By: Kimberly Grant
DC Studios has finally done it right with Supergirl.
A Tale of Two Supergirls
As a big fan of the CW-produced, Melissa Benoist starring Supergirl, my expectations were low going in to see the film adaptation. The Benoist-led versionis a badass with a girlie girl personality. The people around her were tough, from Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart) to J’onn J’onzz (David Harewood). Naturally, this Supergirl was created for families watching TV in the evenings.
In Supergirl the movie, there’s a complete deviation from the beloved show. And I prefer it that way. This Supergirl isn’t bubbly, she’s a slob who drinks too much. She prefers a planet with a red sun, because it gives her the ability to get drunk. And, she’s a reluctant hero with a capital “R”.
This stark difference allows the movie to feel fresh. Nothing against the CW version. I’m still a huge fan. The movie Supergirl allows DC Studios to get back to its dark roots in a good way. It allows the film to tackle dark themes with a wink and a smile, with comic book characters that aren’t overly cheesy.
What Went Right?
Written by Ana Nogueira (based on characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster), Supergirl is about girl power. Although, the question of why Kara and her cousin are called Supergirl and Superman, respectively, are never quite explained. She’s a grown woman, not a girl! But I digress. Ruthye (played by Eve Ridley) has witnessed the slaughter of her family at the hands of Brigands leader, Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts). This leads Ruthye on a quest to avenge her family. She just needs a fierce warrior.
Unfortunately, there were no takers. So, she bugs Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock), a.k.a. Supergirl to do it. Unfortunately (again), Kara isn’t interested until a John Wick-like event forces her into the fight; practically kicking and screaming. As this journey progresses, Kara is able to do some self-reflection and healing, like a modern woman in today’s society.
Alcock, also known as young Rhaenyra Targaryen on HBO’s House of the Dragon, gives us a messy hero with a heart of gold. She’s real. She’s relatable. She just happens to be superpowered. Thinking about last year’s Superman, starring David Corenswet, Supergirl’s supporting characters are thankfully not eye-roll inducing.
Schoenaerts’ acting craft should be studied. He blends so well into being Krem it’s almost memorable. Almost. He is the villain after all. Jason Momoa graces the screen with his unique brand of action and comedy as Lobo, a powerful god who is on his own quest of vengeance against the Brigands. And, Seth Rogen’s voice does a sweet cameo as a tiny alien.
Theme: Female
Nogueira and director Craig Gillespie took this super opportunity to use their platform for good. It’s no secret that women have been fighting for their right to exist for a long time. With the recent events (end of Roe v. Wade, the trad wife movement and manosphere podcasts amongst Generation Z youth, online assault culture, and other Handmaid’s Tale-like events) women and girls can feel … helpless. Seeing a Gen Z woman stand up to bad guys for a largely male audience is needed.
(Spoiler alert!) Kara and Ruthye travel to a planet where little girls are kidnapped and forced to mate with Krem’s Brigands to continue their all-male race. It’s sickening. Yet, it happens in many real places today. There’s a dangerous cost to movements like the manosphere that only value young girls as objects and not human beings. Especially when there are no good men around to protect them, let alone challenge the predators.
It’s the same in Supergirl. Lobo, while a good guy, represents the men in today’s society who aren’t predators, but won’t challenge the ones who are. Not until a woman shows them that their inaction makes them an accomplice. That subtle rhetoric is definitely what DC Studios got right in this film.
Thinking about Lobo, I expected to see more of him on the screen. This is an action movie, after all. He’s the big scary dude. But I see what Nogueira and Gillespie did there. It’s not always the male that saves the day. No matter how much weak men with microphones scream that they’re the alphas of society. There are two truths here. A true alpha doesn’t have to tell you they’re an alpha. And women are capable of saving the day, too.
Nogueira has done a fine job of giving women a hero to root for. There’s no love interest. There’s no sexy costume. Just a kind heart in the shape of a woman with a beautiful red cape.
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