Supergirl gets demolished by American critics

James Gunn’s new DC Universe blockbuster failed to impress the specialist press, despite Milly Alcock’s solar performance, which was unanimously praised.

The flight looks complicated for Kara… The new DC Universe film is released this weekend in the United States (before arriving next Wednesday in French cinemas). And this already promises to be delicate for Supergirl. Already not helped by rather timid box office forecasts, Craig Gillespie’s feature film must now deal with an avalanche of killer reviews that have fallen in recent hours. 58% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes is not much. After a new Superman rather well received last summer, the American press does not really validate the continuation of James Gunn’s DC Universe. One exception, however: Milly Alcock, unanimously praised and considered the great asset of Craig Gillespie’s film, who, for his part, takes his place. It’s mainly the scenario, the lack of ambition and the humor cheap which crystallize the reproaches. Press review.

Variety is certainly the most scathing. For the reference title of the American film press, Supergirl is downright “a super-horrible dystopian superhero film”. The magazine crushes the scenario, judged “terrible”and denounces a work which desperately seeks to give itself a rebellious attitude: “Everything seems to want to be ‘punk rock’. But Supergirl is a punk sham.” For the critic, the influences of Mad Max are never enough to give a real personality to the film.

ComicBook for its part salutes Milly Alcock’s performance, but regrets the omnipresent and rarely inspired humor: “For every great moment that Alcock offers, there’s another where the film falls into the lowest common denominator of the schoolboy joke, with a multitude of gags like: ‘Okay… that’s it!’ Irritating and not funny.”

Den of Geek also believes that the actress deserves better: “Milly Alcock soars in Craig Gillespie’s Supergirl. Unfortunately, the cosmic adventure that surrounds it never reaches the same heights.” The specialized site regrets a film which “play it safe“, is based on “ready-made recipes“and abandon the universe “strange, mythological and sometimes terrifying” of the comic strip from which it is inspired (Woman of Tomorrow) in favor of a much wiser approach.

Deadline especially points the finger at the tone of the film: “LThe special effects and constantly dark ambiance really make it hard for the band to work, despite Milly Alcock’s best efforts.” The media nevertheless appreciates this version of Kara Zor-El, described as “impulsive, stubborn and imperfect“.

The Hollywood Reporter also suspects the film of having been edited at the last minute: “We have the impression that the film was cut down during editing and that certain connecting elements were removed.” The magazine takes the example of Krypto, whose erratic presence seems incoherent and symptomatic of a shaky story.

Vulture judges the result “amusing, but deeply disappointing. The site believes that the plot is “cobbled together from elements shamefully derivative of Mad Max: Fury Road or clichés seen in dozens of other films”. And if Milly Alcock is a “very captivating heroine“, the media regrets that this “small film without ambition” never knows what to do with his character.

The Playlist is, for its part, a little more nuanced. The site sees in the interpretation of Milly Alcock “a welcome burst of attitude in a largely formatted intergalactic quest“. The media also regrets a somewhat simplistic feminist discourse, but judges that the film hits the mark on one point: “Kara is kind without necessarily being friendly. She has no desire to dedicate her life to altruism, and her journey consists of understanding that she may not want to save humanity… but that she could enjoy.”

Supergirl will be released in France on July 1, 2026.