The internet is currently having a collective meltdown over the fact that Craig Gillespie’s Supergirl just debuted to a messy 57% on Rotten Tomatoes. If you believe the doom-and-gloom headlines, James Gunn’s shiny new DC Universe is already cratering in its second theatrical outing. People are acting like the sky is falling because a movie about Superman’s cousin didn’t get a universal standing ovation from critics.
Honestly, they are missing the point entirely. Read more on a related topic: this related article.
A 57% score doesn't mean a movie is a complete disaster. It means the film is divisive. It means some people love the swings it takes, and others think it falls flat on its face. The real story here isn’t that the movie failed. The real story is that Supergirl tried to do something completely unexpected with a superhero story, and that bold approach naturally alienated a massive chunk of mainstream critics. If you're looking for a safe, cookie-cutter comic book movie like the ones that saturated theaters for the last decade, you're going to hate this. But if you want a gritty, bizarre space western that actually takes its main character seriously, you might see something totally different.
The Massive Divide Between the Hero and the Script
Let’s talk about the one thing that almost every single critic agrees on. Milly Alcock is absolutely phenomenal as Kara Zor-El. Whether a reviewer gave the film a glowing five-star rave or labeled it the worst thing since the old DC Extended Universe died, they still praised Alcock. She carries the entire emotional weight of this project on her shoulders. Further reporting by Vanity Fair explores comparable perspectives on this issue.
Most people expect Supergirl to be a sunny, optimistic alternative to her cousin. This movie completely flips that expectation. Alcock plays Kara as a deeply traumatized, cynical, and occasionally drunk punk-rock party girl who has been through absolute hell. She hops from planet to planet under red suns just so she can feel human, drink away her grief, and forget that her entire world exploded. Alcock brings a raw, swaggering charm to the role that instantly commands the screen. You feel her anger, her isolation, and her reluctant sense of duty.
The problem is that the film surrounding her doesn’t always know how to match that energy. Screenwriter Ana Nogueira took a massive gamble by adapting Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s celebrated comic book miniseries Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. That comic is a poetic, heavy, and visual masterpiece. Turning it into a two-hour theatrical film required balancing a ton of disparate tones. Reviewers from major outlets like DiscussingFilm pointed out that the script sheepishly flirts with different ideas instead of committing to them.
You get these beautifully quiet, grief-driven character moments slammed right next to goofy space-opera comedy. It creates a weird tonal whiplash. One minute you are watching a deeply somber study of a survivor processing genocide, and the next minute Jason Momoa’s Lobo shows up to chew the scenery. It's a bumpy ride, and it’s easy to see why critics looking for a smooth, cohesive narrative walked away frustrated.
Why the Mad Max and Guardians Style Pulls the Movie Down
When James Gunn stepped in to run DC Studios, everyone knew his signature style would influence the franchise. But Gunn didn't direct this movie; he only produced it. Craig Gillespie took the wheel, and critics are calling him out for leaning way too hard into a watered-down version of Gunn's playbook.
The film heavily mimics Guardians of the Galaxy and Mad Max: Fury Road. You get the classic needle-drops, the irreverent space-travel vibe, and a dusty, industrial aesthetic. But where Gunn manages to make his pop-music cues feel deeply tied to a character’s soul, Gillespie’s musical choices occasionally feel like an over-edited music video. Some critics complained that the action sequences look choppily edited and flat, lacking the visceral impact you’d expect from a major blockbuster. The Hollywood Reporter noted that the special effects often feel standard-issue, which is a major letdown for a film that takes place across the cosmos.
Then there’s the villain problem. Matthias Schoenaerts plays Krem of the Yellow Hills. In the comics, Krem is a loathsome, pathetic catalyst for a grand cosmic chase. On screen, he completely fades into the background. Reviewers blasted the character for being thin, predictable, and remarkably boring. When your central plot revolves around a young girl named Ruthye—played by Eve Ridley—seeking revenge against a guy who killed her father, that villain needs to possess real presence. Instead, Krem feels like a generic obstacle rather than a terrifying threat.
The Unfair Ghost of the 2025 Superman Movie
Context is everything in Hollywood. Supergirl didn't open in a vacuum. It opened right after James Gunn’s Superman completely re-energized comic book fans last year. That movie was a sunny, confident, and universally acclaimed crowd-pleaser that set a sky-high standard for the new DCU.
Naturally, everyone is comparing the two. And that comparison is killing Supergirl in the press.
Superman was clean, polished, and traditional in the best way possible. Supergirl is intentionally messy, bleak, and experimental. It’s an intergalactic revenge flick disguised as a superhero movie. A lot of the harsher reviews seem genuinely bothered that Kara isn't acting like Clark Kent. They wanted another inspiring, hopeful epic. Instead, they got a movie where the main character is self-destructive and deeply flawed.
Evaluating Supergirl solely based on how much it resembles Superman is a fundamentally flawed way to look at cinema. Cinematic universes need variety to survive. If every single movie has the exact same tone, audiences get bored. Marvel ran into that exact issue when their formula started feeling like an assembly line. Gunn’s strategy of letting directors take massive swings is a feature, not a bug. Even if this specific swing didn't result in a 90% score, it shows that DC is willing to take genuine creative risks.
What This Score Actually Means for the DCU Moving Forward
So, is the sky actually falling for DC Studios? Not even close.
Let's look at the numbers rationally. Supergirl is sitting at 57%. For comparison, Marvel's The Incredible Hulk and DC's original Man of Steel both hovered around similar territory with critics upon release, and those cinematic universes kept moving forward just fine. A mixed score for an experimental second entry isn't a death sentence. It’s an growing pain.
Fans are already debating whether screenwriter Ana Nogueira should stay attached to write the upcoming Wonder Woman project. Some internet commentators are panicking, claiming she isn't up to the task. But anyone who knows how James Gunn operates knows he isn’t going to fire a writer over a middling Rotten Tomatoes score. He values distinct creative voices, and Nogueira clearly brought a unique flavor to the script, even if the execution didn't completely land with mainstream reviewers.
The real challenge for Supergirl isn't the critics. It's the box office environment. The movie is opening against stiff competition, trying to carve out a space while Toy Story 5 continues to dominate theaters. A mixed critical reception makes that uphill climb even steeper. General audiences don't always run to theaters for a lesser-known character when the reviews are split down the middle.
But don't write off Milly Alcock just yet. Her future in this universe is already locked in stone. She’s set to return alongside David Corenswet in next year’s Man of Tomorrow, which is currently in production. Seeing her gritty, battle-hardened Kara bounce off Clark Kent’s bright optimism is going to be an incredible dynamic. The movie around her might be flawed, but DC absolutely found their girl.
If you are planning to head to the theater this weekend, leave your expectations at the door. Don't expect a carbon copy of Superman. Don't expect a flawless, polished masterpiece. Go in expecting a weird, aggressive, visually chaotic space western about a girl trying to survive her own mind. You might just find that a 57% movie is a lot more interesting than a safe 90% one.
