Supergirl Movie

This is a review of the new Supergirl movie, starring Milly Alcock as the DC Comics superhero Supergirl, directed by Craig Gillespie and produced by James Gunn and Peter Safran for DC Studios, a division of Warner Bros. Pictures. The Supergirl movie was released in theaters on June 26, 2026, and then was released to stream on July 28, 2026. The Supergirl movie runs for an hour and 48 minutes. Here is a trailer video for the Supergirl movie (2026) to watch so you can get a little idea of what the new Supergirl movie (2026) is all about.

Spoiler Warning: Beware that this review contains some spoilers about the Supergirl movie (2026). If you haven’t watched the movie and don’t want to know what happens, you might want to stop reading here. But if you haven’t watched it and still want to know what happens, you can decide for yourself whether it’s worth watching.

My thoughts

At the end of the Superman movie (2025), I saw the brief introduction of Supergirl when she arrived at Superman’s Fortress of Solitude, drunk, to pick up Krypto, a dog — or really, a super dog if you think about it! When I saw that scene, I immediately figured there would be a Supergirl movie, and it made me look forward to watching it.

Sure enough, Supergirl (2026) was released in theaters on June 26, 2026. Unfortunately, I never got to watch it in theaters because there isn’t a movie theater anywhere nearby where I live. I miss going out to the theater or cinema! So, my only option was to wait until the movie became available for streaming or on a physical format such as DVD or Blu-ray.

When I saw that Supergirl was finally available for digital purchase, I almost bought it on Apple Movies. However, I decided against it because I knew it would eventually make its way to HBO Max, which I already subscribe to. After waiting a few more weeks, it finally arrived on HBO Max, so I decided to watch the new Supergirl movie on my Apple TV 4K.

Now, at the beginning of the movie, Supergirl is portrayed as a careless superhero who enjoys living a carefree life, partying, getting drunk, and visiting planets with red suns.

If you don’t know, yellow sunlight is what gives Superman and Supergirl their extraordinary powers. Under a red sun, however, their powers are weakened or taken away, making them more like ordinary human beings. In Supergirl’s case, being under a red sun allows her to get drunk, something she normally cannot do under a yellow sun.

The movie makes it clear that she enjoys partying, drinking, and trying to forget about everything around her. She seems to have little interest in being a superhero or helping people. However, there is one thing she does care about, and that is her dog, Krypto.

I think Milly Alcock portrayed Supergirl okay. Not the best, but a-ok. If I had the opportunity to choose who would portray Supergirl, I would quickly choose Melissa Benoist, who played Supergirl in the television series that ran from 2015 to 2021.

In my opinion, Melissa Benoist did an excellent job portraying Supergirl throughout the television series, which unfortunately ended after six seasons. I would’ve loved to see her return to the role, but I also understand that the movie belongs to a different version of the DC Universe.

One thing I noticed about this version of Supergirl is how different she is from Superman, especially when it comes to their beliefs and personalities.

Superman fundamentally represents hope. He believes in helping people, protecting the innocent, and doing what is right. Supergirl, on the other hand, doesn’t necessarily share Superman’s philosophy.

She is a flawed superhero who doesn’t seem to care about putting on a facade of goodness. She isn’t afraid to show her imperfections, much like us human beings. Even though she possesses extraordinary powers similar to Superman’s, she doesn’t necessarily want to use them to help others.

However, there is something important about Supergirl that separates her from Superman: her past.

Unlike Superman, who grew up on Earth with a loving family, Kara Zor-El experienced the destruction of Krypton and the loss of almost everything she knew. She witnessed things that Superman never had to experience growing up. That kind of trauma could explain why she drinks, parties, and tries to escape from reality.

I can understand what the movie was trying to do by showing us a superhero struggling with grief and personal problems. After all, superheroes don’t necessarily have to be perfect. But I think the movie spent too much time showing that side of her without giving us enough of the superhero action that I was looking forward to.

For a good portion of the movie, we hardly get to see her using her powers. Instead, we see her partying, getting drunk, sleeping on her spaceship, and refusing to help someone who desperately needs her.

We don’t even get to see her wearing the familiar Supergirl costume, which resembles Superman’s costume, until much later in the movie.

In other words, for a large part of the movie, I felt like I was watching Kara Zor-El living her personal life rather than watching Supergirl being a superhero.

During the earlier part of the movie, Kara meets a young girl named Ruthye Marye Knoll, portrayed by Eve Ridley. Ruthye desperately wants revenge against a man who murdered her father, and she keeps begging Supergirl to help her find him.

