Supergirl - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Supergirl

Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
James Gunn’s attempt at rebooting the DCEU has been rocky at best, with various films SUPPOSEDLY acting as the first film in the extended universe. Only for poor reception to the film/show (The Suicide Squad, Blue Beetle, even Peacemaker: Season One) to cause the powers that be to retcon that decision and say “It will be the NEXT film”. So far the only real one that has stuck as the “first” in the new Gunniverse (my own personal coining of the term) has been James Gunn’s Superman. A film that failed to ignite the box office with any appreciable luster, and then this. Oh boy, this was something pretty much everyone who saw the cameo of Supergirl in Superman guessed was going to happen. A complete train wreck of a film that is so slapdash and disjointed, while feeling like a weird ripoff of Guardian’s of the Galaxy at the same time (Gunn’s best work in the super hero world) at the same time.

I’m not going to get into the culture war aspect of the online community’s reaction to the film, but needless to say they aren’t wrong on many of their criticisms. Supergirl is an absolute mess, with an unlikable lead and a disjointed story, leaving the only good thing to come out of this film the one thing that I felt hampered Aquaman the most. And that’s saying a lot, as the 1984 film was the last time we ever got Supergirl in her own feature film some 42 years ago, and that wasn’t exactly the pinnacle of superhero awesomeness. So how do we introduce Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock), you might say? Let's make her an annoying drunk who is out bar-hopping on red sun-equipped planets so that her super metabolism can’t restrict her from getting hammered. Drinking herself stupid in order to ignore the pain of losing her parents and Krypton, she goes the exact opposite of Clark. Instead of being raised by the simple kindness of the Kents, Kara is already grown, having seen the devastation of her home world, and struggles with the anger, guilt, and shame of not being able to save it.

And now Kara is stuck in the middle of an intergalactic squabble when she interferes with a young girl named Ruthye (Eve Ridley) who is out for revenge on a bunch of superhuman brigands who go by the name of...well… The Brigands. It seems that the leader of this particular group of Brigands killed Ruthye’s parents, leaving the 13-year-old to avenge her parents’ murders. But Kara gets sucked in when she takes pity on the poor girl, and the two set out to make the Brigands pay for what they did.

And in true James Gunn fashion, things go sideways fast. Kara is messed up from her past, and while Ruthye is on her way to heading down the same path, Kara desperately wants to keep the young girl’s innocence intact (as much as it can be). Not to mention she has to take care of intergalactic pirates, a -off bounty hunter named Lobo (Jason Momoa), and stop the Brigands from carrying out space human trafficking...and of course save her dog Krypto from dying. All in 72 hours.

Supergirl just flops from the get-go. It’s not horribly bad. It’s not amazing either. I thought I was going to come out of my viewing just loathing this film just by watching the trailer, but what happened was much, much worse. At least with a horrible film, your displeasure in the flick is what may allow it to be a guilty pleasure, or a good hate watch. But Supergirl fell into that ill-fated middle category where I didn’t love it, nor hate it. But rather, I came out of this viewing feeling absolutely nothing. Not even annoyance. Just this bored sense of “well, I guess that happened”.

Milly Alcock is badly miscast as Kara. She’s sullen, annoying, and just doesn’t seem to fit the character, unlike Sasha Calle’s version in the abomination that was The Flash. I don’t know why, but she feels better off as the mean girl in a sitcom rather than Supergirl. David Corenswet pops up for a few moments to remind the audience that she’s related to Superman (and they actually canonize that HORRIBLE decision for Jor-El to have sent Superman to Earth to dominate it), but the one standout character in the entire film is Jason Momoa as Lobo. And that’s not because Jason does anything spectacular in terms of his acting here. It’s just that Jason Momoa fits the embodiment of Lobo in his mannerisms and voice so perfectly that it’s like Ryan Reynolds playing Deadpool. I’ve said for years that casting him as Aquaman was a horrible mistake, as he was more “Aquabro” than “Aquaman”. Jason just walked on set with a lot of makeup, smoked a cigar, and was able to pull off Lobo without breaking a sweat. The only thing that left me scratching my head was why they felt the need to alter his voice with an accent? His normal gravelly voice would have been just perfect as is. But aw well.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, action, language, and smoking.




