Supergirl First Reviews: A Superb Milly Alcock Stands Out in Uneven Entry in the DCU
Critics say the latest chapter of the DC Universe isn't quite the must-see blockbuster of the summer, but its star makes it worth a watch.
The second installment of the DC Universe, Supergirl, arrives in theaters this weekend, and the first reviews of the movie are now online. Spun off from 2025’s Superman, this comic book adaptation stars Milly Alcock as the titular superhero, aka Kara Zor-El, with Jason Momoa making his debut as Lobo. While it may not be the must-see blockbuster of the summer, everyone agrees that Alcock makes the most of it, and many agree she’s enough to make it worth watching.
Here’s what critics are saying about Supergirl:
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Is it worth seeing?
Supergirl was everything I wanted it to be and more.
— Rachel Leishman, The Mary Sue
Supergirl is a highly entertaining and visually engaging installment for the new DC Universe.
— Michael Sowell, Nerdspin
With a duo of finely-tuned lead performances and a smart story at the center, it’s another solid, sharp entry in the reinvigorated DC canon.
— Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction
You can’t imagine returning to it as a regular movie watch, yet it’s enjoyable enough thanks to Milly Alcock.
— Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy
Supergirl isn’t a perfect movie by any means, but there are moments when you’ll believe this franchise can fly.
— Peter Bradshaw, Guardian
The result is a movie with a strong lead performance from Alcock and just enough personality to remain watchable, but not enough vision to make the future of the DCU feel especially urgent.
— Matt Oakes, Silver Screen Riot
I don’t know if people should skip it, but if you’re leery about whether you’ll enjoy this movie based on all the promotion, you should probably trust your gut.
— Julian Lytle, RIOTUS
Will fans of the comic book enjoy it?
It’s heartening to see the film adaptation doesn’t lose any of its page-turning predecessor’s heart or compelling character drive.
— Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction
[It’s] likely to divide fans of the comic book source material.
— Julian Roman, MovieWeb
I think Director Craig Gillespie and Screenwriter Ana Nogueira veered a little bit too much from the comic that they were adapting.
— Julian Lytle, RIOTUS
It lacks the profound emotional depth of its comic book predecessor.
— Michael Sowell, Nerdspin
[Lobo] doesn’t actually appear in the comics run. His inclusion feels like an addition meant to please fans of the comics rather than actually serve the narrative.
— Therese Lacson, Collider
How does it compare to DC superhero movies and shows?
Supergirl has made her mark on the DCU as the definitive and best version of the superhero to date.
— Therese Lacson, Collider
From a worldbuilding standpoint, Supergirl improves on Superman by more elegantly integrating its supporting DCU characters.
— Brandon Lewis, AwardsWatch
Supergirl never reaches the clarity, precision, or narrative confidence that made Superman such a pleasant surprise.
— Jon Negroni, Thank God for Movies
Supergirl is far from the worst DC offerings we’ve endured over recent years, yet it does feel like one of the biggest missed opportunities.
— Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy
Gunn was right to want to take the comic-book genre back to well-structured screenwriting basics. So what has he done in his second DC outing? He’s given us a comic-book movie with the worst script I can remember.
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety
I thought Sasha Calle’s Supergirl in 2023’s The Flash registered with more dimensionality, despite that movie overloading on self-referential DC fan service.
— David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
What movies will it remind us of?
Every stop introduces a new flavor of science-fantasy weirdness straight out of the James Gunn playbook he established in Guardians of the Galaxy.
— Jon Negroni, Thank God for Movies
Supergirl could be a chapter taken from Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Kara wears a brown leather trench coat à la Peter Quill and her ship looks like it was stolen from Rocket Raccoon. She even wears old school headphones while beating Brigands to a pulp.
— Julian Roman, MovieWeb
[It’s] similar to James Gunn’s MCU Guardians of the Galaxy films. Gillespie certainly draws inspiration from the DC Studios’ co-lead signature style, leaning on tasteful anarchy, sarcastic quips, and spirited battles.
