gap is in scale and script polish, not in the performers’ commitment to the new universe.