Kara Zor-El, also known as Supergirl, hasn't had much luck on the big screen. Supergirl (1984) with Helen Slater in the title role was a flop and although the DC character has made the odd minor movie appearance, she's been more prominent on the small screen in live-action and animated TV series. There hasn't been another movie focusing on the character in four decades.
This attempt to revive the character in a movie was written by screenwriter-actress Ana Nogueira and directed by Aussie Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya). It's more enjoyable than last year's new Superman movie and a bit fresher with its new focus, although a lot of it feels derivative. If you don't mind that and are a fan of the DC Universe, you should have fun.
When first seen, Kara (another Aussie, Milly Alcock from House of the Dragon) is a bit of a mess. It's her 23rd birthday and she's lolling about in a drunken stupor on some planet, her Supergirl outfit tossed aside and crumpled, with only her dog Krypto for company.
Flashbacks reveal the reason for Kara's state. She's never recovered from the loss of her parents, Zor-El (David Krumholtz) and Alura In-Ze (Emily Beecham), who survived the ravaging of their home planet Krypton only to fall sick from radiation caused by the newly exposed mineral Kryptonite.
To save his daughter, Zor-El sends Kara and Krypto (not the most imaginative of canine names here) to Earth, where her cousin Kal-El, aka Superman (David Corenswet), has resided for quite some years under the assumed name Clark Kent. He had a more grounded life with his adoptive parents, the Kents, and, having been an infant when he was sent to Earth, hasn't as much emotional baggage about the death of his Krypton parents. He served humanity, she was left to try to process her sorrow.
Superman periodically contacts Kara, trying to coax her to return to Earth with its yellow sun that heals and empowers Kryptonians, but she's not ready. There are more drinks to be had on planets with red suns (where she has fewer powers but can get intoxicated).
Ruthye (Eve Ridley), a young girl, approaches Kara to ask for her help in avenging her parents. They were robbed and murdered by Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts), who's leader of the Renegades, a gang of space pirates and human traffickers. Not the sort of people to mess with lightly.
If that sounds vaguely familiar, it might be because it's much the same as the set-up in the Coen brothers' True Grit. It's not the only time Supergirl recalls westerns, either. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Kara is reluctant, but when Krem and his gang hijack her ship and shoot Krypto with a poison dart that will kill him in three days, she's stirred into action, both for revenge and to get the antidote for her dog. If you needed evidence Krem is utterly despicable, there it is: he's a thief, a human trafficker, a murderer - and not even dogs are safe from him.
Naturally, she's stuck with Ruthye as a sidekick, and off they go.
As set-ups go, it feels a bit long, and there's a lot of information to process, so pay attention.
Some of the characters, costume designs and vehicles are reminiscent of the Mad Max movies. Although there's plenty of action - hand-to-hand combat, vehicles, destruction, flying - these scenes suffer from the frenetic, fragmented editing that makes it hard to stay oriented at times.
Jason Momoa, formerly Aquaman, here plays a mercenary and bounty hunter named Lobo who becomes an ally. He and the other main actors ensure the character interaction is strong.
Will this revive Supergirl's cinematic fortunes? That remains to be seen, but here's hoping.