4K Video: Video:

As expected from a high-profile summer blockbuster, Supergirl looks stunning in 2160p. Shot digitally and given a native 4K transfer, this is pure visual delight all the way around. The film plays with some mildly grim and darker colors compared to the bright color bomb that was Gunn’s Superman, but it still pushes hot and heavy colors all over the place, ranging from the neon greens of kryptonite to the amber and honey colored tones of the transport ship, all the way to the deep blues and reds of the bar where Kara beats the snot out of the punks trying to steal Ruthye’s sword. Black levels are above reproach, with inky blacks in the deepest shadows, to the complete lack of banding anywhere on the disc. Fine details are absolutely divine, and I honestly can’t find ANYTHING to complain about on the transfer. It’s simply a crowd pleaser.








Audio:

The audio is just about perfect as well, boasting a typical superhero Atmos track that is just one big sonic delight. Dialog is crisp and located up front as expected, and the surrounds and overheads get a near-constant stream of activity as Kara blasts through space or creates sonic booms in the atmosphere as she flies around. Bass is powerful and cooked a bit hot, but not super aggressive like the Marvel days pre-Disney takeover. Simply put, this is a sonic delight, with Lobo’s heavy motorcycle blasting around, Kara lasering people with her eyes, and a rousing score that fills up every channel with rich ambiance. It’s a big, bold, superhero mix and doesn’t hold back.

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Extras:

• The Making of Supergirl - Consider Supergirl a "Hero's Journey" for Milly Alcock. She transformed throughout the process of leading her first feature film. We watch as a fly-on-the-wall during key moments of production.
• Flying Off the Page - Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, written by Tom King with art by Bilquis Evely, was the jumping-off point for DC to adapt Supergirl into a film. We follow the comic authors, screenwriter Ana Nogueira, and filmmakers as they make the leap from page to screen.
• Space is a Bad Neighborhood, Babe - Explore with Production Designer Neil Lamont, as he takes us through the many worlds that Kara Zor-El steps into on her journey to hunt down Krem of the Yellow Hills.
• A Practical Legacy - There are so many aliens and unique looks in this film that are literally out of this world! Legacy Effects and Peter Swords King explain the creative process behind this diverse group of creatures.
• Showdown at Evely Square - Production spent a month filming this action set-piece. From stunt training to crashing tanks to classic superhero flying moments, this breaks down the making of an incredible action scene.
• The DC Dream: Lobo - Jason Momoa has been outspoken about wanting to play Lobo for years, and now his time has come. Go behind the scenes as he transforms into this iconic and chaotic character.
• Mixtape for a Hero - What does Supergirl, as a character, sound like? Director Craig Gillespie and Composer Claudia Sarne answer this question as they discuss the score for the film.
• You Are Here: A Supergirl Map of the Galaxy - If you want to know more about all the planets visited in the film, check out this piece, narrated by Ruthye herself, actress Eve Ridley, to learn some more details, a nd enjoy the alien aesthetic of the film up close!
• Girl's Best Friend - Krypto is Kara's badly-behaved BFF and last connection to her home world of Krypton. We delve into their relationship and what makes it so special.
• Krypto Saves the Day: Coastal Catastrophe - An animated short that tells the story of a fun day at the beach which goes sideways when some sneaky foes get between Krypto and his hot dog.
• Deleted Scenes

Final Score: ​

Supergirl isn’t a travesty of nature, or the worst thing that you’ll ever see. But it IS a soulless and boring slog of a film that just meanders towards the finish line with the grace of a sleepwalking hippo. There are some fun parts, especially with Lobo, but overall I came out of my viewing just bored out of my skull. And I think the vast majority of you will come to the same conclusion. It’s not horrible; it just “exists,” and that’s one of the worst positions a film can be categorized in. That “bleh” middle ground where you don’t really feel any way about it whatsoever. The 4K UHD looks and sounds amazing though, and the extras are pretty decent. Fans of the movie will be more than happy with the home video presentation, but the rest of you may want to give this a cheap rental first.



Technical Specifications:

Starring: Milly Alcock, David Corensweet, Eve Ridley, Jason Momoa
Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Written by: Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Ana Nogueira
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), German, Italian Dolby Atmos, French, Spanish DD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Warner Bro's
Rated: R
Runtime: 115 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: September 8th, 2026

Recommendation: Decent Rental