Supergirl: reviews

What the critics say average 5.4 from 52 outlets

• 8.0 ColliderTherese Lacson Despite these flaws, Supergirl is a fantastic film and one that solidifies the newly rebooted DCU's strength as a franchise. Read
• 7.6 PolygonTasha Robinson Supergirl isn’t a regrettably bad outing or a sharp downward turn for the DCU experiment. It just lacks the ambitious, oversized verve of Gunn’s Superman, much less his other superhero work. Read
• 7.5 IndiewireKate Erbland Alcock, tasked with playing a character that might strike some as “unlikable,” instead finds both the very human dimension and the out-of-this-world charisma necessary to make Kara worth rooting for. Read
• 7.5 The A.V. ClubJesse Hassenger That’s always been the push-pull of the Supergirl character, equally able to be portrayed as Superman’s gee-whiz kid-sister equivalent and his more jaded, literally alienated reflection. The joy of Supergirl is how it mixes the two without demoting its main gal to a sideshow. Read
• 7.5 USA TodayBrian Truitt Directed by Craig Gillespie (“I, Tonya”) and based on the fantastic “Woman of Tomorrow” comic book, “Supergirl” has plenty of action sequences, including one great bit when Kara battles teleporting tech pirates on a space bus. On the whole, however, it’s a much more emotional journey than a superhero movie fan might expect. Read
• 7.0 Total FilmMolly Edwards Just like its protagonist, Supergirl is rough around the edges, but holds plenty of promise for the future. Read
• 7.0 The WrapAmelia Emberwing Ultimately "Supergirl” is a competent continuation of the DCU, even if it isn’t as well made as “Superman” before it. Read
• 7.0 SlashfilmBJ Colangelo "Supergirl" is an aspirational film because it does not demand perfection of its characters or their journeys, thereby modeling for those watching at home that we too can say the wrong thing or make the wrong decision and still find a path toward heroism. Read
• 6.7 ConsequenceLiz Shannon Miller When Supergirl takes big risks, they tend to pay off. There aren't enough of those moments, though. Read
• 6.7 AwardsWatchBrandon Lewis In some respects, Supergirl does feel like an attempt to grapple with that dichotomy, as well as with the darker implications of superheroism, especially in the wake of Superman’s unabashedly sunny optimism. Read
• 6.7 The Austin ChronicleRichard Whittaker But with Alcock really making you believe a drunk can fly, Supergirl is still a fine addition to this new legion of superheroes. Read
• 6.3 Slant MagazineRocco T. Thompson Despite being fairly light on its feet, Craig Gillespie’s bratty, high-flying space western is fatiguingly overfamiliar in a genre that can’t help but keep looking backward for inspiration as it clings to relevance. Read
• 6.3 Associated PressJake Coyle Alcock does her best to keep “Supergirl” aloft, but she’s let down by too much of what’s around her — most of whom are men, truth be told. Read
• 6.3 Chicago TribuneKatie Walsh Some of it works and some of it doesn’t, but what works here is Alcock, and all that matters is that we find some inspiration in the girl at hand, even if being good means being a little bit bad. Read
• 6.3 The Seattle TimesMoira Macdonald I left “Supergirl,” however, thinking only of Kara and wanting more of this striving, imperfect heroine, intrigued by what her role in this universe might next be. Read
• 6.0 Screen RantMolly Freeman Coming out of Supergirl, I didn't feel invigorated the way I did after Superman. I didn't feel like I understood the character enough. I wasn't even sure if she understood herself. Read
• 6.0 The GuardianPeter Bradshaw Supergirl isn’t a perfect movie by any means, but there are moments when you’ll believe this franchise can fly. Read
• 6.0 IGNClint Gage Supergirl borrows from the best, but Milly Alcock’s great take on Kara Zor-El gets lost in the spare parts from other movies used to assemble her story. Read
• 6.0 Time OutOlly Richards This is unquestionably the best Supergirl movie, in a field of two, but it could have aimed for so much more. It never really flies to any great heights but stays at a pleasant cruising altitude. Read
• 6.0 The Daily BeastNick Schager In some ways, it’s superior to last year’s franchise-starter Superman, but its lack of originality or grandeur renders it a less-than-super spin-off. Read
• 6.0 EmpireLeila Latif Milly Alcock’s hungover hero is delightful, even if the film never truly cuts loose. Here’s hoping she gets a weirder, wilder showcase. Read
• 6.0 Rolling StoneDavid Fear No offense to fans of the 2015 TV show or the 1984 movie, both of which have their merits, but this interpretation of the twentysomething with an iconic “S” on her chest feels far more nuanced and complicated than past screen versions. Read
• 6.0 Little White LiesAnna Stafford The film won’t blow your mind, but it is a rough-around-the-edges adventure with heart. Read
• 6.0 FotogramasRicardo Rosado For all the entertainment value of the premise, its welcome collection of aliens and the absolute success of Alcock, Ridley and Schoenaerts in the lead roles, Supergirl does the job, but falls short of what you would wish for, emulating the titles that stretch out franchises without standing out for anything too good or too bad. Read
• 6.0 CinemaníaJanire Zurbano Although it lacks the heart that pounded in Gunn's Superman, we'll take it as an encouraging prologue, a promise for the future. The mighty yellow sun can be glimpsed. Read
• 6.0 El PaísJavier Ocaña Supergirl doesn't exactly have much more humour, but the musical energy of its accompanying songs and the remarkable rhythm of the staging in the final climax of action and fighting, manipulating real time through cinematic time, make it more appealing. Read
