On a far-off planet, a farmer — and presumably a good man — is killed by a ruthless assassin called Krem of the Yellow Hills, for no apparent reason other than his own warped sense of self. The farmer’s daughter, Ruthye, the youngest in the family, vows revenge, swearing to plunge her family’s precious sword into the villain’s heart.
Scouting bounty hunters to track and disarm Krem, she enlists Supergirl. Superman’s cousin — though no less powerful — was out celebrating her 21st birthday by getting drunk under the rays of this planet’s Red Sun, which negates her race’s superpowers (there is no other way for Kryptonians to get intoxicated). Accompanying her is Krypto, the super dog, who is also nearly depleted of his god-tier powers.
Though Ruthye is initially told off, her quest is eventually taken up by Kara Zor-El (aka Supergirl) when Krem shoots Krypto with a poison that only he has the antidote for.
The two girls spend months chasing Krem across the galaxies, braving bad interstellar transits, corrupt alien populaces, space pirates, dinosaurs and two-bit aliens who want to kill Superman for putting their relatives behind bars. At one point, they even outrun a magical spell to the end of time itself while riding the super horse, Comet.
DC Films’ new Supergirl is only good enough to land a spot in the temporary nook of one’s prefrontal cortex, a wasteland reserved for memories that die fast
This is the story of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, a surprisingly low-key, critically acclaimed eight-issue comic by writer Tom King and artist Bilquis Evely that was good enough for an Eisner nomination — the Oscars of the comic-book world.
On the flip side, its on-screen equivalent, Supergirl, is only good enough to land a spot in the temporary nook of one’s prefrontal cortex — a wasteland reserved for memories that die fast.
Written by actress-turned-debuting screenwriter Ana Nogueira, this apparently “brilliant screenplay” — according to DC films’ co-chief James Gunn — is, I believe, ‘a masterclass in screenwriting’. A masterclass in how to make a unique comic book sound blatantly boisterous and banal.
While I am not the biggest fan of Tom King’s prose — Ruthye’s front-facing monologues can’t seem to decide between modern or classic prose — that story at least unfolded layers of emotion in the simplest, perhaps a tad too relaxed, narrative manner possible. Relaxed doesn’t mean bad, by the way.
The film mangled the same beats into something nearly unrecognisable. Teeming with uninspiring costumes, environments and character designs right out of a Sci-fi TV channel show, Supergirl’s creative mechanics think it is cool to emulate Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
A better, and perhaps more unique choice, would have been to use the slightly mellow pace and narrative of the comic, which already has its fair share of action sequences. (It is a superhero comic — why wouldn’t it have big action sequences?)
I’ve always believed that if a story doesn’t sound fresh on paper — and I am not just talking about how well the action or dialogue reads in screenplay form — there is a high chance it won’t be directed any better. Enter here director Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya, Cruella).
His pedestrian choices in camera placement — opting for maximum coverage (ie basic angles) for the edit — remind you why a “director’s point-of-view” means squat in today’s world. Tone, pacing, emotion and the whole package of cinematic sense and sensibility are replaced by a visionless blur, where even a comic-book fan like me is bored to death.
The only slight saving grace comes from Milly Alcock as Supergirl — don’t buy into the internet’s negativity — who carries the weight of this dead enterprise quite admirably on her little shoulders.
But there is only so much she can do when bombastic blandness and cameos (Jason Momoa plays Lobo in two needless appearances) take un-super precedence.
Also starring Matthias Schoenaerts and Eve Ridley as Krem and Ruthye, Supergirl is released by WB and HKC with a PG censor certificate. Chances are, you’ll be bored
The writer is Icon’s primary film reviewer
Published in Dawn, ICON, July 12th, 2026