Supergirl, however, wants nothing to do with Ruthye or her problems. She doesn’t want to help her, doesn’t want her following her, and certainly doesn’t want to be responsible for her.

This is where I thought the movie began to feel bland. I kept hoping something exciting would happen, but the movie continued focusing on Kara’s personal struggles and her reluctance to help Ruthye.

Then something happens that finally gets Supergirl’s attention.

Her beloved dog, Krypto, is poisoned and slowly dying!

The person responsible is Krem of the Yellow Hills, portrayed by Matthias Schoenaerts. It turns out that Krem is also the man responsible for murdering Ruthye’s father.

Now Supergirl has a reason to go after him because she needs to find the antidote that could save Krypto’s life.

So, we have two people hunting the same enemy, but for different reasons.

Supergirl wants to rescue her dog, while Ruthye wants revenge for her father’s murder.

Even though Kara doesn’t want Ruthye tagging along, the young girl refuses to give up. She is determined to find Krem, no matter what it takes.

Eventually, the two end up traveling together, although Supergirl doesn’t necessarily see it as a partnership.

I think the idea of having these two characters working toward the same target for different reasons was interesting. It created an opportunity for Supergirl to develop as a character and possibly learn something from Ruthye.

However, I felt that the relationship between them could’ve been developed better. Ruthye’s determination was interesting, and Eve Ridley did a decent job portraying her, but I would’ve liked to see more meaningful interactions between the two throughout their journey.

Then, to their surprise, another character jumps into the whole thing.

And that character is none other than Lobo!

If you’re familiar with DC Comics, you probably already know that Lobo is an intergalactic bounty hunter who is known for being violent, unpredictable, and not exactly a friendly person.

In the movie, Lobo is portrayed by Jason Momoa, who previously played Aquaman in the older DC movie universe.

Now, this is one casting decision that I absolutely agree with!

I think Jason Momoa is a great fit for Lobo. If you’ve watched any of the Aquaman movies, you probably understand why. Momoa has the personality, appearance, and attitude that make him a natural fit for a character like Lobo.

I was pleased to see him in the movie, and I think he portrayed Lobo very well.

Unfortunately, his screen time was rather limited, which was disappointing because I would’ve loved to see more of him.

With Lobo entering the picture, things finally start getting more interesting!

We now have Supergirl hunting Krem to save Krypto, Ruthye hunting Krem to avenge her father, and Lobo pursuing his own interests as a bounty hunter.

In other words, we have three different missions that end up crossing paths, sometimes helping one another and sometimes getting in each other’s way.

This is where I finally started enjoying the movie more because the action was picking up, the stakes were getting higher, and the characters were getting involved in more exciting situations.

The fighting scenes were pretty good, and I enjoyed seeing Supergirl finally demonstrate what she could do with her extraordinary powers.

The visual effects were decent, too. I especially liked seeing how Supergirl fights, how she uses her powers, and how the action scenes were filmed.

Unfortunately, here’s my biggest complaint about the movie: the action came too late!

For much of the movie, I felt like I was waiting for something exciting to happen. By the time the movie really started getting interesting, it felt like we were already approaching the final part.

I know that a superhero movie doesn’t have to be nonstop action from beginning to end. There should be a good storyline, character development, and moments that explain why these characters behave the way they do.

But I think there needs to be a better balance between storytelling and action, especially in a movie about someone as powerful as Supergirl.

Instead, I felt like the movie spent too much time showing her partying, drinking, being dramatic, and refusing to help people before finally allowing her to become the superhero I was hoping to see.

Another disappointment was how the movie handled Supergirl’s background and her connection to Krypton.

For those who don’t know, Supergirl’s real name is Kara Zor-El, and she is the cousin of Superman, whose Kryptonian birth name is Kal-El. Superman is also known on Earth as Clark Kent.

The movie briefly explores Supergirl’s past, showing moments from her childhood, her family, and the destruction of Krypton.

However, I don’t think those scenes were enough.

I would’ve loved to see more about how Kara grew up, what her relationship with her parents was like, what happened to Krypton and its surviving communities, and how she eventually ended up connected to Superman.

Instead, the movie moves through parts of her past rather quickly.

We see glimpses of her life, her family, and the tragedy she experienced, but I felt that these moments deserved more attention.

I think her backstory could’ve helped audiences better understand why she became the kind of person we see in the movie.

Maybe that would’ve also made the scenes involving her partying, drinking, and struggling with grief more meaningful instead of making them feel repetitive.

Now, I understand that the movie is inspired by the DC comic book series Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, written by Tom King and illustrated by Bilquis Evely. It focuses on a darker, more troubled version of Supergirl than what some viewers may be familiar with.