• 6.0 ABCOti Rodríguez Marchante And what with one thing and another, the non-stop adventure and the folds of her inner character, it turns out you empty a bowl of popcorn without noticing. Read
• 5.0 The Arizona RepublicBill Goodykoontz Alcock is outstanding in portraying all of this — the nihilistic party girl with a tortured past, the tough-love mentor, the confused cousin of the Man of Steel. […] It all adds up to a promising portrayal diluted by sloppy storytelling. Read
• 5.0 The Hollywood ReporterDavid Rooney Alcock’s scrappy characterization, tempering Kara’s jaded toughness and chaotic messiness with an increasingly strong sense of justice, would seem an ideal fit to continue in a similar vein. But Supergirl only intermittently comes to life when it revisits her painful past. Read
• 5.0 The Boston GlobeOdie Henderson However, when the film leans into the anarchic spirit of its hero, its sins are easily forgivable. […] If the fight sequences were lit better, we might have had a winner on our hands. Read
• 5.0 San Francisco ChronicleZaki Hasan Alcock’s Supergirl has to grow into the hero she’s destined to become, and by the time the credits roll, it’s her performance — not the increasingly oversized spectacle surrounding it — that leaves the strongest impression. Read
• 5.0 The PlaylistCarlos Aguilar By-the-numbers, as the movie turned out, Alcock does capitalize on it to showcase that she possesses the makings of a promising star capable of portraying a character with sharp edges and complicated feelings. Hopefully, she can now fly elsewhere from here. Read
• 5.0 Screen DailyTim Grierson But in its attempt to introduce audiences to Superman’s smart-aleck cousin, this likeable but underwhelming sci-fi adventure only sporadically presents its protagonist in her best light. Read
• 5.0 New York PostJohnny Oleksinski Director Craig Gillespie’s movie starring an appealing Milly Alcock isn’t a total wreck. It’s blessed with a strong lead and is adequately enough executed. Had we not been bombarded with a million superhero movies over the last 15 years, “Supergirl” would be passably fine. Read
• 5.0 Los Angeles TimesAmy Nicholson Alcock’s wildling Supergirl is the one reason to see the film. Read
• 5.0 EspinofMikel Zorrilla What remains works as low-flying entertainment, but DC needed to finally take off and here, at best, it has only got halfway. Read
• 4.5 The AtlanticDavid Sims If Superman is the ultra-responsible face of the franchise, Supergirl is supposed to be his messier, relatable counterpart. Yet Alcock’s charming performance cannot elevate Supergirl beyond franchise filler—a disorganized character study meant only to extend a universe. Read
• 4.0 The IndependentClarisse Loughrey The character’s strong. It’s only a shame her surroundings are so listless. Read
• 4.0 The Irish TimesDonald Clarke A fair bit of the spin-off’s tolerability is down to a spirited performance from the Australian good egg Milly Alcock. […] But this remains a shamelessly minor work without a single fresh idea in its head. Read
• 4.0 VultureAlison Willmore Alcock, with her smirk and her anguished eyes, is a very watchable lead, but this aggressively minor movie doesn’t know what to do with her or her character. Read
• 4.0 Next Best PictureCody Dericks Alcock’s work as an actress comes across as similar to how her character must feel: all alone in a world working against her. Read
• 4.0 Screen CrushMatt Singer Given the splash Alcock made in Superman, and the fact that Supergirl is based on one of the best books DC Comics has published in the last decade, this has to be one of the biggest disappointments in recent superhero movie history. Read
• 4.0 Radio TimesJeremy Aspinall Alcock does a decent job playing a Supergirl a million miles away from Helen Slater’s 1984 iteration or Melissa Benoist in the long-running TV show. All grunge aesthetic and attitude, she rises above the underwhelming script and direction. Read
• 4.0 The Globe and MailRadheyan Simonpillai It’s funny how hard Gillespie stumbles when dealing with a woman meant to be genuinely heroic. Though I’m sure the whole franchise apparatus, with all its incoherent action and hideous CGI heavy landscapes, shoulders most of the blame. Read
• 4.0 SlateDana Stevens Supergirl’s strongest asset—indeed, its only consistently strong element—is the spiky charisma that Alcock brings to the role of the outwardly combative, inwardly fragile Kara. Read
• 4.0 TimeStephanie Zacharek Is the basic idea of sex slavery perhaps just a little too grim a plot point for a PG-13-rated fantasy? Maybe. But even if you can overlook that, Supergirl, directed by Craig Gillespie, has so little to offer. Read
• 4.0 El MundoLuis Martínez Milly Alcock's charisma and charm are no match for a film that is ugly, dark, tiresome and so strenuously likeable and good-hearted that it brings you out in a sweat. Read
• 4.0 El PeriódicoQuim Casas The film, produced by Gunn, is better, mind you, than the 1984 Supergirl. […] But the attempt to bring the superheroine down to earth, presenting her as a 23-year-old post-adolescent drowning her sorrows in alcohol on a distant planet, doesn't work. Read
• 4.0 La VanguardiaJordi Batlle Caminal Lacking style, narrative sense, ironic distance and charisma, Supergirl is a failure of considerable proportions. Read
• 3.8 Roger EbertTomris Laffly In the end, you can’t help but wonder why the emotions of these characters don’t pack as much of a punch. Read
• 3.0 La RazónSergi Sánchez We are supposed to take it as a statement of principles from producer James Gunn, who seems to have approached the resurrection of DC Comics under the influence of irreverence, although, judging by the result, we would have preferred a more classical approach. Read
• 2.0 VarietyOwen Gleiberman “Supergirl” plods along, poised between sodden spectacle and snark. Read