Supergirl (2026) • Review • Spoiler Free

Supergirl arrives as the second chapter in James Gunn’s new DC Universe, but does it successfully step out of Superman’s shadow and establish Kara as a hero in her own right?

In this spoiler free review, Fraser shares his first impressions after seeing the film, discussing Milly Alcock’s standout performance, the darker tone, spectacular action sequences, emotional storytelling, world building, Jason Momoa’s scene stealing Lobo, and whether this is a movie that deserves to be experienced on the big screen.

Is Supergirl worth your time?

Let’s find out.

COMING UP NEXT

Next Review: Masters of the Universe

Release Date: Wednesday 1st July

It’s time to head to Eternia and find out whether Masters of the Universe has the power to launch another exciting cinematic universe.

Thanks for listening to Frame 70 Reviews. New reviews every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, along with classics revisited in From the Vault. Every review in full at frame70.com

Transcript

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What's up everybody, and welcome back to the podcast. I'm Fraser, your host, and today we're taking a look at Supergirl, the 2026 film directed by Craig Gillespie and starring Millie Alcock, Eve Ridley, Matthias Schoenartz, and Jason Momoa. This review is spoiler-free, and as always, we're answering one simple question. Is it worth your time? Let's get into it. Before we dive into what I thought, it's worth talking about where this movie sits in the new DC universe. Superman introduced us to James Gunn's new vision for DC, but Supergirl has a completely different job. This isn't about following Superman around. It's about proving that Kara can stand on her own as a character. And after walking out of the cinema, I think that's exactly what this film achieves. Before seeing the movie, the person I was most excited to watch was Millie Alcock. Most people know her from House of the Dragon, and she's terrific in that. But if you've never seen the Australian series Upright, I genuinely recommend tracking it down. That show gives you a much better idea of her natural screen presence. She's funny, confident, a little rough around the edges, and after seeing Supergirl, I found myself thinking about Upright far more than House of the Dragon. That's probably the biggest compliment I can give her. She doesn't disappear behind the cape. She creates a version of Kara that feels completely her own, and what I loved most is that she never tries to be Superman. She's a very different person. This version of Kara is sarcastic, reckless, stubborn, with a real attitude, but underneath all of that is someone still carrying enormous grief, and Millie Alcock balances every one of those emotions brilliantly. This honestly feels like a star-making performance. One thing that surprised me was just how different this movie feels from Superman. Yes, they share the same universe, but tonally, they're worlds apart. Supergirl is darker, grittier, the consequences feel real. People die and characters make morally complicated decisions throughout. There's genuine emotional weight here that I wasn't expecting to hit as hard as it did. At its heart, though, this isn't really a story about revenge. It's about what revenge costs. That idea is explored beautifully through Ruthie. Without giving anything away, she's driven by loss and convinced that revenge will somehow make everything better. Kara understands that pain better than anyone, and watching those two characters challenge each other's beliefs quietly becomes one of the emotional highlights of the film. It's a surprisingly mature story. Then there's crypto. Anyone who's listened to this podcast knows I've got a soft spot for dogs, so I was probably always going to connect with this part of the movie. But Crypto isn't just there for laughs. He's the emotional heartbeat of the story. Everything is built around a ticking clock. Kara has just three moonrises to retrieve an antidote and save him, and every time that countdown comes back into the story, you feel the pressure building. It gives the whole film momentum without ever feeling forced. As someone who loves dogs, I completely bought into those stakes. What I also really liked was how naturally all the storylines come together. Kara is trying to save crypto, Ruthie is chasing revenge, Lobo has his own reasons for hunting the same people. And instead of feeling like three separate plots, they gradually merge until everyone's heading towards the same destination. It keeps the movie moving at a really satisfying pace. Speaking of Lobo, Jason Momoa looks like he's having the absolute time of his life. He's loud, arrogant, completely over the top, and violent, but somehow also incredibly entertaining. Every time he appeared on screen, the energy lifted another notch. He brings plenty of humor without ever feeling like comic relief, and if anything, he just made me want to see a lot more of Lobo in future DC films. Now let's talk about the action, because this is where the movie absolutely shines. And my frame 70 moment wasn't actually one particular fight, it was the way Supergirl fights. She doesn't fight like Superman. She uses speed, momentum, flight, twisting, and diving, and throwing herself through combat in a way that feels completely unique. The camera moves with her rather than cutting around her, so instead of endless quick edits, we get these sweeping camera movements that let you actually appreciate what's happening. Every impact lands, every battle feels physical, and every fight became something I couldn't wait to see unfold. Visually, the film is fantastic as well. Krypton and Argo are beautifully realized, and some of the imagery during those earlier sequences genuinely stayed with me after the credits rolled. The different alien worlds make this universe feel much bigger than Superman did, and at times I found myself getting little flashes of Mad Max beyond Thunderdome in some of those rough lived-in environments. Then moments that reminded me of Guardians of the Galaxy through the colorful worlds and supporting characters. None of those comparisons feel like copies. They're just little reminders of other stories that came to mind while I was watching. If I have one criticism, it's the villain. He's not terrible, he just never becomes as memorable as I wanted him to. For someone who sits at the center of so many storylines, he never quite develops the presence to become truly intimidating. Ironically, the emotional conflict surrounding him is much stronger than the character himself. Thankfully, Kara is such a compelling lead that the movie never loses its momentum. Walking out of the cinema, the thing I kept thinking about wasn't Superman. It wasn't the new DC universe, it was Kara. This movie succeeds because it gives us a supergirl who feels completely different from every other superhero we've met so far. She's flawed, emotional, impulsive, funny, damaged, and most importantly, she feels human. That's why this movie works. It's not trying to make her the next Superman, it's letting her become the first Supergirl. And just so you know, everything I've mentioned in this review is visible in the trailers. This really is a completely spoiler-free episode. The Frame 70 verdict for Supergirl. I really enjoyed that. See this one on the biggest screen you can. The world building, the action choreography, and those sweeping aerial fight sequences genuinely deserve the cinema experience. Yes, I would have liked a stronger villain, but that's a small criticism in a film that gets so much riot. Millie Alcock is outstanding, the emotional story surprised me, and by the end I wasn't just excited to see another chapter in this new universe. I was excited to spend more time with Cara. Thanks so much for listening, and I'll catch you in the next review. Thanks for listening to Frame 70 Movie and TV Reviews. If you enjoyed today's review, you can follow Frame 70 wherever you get your podcasts, and find us at frame70.com. And before we go, let's remember something that sits right at the heart of this show. Movies are subjective. The way a film impacts me might be completely different to the way it impacts you. A movie I connect with might leave someone else completely cold. A film that doesn't work for me might become one of your all-time favorites. And that's okay. That's part of what makes movies worth talking about in the first place. There are no right or wrong opinions here, only different experiences. So watch widely, stay curious, and remember, movies are subjective. Until next time, I'm Fraser, and this has been frame seventy.