— Brandon Lewis, AwardsWatch
[It’s] brandishing an offbeat sense of humor à la Guardians of the Galaxy, along with scuzzy Mad Max: Fury Road vibes.
— Brian Truitt, USA Today
Supergirl is way more Beyond Thunder Dome than it is Guardians of the Galaxy.
— Kate Erbland, IndieWire
What works best in the movie?
What makes Supergirl stand out — and what might, unfortunately, alienate fans looking for more of the same — is its interest in staying small while asking some very big questions indeed.
— Kate Erbland, IndieWire
It’s a relief to see a DC superhero film that tells a clear story, without getting bafflingly bogged down in tangled subsidiary material and boring backstory.
— Peter Bradshaw, Guardian
Supergirl stands as a confident declaration that DC Studios intends for its heroes to feel distinct rather than interchangeable.
— Peter Gray, The AU Review
It’s a much more emotional journey than a superhero movie fan might expect.
— Brian Truitt, USA Today
The best parts of the film, scripted with little distinction by Ana Nogueira, are the flashbacks to Kara’s final months on what’s left of her dying home planet Krypton… There’s an emotional pulse to these scenes.
— David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
When Supergirl takes big risks, they tend to pay off. There aren’t enough of those moments, though.
— Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
How does it look?
On a technical level, the visual effects and action choreography are solid, with Supergirl’s raw power displays serving as a major visual highlight.
— Michael Sowell, Nerdspin
Visually, there’s a cross between Mad Max and Guardians of the Galaxy to the space settings, while the tone is certainly darker.
— Joey Magidson, Awards Radar
It doesn’t take long to tire of the brown, murky colour palette… It only brings back memories of Thor: The Dark World.
— Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy
How are the action sequences?
Supergirl has plenty of action sequences, including one great bit when Kara battles teleporting tech pirates on a space bus.
— Brian Truitt, USA Today
The action sequences are dynamic and coupled perfectly with strong needle drops and a moving score.
— Therese Lacson, Collider
Some of the action sequences demonstrate a great deal of wit and imagination, while others end up a little muddled as Gillespie struggles to track multiple threads.
— Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
The one time that the action works is during a fun, vibrant slow-motion sequence near the end, soundtracked to a great cover of “The Middle.”
— Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy
The many clashes are mostly generic, seldom packing much of a visceral wallop, and the effects work is strictly standard-issue.
— David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
The movie is full of action yet numbingly flat.
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety
How is Milly Alcock’s performance?
Milly Alcock delivers a powerful performance.
— Therese Lacson, Collider
The shining light is Milly Alcock. She’s excellent, managing to turn the familiar themes of grief and belonging into something affecting and endearing.
— Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy
Alcock is a heroine for a new era. She’s like a petite Peter O’Toole: funny, winning, charismatic, and a dastardly cunning hellraiser.
— Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction
Alcock is superb at giving her likable depth while also maintaining an unpredictability.
— Brian Truitt, USA Today
It’s certainly a credit to Milly Alcock’s performance that the character feels as well-realized as she is right from the jump, delivering more than enough spark to power this movie on her own.
— Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
She’s fantastic, and every pathetic internet troll who unfairly criticized her without seeing the movie first needs to eat crow.
— Julian Roman, MovieWeb
Alcock is likable enough, but the character as written is so one-note that it’s hard to have much investment in what she’s up to.
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety
What about Jason Momoa as Lobo?
He gives the film a jolt of untidy energy.
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety
An absolute standout as the mercenary Lobo. Momoa proves he was born to play the character, injecting chaotic, thrilling energy into every scene he populates.
— Michael Sowell, Nerdspin
The closest the visually drab movie comes to excitement is the introduction of an amusing if underused Jason Momoa as Lobo.
— David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
It’s a reminder that the best use of Momoa is letting him be totally unhinged.
— Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
Momoa just got to have fun, and it was refreshing to see.
— Rachel Leishman, The Mary Sue
Fun, but you couldn’t imagine wanting to see an entire movie of it.
— Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy
Does Superman make a memorable appearance?
David Corenswet’s Superman has a cameo in caring big-brother mode.
— Peter Bradshaw, Guardian
The second best performance is David Corenswet, who essentially is an extended cameo.
— Joey Magidson, Awards Radar
The strongest moments in Supergirl come from her scenes with Corenswet’s Clark.
— Rachel Leishman, The Mary Sue
With Corenswet’s handful of appearances, he continues to cement his place as a darn good Superman.
— Brian Truitt, USA Today
We get brief interactions between Kara and Kal-El, with Alcock and David Corenswet – who continues to prove he’s the perfect Superman – sharing a fun chemistry with instantly recognisable sibling energy.
— Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy
David Corenswet pops up for a few scenes as Superman, and that’s enough to make you wish that it wouldn’t take the whole damn movie for Kara to accept her Supergirl identity.
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety
Is Krypto still the best?
I’d obviously die for Krypto and making Kara go on an almost John Wick style quest to save him is effective.
— Joey Magidson, Awards Radar
There is… not nearly enough of Krypto — a necessity of the plot, but disappointing nonetheless.
— Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
Another character who’s off-screen for more of Supergirl than you’d like is her adorable sidekick, Krypto…The movie really doesn’t do much else with him.
— Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy
Does it have a decent villain?
Krem of the Yellow Hills… [is] played with watchable relish by Matthias Schoenaerts.
— Peter Bradshaw, Guardian
Schoenaerts makes for a decent heavy, ruthless, careless, and imposing.
— Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction
Having a complex villain often works, but sometimes, a movie really just needs a bad guy to root against, and that’s what Krem is.
— Rachel Leishman, The Mary Sue
Krem is an abhorrent villain and way more hardcore than expected. Everyone who thought he was going to be a generic baddie got that completely wrong.
— Julian Roman, MovieWeb
Krem of the Yellow Hills is an overly derivative Mad Max reject… Think the Lord Humungus meets Pinhead meets Adam Sandler.
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety
[He’s] so one-dimensional to be utterly forgettable… He seems evil, but he’s so nondescript that it has no impact.
— Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy
Are there any other performances worth mentioning?
Eve Ridley is fantastic as Ruthye and plays off Alcock with their superhero and sidekick connection.
— Therese Lacson, Collider
Ridley is equally impressive as Ruthye, providing the emotional counterweight to Kara’s detachment.
— Peter Gray, The AU Review
What are the movie’s biggest problems?
The suspicion arises that the new film has been chopped up in the editing room, removing some of the connective tissue.
— David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
The biggest structural issue lies in the editing room. Supergirl is cut and paced in a fragmented way that causes the overarching storyline to feel disappointingly flat.
— Michael Sowell, Nerdspin
The biggest issue with Supergirl: why does her big introductory movie keep insisting on turning her into a babysitter?
— Matt Oakes, Silver Screen Riot
The biggest issue within the movie is Ruthye’s motivation.
— Rachel Leishman, The Mary Sue
Will it leave us wanting more of the DC Universe?
Alcock’s stellar performance and the film’s bold sci-fi scale build genuine excitement for Man of Tomorrow, where Kara is set to appear next.
— Michael Sowell, Nerdspin
This film… makes us hope that Kara will have a more dominant role in Man of Tomorrow.
— Therese Lacson, Collider
Alcock…will continue to make the role her own in the years to come, I have no doubt. I’ll look forward to seeing her play Kara more, too.
— Joey Magidson, Awards Radar
I would like to see a prequel spin-off for Krumholtz, to show us his comedy chops.
— Peter Bradshaw, Guardian
Supergirl – only the second feature in this new cinematic universe – suggests the franchise may have more than a few speed bumps in store in its mission to get off the ground.
— Matt Oakes, Silver Screen Riot
Anyone invested in the DCU would be best to hold out for Gunn’s return to the director’s chair on next year’s Superman continuation, Man of Tomorrow.
— David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
Supergirl opens in theaters June 26, 2026. Get your tickets here.
