The Mosley Review: Supergirl
Perhaps the most egregious thing a film could do is try to reshape, rework and ultimately repeat the same story again. Follow me and tell me if this sounds familiar. A flawed, drunken and depressed hero somehow finds themselves thrust into a mission to help another seek absolution. Along the way, the hero's loved one is attacked and faces certain death unless they can find the main antagonist with the only knowledge and/or device that can save their life. As the race against time begins, the reluctant hero and their new companion will both go on a bombastic journey of self reflection and eventually, both will reconcile deep wounds and find new purpose in life that inspires each other to be better. Sounds good and like a standard template right? Well somehow this film figured out a way to deliver that template, but without enough emotional depth to make me care for the overall scope of this space trotting adventure. Don't get me wrong, there is heart in the film, but it only exist in the first quarter and the final sequence of the film. The rest of it was so melancholy and lost all sense of momentum or purpose. I'm familiar with the titular character and how her life differs from her more famous cousin, but I truly felt what could've made me fall in love with this iteration of the character, was sadly left on the cutting room floor.
Milly Alcock was great and kept me invested as Kara Zor-El / Supergirl. She tackles the traits of a more broken, depressed and careless Kara as we get a more unique perspective of being one of the last living Kryptonians. I loved that we get the see her life on what was left of Krypton and how it effected her emotionally and mentally. Her physicality was fun and once she finally gets free of her drunken stupor, she slowly becomes a force. I really wish there was more to her personality though. At times, it felt like she was undercooking the gravity of the overall plot and I wish she had just a bit more polish in the last half of the film. There is more to improve on with Kara and I hope that Milly gets a chance with a better written script. Eve Ridley was good as Kara's unlikely companion, Ruthye Marye Knoll. For the most part, her motivation was all encompassing and sort of hindered her character progression. At times she was an insufferable brat, but there was a spark of some hope for her yet. Both of them were mirror images of each other and I liked how they brought the heart out of one another toward the end. David Krumholtz as and Emily Beecham were fantastic as Kara's parents, Zor-El and Alura In-Ze. They really captured the desperation and pain of sending away their only child to safety. For the time we spend with them, the chemistry was the strongest between David and Milly and the most heartbreaking. Matthias Schoenaerts was decent as the main antagonist, Krem of the Yellow Hills. He nailed the slimey and sadistic nature of the human trafficking space pirate leader, but that's it. He had nothing else to do but be menacing and make the same threats over and over again. He truly felt like a second in command instead of a leader. Now the one that nearly stole the film and perhaps the most faithful adaptation I've seen of a character, was Jason Mamoa as Lobo. From the moment he springs to life to the last shot of him blasting off in his iconic roaring space chopper, I was enthralled. Jason truly captured the look, imposing presence, dark humor, blood thirsty and intense personality of Lobo. My main concern was that we were gonna get too much of him and we got the perfect amount. I can't wait to see more of him in the future.
The score by Claudia Sarne was not particularly as memorable as I wanted it to be. It serves its purpose in the big sequences, but it comes to life in the more somber moments. My biggest gripe is when superhero scores don't service the main character by giving them a memorable theme. Unfortunately, that has happened here where we sort of get a theme, but it doesn't feel like a "This is Supergirl!" theme. Its not easy coming up with an iconic theme, but oddly enough, Lobo has a theme and its awesome. Given the tone of the film, I get the use of pop songs is warranted in some moments, but this time around, it was annoying. There is nothing wrong with delivering a rousing score during a visual showcase instead of a slowed down version of a classic song. Its the same mistake that Captain Marvel made and I hated seeing that happen here. When I described the story template earlier, could you guess the specific movie I was explaining? If you guessed Guardians of the Galaxy 3, then you'd be correct. This film was a stripped down version that lacked the overwhelming emotional core and logic, especially during the final sequence. Overall, I didn't hate this film, but I didn't love it either. It was just so disappointingly bland and I hope for a better and more hopeful story for the character. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
