It’s great to see Sydney-born actress Milly Alcock getting her big break in Hollywood.  She’s quickly established her profile on television with featured roles in Upright and House of the Dragon, but this marks her debut in a widely released motion picture.  In the title role, she’s the strongest attribute of Supergirl.  From her surfy, tomboy appearance through to her laidback, sarcastic personality, Alcock is trying her best to become a fun, likeable superhero who stands out from the increasingly growing pack.

Sadly, she’s not supported by anyone else.  The script from actor-turned-writer Ana Nogueira (Hightown) is a meandering mess which lacks focus.  Part of it is an origin story with flashbacks to her upbringing and references to interactions with Superman.  Part of it is a seen-it-all-before tale of a hero risking the lives of everyone to save someone they love… in this case a dog (giving off John Wick vibes).  The stakes never feel particularly high.

Another Aussie is heavily involved with Craig Gillespie serving as director – an experienced hand with credits including Lars and the Real Girl and I, Tonya.  Gillespie had a reported budget of $170 million USD at his disposal, but he’s struggled to bring energy to the project.  The action scenes are dimly lit and unnecessarily chaotic, the music choices are questionable, and emotion is lacking.  Last month’s new Star Wars movie, The Mandalorian and Grogu, was a much stronger outing when comparing production values.

The supporting cast also falls short.  Belgian actor Matthias Schoenaerts (Rust and Bone) is a lame villain.  The makeup artists have decorated his face with an assortment of metallic-like objects to create the allure of a weird, menacing individual… but that’s about it.  His dialogue is cliched, and his decisions are questionable.  Jason Momoa (Aquaman) plays a silly bounty hunter who only pops up at convenient moments while 14-year-old newcomer Eve Ridley is stuck in a tiring, repetitive subplot as she seeks vengeance against those who murdered her family.  Despite the significant death toll throughout the film, apparently revenge is bad for one’s health?

DC Studios created a winner with last year’s successful Superman reboot, but Supergirl does nothing to develop the franchise further.  Let’s put it behind us and hope that next year’s Man of Tomorrow, the next in the series, gets the train back on the rails.