However, just because the movie follows a different approach doesn’t necessarily mean that the storytelling couldn’t have been better.

In my opinion, there were so many missed opportunities in the script.

I would’ve liked to see more about her origins, her relationship with Superman, her struggles with losing Krypton, and how those experiences shaped her into the superhero she eventually becomes.

I also would’ve liked more action throughout the movie instead of having so much of the excitement concentrated toward the later parts.

I think director Craig Gillespie and screenwriter Ana Nogueira had an opportunity to create something memorable with this character, especially considering how much history Supergirl has in DC Comics.

Instead, what we got felt like a movie that had some good ideas but didn’t fully take advantage of them.

One thing I did appreciate was the connection between Supergirl and Krypto. It showed that, despite her careless attitude, she is capable of loving and caring deeply about someone.

Krypto isn’t just a dog to her. He’s family, and one of the remaining connections to the life she lost.

I think that emotional connection was one of the better parts of the story. It gives Supergirl a personal reason to fight rather than simply fighting because she’s expected to be a superhero.

Still, I wish the movie had done more with that emotional side of her character while giving us more opportunities to see her doing what Supergirl does best.

Toward the end, we finally get to see how Supergirl, Ruthye, and Lobo’s missions come together.

But did Supergirl manage to find the antidote and save her beloved dog, Krypto?

You’ll have to watch the movie yourself to find out!

Even though this review contains spoilers, I’m not going to give away everything that happens.

Final Thoughts

Now, my final thoughts about the Supergirl movie (2026).

I am giving this movie a 2.5 out of 5, which means below average.

I had pretty high expectations for Supergirl, especially after watching her brief introduction in Superman (2025). Unfortunately, the movie didn’t live up to those expectations.

While the visual effects were decent and the action scenes were pretty good, I felt that the movie spent too much time focusing on Supergirl’s personal struggles, partying, drinking, and reluctance to help others. By the time things finally started getting exciting, it felt like the movie was already approaching its ending.

I understand that the filmmakers wanted to show a different side of Supergirl, someone who struggles with grief, trauma, and the loss of her home planet, Krypton. I have no problem with superheroes being flawed or imperfect. In fact, I think that can make them more interesting.

However, I think the movie could’ve done a better job balancing those struggles with superhero action and storytelling. I would’ve loved to see more about Supergirl’s origins, her family, her relationship with Superman, and how her past shaped her into the person she became.

At 1 hour and 48 minutes long, I don’t think the movie necessarily needed to be longer. Instead, some of the slower scenes could’ve been shortened to allow more time for action, character development, and exploring Supergirl’s background.

There were simply too many missed opportunities, in my opinion.

One of the highlights for me was Jason Momoa portraying Lobo. I think he was an excellent choice for the character, and I enjoyed the little screen time he had. I would’ve loved to see more of him, and I hope DC Studios eventually considers producing a standalone Lobo movie with Jason Momoa in the leading role.

Another disappointment was the movie’s box-office performance. According to reported figures, Supergirl earned approximately $126.5 million worldwide against an estimated production budget of $170 million. That’s a disappointing theatrical performance for a major DC superhero movie, although those figures alone don’t establish the exact financial loss.

I also think superhero movies have become so common that audiences expect more than simply seeing their favorite characters on the big screen. They want exciting stories, memorable characters, and action that makes the movie worth watching.

Unfortunately, I don’t think Supergirl delivered enough of those things for me.

So, would I recommend the Supergirl movie (2026) to movie lovers or superhero fans?

Unfortunately, no, I wouldn’t.

At least, I wouldn’t recommend spending extra money to purchase it.

If you already subscribe to HBO Max, where the movie is available for streaming, I think that’s a better way to watch it without paying an additional rental or purchase fee. Of course, you might enjoy the movie more than I did, especially if you prefer superhero movies that focus more on emotional struggles than action.

It’s a shame, because I think Supergirl has the potential to be an excellent superhero character on the big screen. I just don’t think this particular movie did her justice.

Hopefully, if DC Studios gives Supergirl another movie, the filmmakers will take some of these criticisms into consideration and give us something better next time.

As for me, I’d rather save my money for another superhero movie, such as Spider-Man: Brand New Day!

My final rating for Supergirl (2026): 2.5 out of 5 — Below Average.

What about you? Have you watched the Supergirl movie (2026)? Did you enjoy it, or were you disappointed like I was? Do you think Jason Momoa deserves his own Lobo movie?

Let me know your thoughts!

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