Movie review: Supergirl

Milly Alcock in Supergirl (2026), directed by Craig Gillepsie

​Cape drear: Supergirl (2026, dir. Craig Gillespie)
Review by Connor McLaughlin

Superhero movies are going extinct. For nearly twenty or so years, comic book movies were Hollywood’s predominant genre and a surefire ace in the hole to turn a profit. They were revolutionary, exciting, and sometimes even radical movies that presented good vs. evil archetypes clearly. Nobody can deny the success of what Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige achieved with his Infinity Saga. It will be remembered as one of the great cinematic achievements.

However, the times have changed.

The audiences have grown up, but the studio shareholders do not want these profitable stories to end. Films are harder and more expensive to make than ever, and studios need to make safer bets on their colorful heroes, with perhaps less artistic direction. This unfortunately marks Supergirl as just another nail in the coffin. It may be coming hot off the heels of James Gunn’s Superman reboot, this project from director Craig Gillepsie is essentially dead on arrival.

The story follows Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El/Supergirl, cousin to Superman/Clark Kent, travelling across the galaxy on a quest for revenge after being personally wronged by a warlord. If the plot sounds familiar, it is because this film is essentially the reheated nachos of past superhero glories.

Despite Alcock and a scene-stealing Jason Momoa's (as an undead bounty hunter) best efforts, the film feels like it barely has a reason to exist. It is simply one tired trope after another, executed without clear enthusiasm or intrigue. Notwithstanding wacky costume design and great SFX makeup, the visuals are unforgivably bad and might be a contender for the brownest, muddiest movie of 2026 (with one of the worst needledrops in a comic book movie to boot).

Alcock is an innocent party here, and she gamely attempts to bring some fresh energy to the project, but I found it barely watchable as a tentpole summer blockbuster. If anything, Supergirl is a reminder of how much audiences are over both superhero movies and dejected antiheroes that spend the runtime figuring out how to care about people again.

Household heroes like Spider-Man, Batman, and members of The Avengers may maintain success in their upcoming films, but the future looks grim for others, especially the female heroes that Hollywood keeps failing. 

Supergirl is playing at cinemas across the city