Being a DC Comics fan during Marvel’s cinematic reign of the late 2010s was a period of turbulence, trials and tests of faith, and was so without a comparison between Marvel and DC Studios’ numerous flailing attempts at organising its own cinematic universe based on the comics created by Jerry Siegel, Bob Kane, William Moulton Marston and many others.
However, the mid 2020s have provided a long-awaited gift as DC fans have now come out on the other end after the years of hardships with stifled performances and plot execution seen in the DCEU, with a beacon of hope and a promising new era coming in with the rebooted DCU beginning in 2025 (although I believe Matt Reeves’ 2022 The Batman can also fit into this new universe).
A New Era Of Hope For DC Fans
Director James Gunn led the new wave of DC adaptations with quality in 2025’s Superman, starring David Corenswet as the Man of Tomorrow, Clark Kent. This film touched upon the character’s worship of good and hope, using its plot to illustrate how to do right in ethically challenging times or circumstances, while also delivering all the enjoyment and thrill of a good superhero story.
Everyone left that cinema in the summer of 2025 wanting to be a better person, wanting to bring what was right and of justice into our world, kick-starting a new era of hopeful cultural relevancy and significance, embedding itself into the DNA of the contemporary superhero flick.
Supergirl’s cameo in Superman-property of DC and Warner Bros
Now director Craig Gillespie has the opportunity to keep the torch going with Supergirl, based around the comic character of the same name who made a brilliant cameo in the previous film centred on her cousin. The film is written by Ana Nogueira and features the cast of Milly Alcock, who stars as the titular role, alongside Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham, David Corenswet, and Jason Momoa. Nogueira’s script is primarily based on the DC comic series, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, by writer Tom King and artist Bilquis Evel, published throughout 2021 and 2022 in eight issues.
As aforementioned, Supergirl is the second addition to the brand, shining new DC Universe, following James Gunn’s successful and beloved Superman and stands as part of its Gods and Monsters chapter. The film focuses on Krypton’s Kara Zor-El, also known as Supergirl, as she celebrates her 23rd birthday with a drinking bender around other worlds. However, her meeting with a veneful orphan called Ruthye Marye Knoll brings a major pivot in direction with it which steers Supergirl on a hunt for her own justice.
Milly Alcock is our new Supergirl-property of DC and Warner Bros
Let’s Meet Our New Supergirl Properly
Coming in with an upbeat, energetic opening with a 2000s feel, exploring Klara’s new circumstances, Supergirl wastes no time in showing that superhero films have personality and punch again. Our Kryptonian protagonist immediately feels warm, exciting, and someone we want to have as a drinking buddy; characterised by a burning spirit clearly concealed in the easy-going nature.
Obstacles Of Fast-Paced Storytelling And Underperforming Villains
We do have some faults to get out of the way. Firstly, Nogueira’s narrative does glide us into core events rather quickly, establishing major character backstories and motives in an almost bullet-point fashion, then tossing back and forth at times between key character development stages to a point where you feel more forced to register this progress than organically rise with it. We also have a rather weakly executed villain in Krem of the Yellow Hills, although Schoenaerts does provide a solid enough performance and we have a classically evil-looking character design. Yet there are drawbacks in the fact we’re mostly told of the character’s evil antics rather than shown, and his presence in the story, while being a major driving factor, comes off slightly stifled due to limited screentime.
Tone And Visual Composition Save The Day
Nonetheless, we are gifted the solid and consistent highlight of humour, peppered in between action and tragedy/drama. We laugh, let out yells and flinch at the hard-hitting moments. Despite the initial feeling of rush, the story does mix up some impactful differences in tone. Additionally, Rob Hardy’s grand cinematography measures an atmosphere which is explosive, heartfelt and insightful, all equally shared out when the story needs one carried out in deep detail. Hardy’s camera glides in and out of the accelerating action as swiftly and powerfully as the punches Supergirl throws, then inspects her temperamental origin story and its psychological repercussions, and then celebrates the vast, infinite cosmic landscapes our story sparks through in decorative and expressive ways. Thisgorgeous cinematography is all amplified by the quality visual effects created by a team led by Production VFX Supervisor Geoffrey Baumann and VFX Producer Nicole Rowley.
Oh, and everything is tied together by a cool entry-level, fun punk soundtrack to pump up the hero’s rock-and-roll attitude and the film’s spark.
Migration Allegories And The Battle Between Revenge And Grace
When it comes to the details of the story,Klara and Richie’s dynamic takes centre stage in between both of their individual arcs. The pair’s bond development mostly echoes that of Batman and Jason Todd/Red Hood, where our leading hero stands for bloodless hands at all times, no matter how tempting the path of angered vengeance may be, and so consistently strives to keep their bloodthirsty companion on that path. Meanwhile, the younger companion argues for revenge if the pain howls loud enough and as much bloodshed as needed is applicable. It prompts self-reflection, re-assessment and, in some ways, clarification on what path we can send our personal turmoils on.
Additionally, as noted in Gunn’s previous film and the social context of Superman’s creation, Gillespie’s film reads as a slight allegory for migration and building yourself up in a new land, following everything you know falling apart due to natural disasters or man-made destruction, generating a higher emotional connection with our new Supergirl as we resonate with her struggle to find a sense of ‘home’.
Saying “Hey, That’s A Cool Looking Alien!” Every Ten Minutes
We also have some intriguing world-building and a creative array of characters/species in a way that echoes the classic era of Lucasfilm’s Star Wars. This world is littered with unique extraterrestrial designs, as carried out by some impressive make-up carried out by the Iver Makeup Academy, to add further decoration. Gillespie also makes a firm effort to explain and explore the lore of Supergirl’s powers being limited and amplified as steered around the colour-coded suns and emitted radiation, as well as the threat of Kryptonite.
Alcock’s Performance Balances Values Of Justice And Painful Origins
Alcock aces it as this new Supergirl, capturing the lighthearted nature, humour, compassion and strive for justice with the pain and perseverance wielded within covertly. This Supergirl feels rounded, that she has come from one place and is heading towards another in consistent character progress and authenticity. She also poses an interesting method to women-centred comic book movies; just letting the women superheroes exist as their own individual, personalised selves with no heavy-handed, faux feminism, girl-power cliché blocks. Momoa is another highlight as the bounty-hunter Lobo, despite limited appearances, coming in to add a more direct sense of edge to pose as the opposite binary to that of Supergirl, with Richie sitting nicely in between as she remains deadlocked on avenging her lost loved ones yet her innocence and sweet soul shimmer like a light refusing to go out.
Supergirl flies into action in the new DC cinematic era-property of DC and Warner Bros
Overall, Gunn’s Superman set alight a new era of DC characterised by vibrancy, humour colliding with hardships, social contextual inspection and classic comic book action, and Gillespie’s Supergirl is only adding fuel to that fire. It takes the torch handed over by its predecessor with noticeable ease and eagerness, proving to be a compelling and entertaining effort to gift the DC cinematic world a much-needed makeover.
DCU’s Supergirl is in cinemas on 25th June.