Films that occupy the DCEU (DC Extended Universe) have had a rocky past, to say the least. With a new moniker, DCU (DC Universe), the attempt to reboot the system with Superman in 2025 has been mostly successful. The film did well at the box office and with most critics. As a continuation of that effort, we now have Supergirl arriving on the big screen. It will be a divisive addition to the canon, but it is not without its merits.
The Australian connections run deep with this film as both director Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya and Cruella) and Supergirl herself, Milly Alcock (House Of The Dragon), are from the land down under. The Antipodes approach permeates the feel of the film, and this outsider attitude unfortunately misses as much as it hits. There are also some strange thematic choices that bleed some of the interest away.
They introduce Krypto the Superdog early, and his presence in one of the few light moments in what is a very dark film, but then relegate him to a circumstance that keeps him off-screen almost the entire film. Almost all the scenes are also set in a very low-light world, and the film looks quite dull. The innate humour between the loose at the seams Supergirl and her straight-laced cousin Superman (David Corenswet) is also an under-utilised element.
All is not lost, though, for fans of one of DC’s most overlooked characters, Lobo. This bounty hunter from the peaceful planet Czarnia (of whom he killed the entire population) is played with real swagger by Jason Momoa. He’s a bad guy you love to hate, and he chews up every scene he’s in with an exciting amount of ferocity. As an introduction of the Supergirl character to the rebooted universe, it only partially succeeds, but as a first seen film version of Lobo, it gets top marks.
Rob Hudson
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