Film Review: Supergirl

Holy crap, they made a Supergirl movie? When did this happen? Why did it happen? Sure, I've seen all four of the Salkinds' Superman films (I grew up on the first two; they've been with me my whole life), but for whatever reason, I never knew of this film's existence until recently.

Well, there are reasons why some movies fall into obscurity: Supergirl is pretty silly and stupid. It taps into all the same colorful, cartoony, and corny elements that made Superman III and Superman IV so ridiculous. What action and heroics Supergirl goes through is pretty lame, lacking in any major thrills or spectacle. Special effects are plentiful, but are quite gaudy at times. Above all, the entire film is overshadowed by its constant focus on a sappy romance and, for some odd reason, showcasing witches as the evil villains. Witches...really?

The story for this film is as stupid as they come: the opening scenes are loaded with some of the stupidest and nonsensical exposition ever written, and everything from then on is just one random thing after another. Supergirl herself can be an appealing character, but she comes across as a ditz at times. All the characters are pretty shallow and dumb.

This film has okay, but rarely exceptional, photography and editing. Acting is extremely hammy and over-the-top: Helen Slater is probably the only decent performance here, even though she acts a little ditsy in certain scenes; Faye Dunaway acts like she belongs in the movie Hocus Pocus, while Peter O'Toole acts like a slacker version of Lawrence of Arabia. Writing is nothing to scream about either. This production uses sets, props, costumes, and special effects that are extravagant, but also somewhat cheap and gaudy. Music is not bad though.

Supergirl is to the Superman franchise what Red Sonja is to the Conan movies. Diehard fans might want to give it a rental someday, but everybody else should avoid.

2/5 (Entertainment: Pretty Good | Story: Awful | Film: Poor)