Introduced in memorable fashion at the end of 2025’s Superman, Kara Zor-El is not the Supergirl of old. In fact, as we join her on an intergalactic pub crawl across the galaxy at the start of this movie, she’s about as far from being Supergirl as you or I. This is the central conceit of Supergirl, the latest film in the new DC Studios canon, which swaps out Superman‘s earnest, idealistic superheroics for a more anarchic, rebellious take on one of DC’s more famous characters.

Despite a strong premise from the outset, which sees a jaded Kara (Milly Alcock) on a galactic quest to save the life of her super-powered pet Krypto, screenwriter Ana Nogueira and director Craig Gillespie craft this tale of edgy teenage space-faring superheroics with middling results. The idea of Supergirl as a planet-hopping party girl, desperate to booze herself silly to escape the trauma of losing her people and to avoid her true superhero calling is cinematic gold dust, but for the most part, the creators play things too safe, resulting in a story that never quite soars in the way it should do.

As far as the main story goes, it’s breezy and action packed, but Supergirl‘s script lacks in terms of emotional cohesion, with some odd storytelling choices hampering the character arc. There are flashes of depth, but it’s never quite clear what exactly drives the character or what her emotional journey is. There are occasional moments where things start to work, but the film misses some good opportunities through muddled messages and uneven storytelling (particularly in regards to the way it misses the more obvious parallels between Kara and Eve Ridley‘s revenge-driven Ruthye).

The flashbacks to Krypton and Argo City, though ripped straight from the comics, don’t quite have the emotional punch they should either, and whilst Kara’s first encounter with Superman (David Corenswet) on Earth is beautifully understated and charming, there’s not enough focus on Kara as an outsider or orphan to fully justify the character’s growth throughout the movie’s main storyline. It also doesn’t help that there are one too many convenient contrivances in the main plot which unintentionally remove her agency – one major threat in particular being simply overcome by the passage of time, as opposed to Supergirl’s fortitude.

To the film’s credit, it eventually comes together with a thrilling climax and some audacious yet well-earned conclusions. The action and spectacle is decent (if a tad unremarkable in places) and the prosthetics work on the alien creatures are some of the best we’ve seen in a modern sci-fi flick for some time. For me, there’s a tad too many needle drops and a number of potentially stirring moments that don’t hit as hard as they should, yet the emphasis on fun ensures the movie never drags, nor does it fail to entertain.

Thankfully too, Milly Alcock brings a lot of energy and charisma to the character in spite of the script’s shortcomings, and proves to be a very likeable lead, one that is funny, complex and engaging throughout. As the central villain Krem, Matthias Schoenaerts is a formidably nasty opponent, albeit one that is a tad one-note, whilst Jason Momoa gives a career-best performance as bounty hunting fan favourite Lobo, with the filmmakers wisely choosing to use the character sparingly throughout the film to avoid overshadowing the central protagonist. Dare we say, spin-off potential?!

Much like Superman did before it, Supergirl at the very least reinvents and sets up the character in a way that will leave audiences craving more. That we don’t have long to wait to see Alcock’s Kara fighting alongside Corenswet’s Superman in next year’s Man of Tomorrow is a comforting thought, considering that there’s certainly a lot more to explore in terms of the character. As it stands, Supergirl is a perfectly acceptable introduction for the character, even if the story never fully takes flight.

Supergirl is in UK cinemas from 25th June