Supergirl

Trigger Warnings: Human Trafficking, near death of a dog, some scenes of alcoholism, and discussions of death/grief. Not a movie for young fans!

Supergirl is one of the most surprising movies I’ve seen so far this year. I was very excited to see this film, so I was a little down to see the negative reviews on this movie, despite other fans on social media praising the film. After watching the film, I can say with confidence that I agree with the fans as this is a movie worth watching.

Gunn did a great job of highlighting the important of stopping/speaking out against human trafficking, especially in young girls. When we got to those scenes, my stomach dropped. This film could’ve easily written it as a bad action to take with little to no action taken by Supergirl and focus on finding an antidote for Krypto after being shot with a poisonous dart. However, Gunn pushes the boundaries and goes further into seeing the conditions in how far people are willing to go in order to exploit young women/girls. It’s a heartbreaking truth that our world faces today and I’m so glad Gunn brought this up. One aspect that caught me off guard is how a family, who’s daughter has fallen victim to the trafficking were willing to go so far as to trade Kara and Ruthye in order to retrieve there daughter. While I do not condone there actions, we do see the affects it has on parents who struggle with this and how far people go in order to protect there children. It’s tragic to see them have to do this, however the father helps get the poison out of her body, while the mother attempts to stop him. It’s an interesting shift on guilt and love can be a delicate balance and they learn the hard way that dealing/trying to reason with people who do this can have deadly consequences. When the whole family is killed, it broke my heart and while I will never agree with them attempting to traffic Kara and Ruthye, I understand the reasoning and is a cautious take on a parent’s love.

Another aspect of the film Gunn did really well was the worldbuilding. Every scene that takes place in space/the different planets was developed beautifully. From the character’s designs to the setting, I could tell that Gunn and the team who worked on this movie put a lot of effort into this film and was enraging through the whole film. Yes, some elements were tough to look at (e.g. saliva on Kara’s shoulder) however, those gross elements of the film didn’t last long and were able to build on some of the jokes, which was a clever part on the script writers. Every scene was beautiful to see and even in the action scenes, the pacing/setting never felt overwhelming. Gunn was able to pay attention to the comics and elevate the story and scenery into a cohesive story without going overboard on the special effects. Everything in the setting was right where it needed to be.

The filmmakers did a great job of playing with the lighting and score of the scenes. Despite the film taking place in different places in galaxy, we’re able to see how the lighting and building on the different contrasting colors affects the scenes. My favorite moment is when Kara, when she finds out about the family’s death and stopping Ruthye from killing Krem, everything built up. From the light that they explored on Krypton to the darkness of the journey she’s been on so far builds up her fears and struggles to find her place with the traveling she does, she screams and cries. The lighting and score for this scene was beautiful and made me tear up, along with her fighting for her life where the green sun is draining all of her power. The helplessness she feels as she may die along with Krypto is heartbreaking. Calling out for him with little to no response. It was tragic to see and as a dog mom made me cry. That attention to Kara’s weakness with the green sun rather is fascinating and the color palette and score for that scene was perfect. They got the scene and how it called for a slow yet dimming of hope score in there without being melodramatic. Every song/score to the movie matched with the scene. Despite some objections about the cover of Jimmy Eat World’s The Middle having a slower rendition, I believe it was to show Ruthye’s POV of the fighting/chaos that she has to endure. Sure, the song works for the song and while it could’ve use the original song, I think slowing it down and having us see the 360 action works for this film. Can I add that Kara is not only able to fight despite the kryptonite in her body, but also able to get it out of her body just by using the yellow sun and not be weakened entirely is a badass element to her character. This was a true testament and love letter to women’s strength in my opinion.

Now, speaking of Ruthye, while her expression didn’t change a lot, grief can make someone emotionless. I like how she is numb/shellshocked when she sees her whole family murdered and her house burned down by Krem. Throughout the movie, her numbness grows and speaks of revenge. Her thoughts are consumed and despite wanting to see more range in the first act of her experiencing the grief and loss she’s obtained in that cycle, the numbness was an interesting direction to go. However, the second act, we see her act on her feelings, but Kara is able to stop her and realize the ongoing consequences of revenge. Something that often gets rarely talked about/fantasized about is the revenge aspect of grief is the stage of revenge and wanting to hurt those who hurt us. While it could’ve been easier for Ruthye to kill Krem, it her pain would never stop. It shows incredible strength in the writing/execution of the film to convey this in a film. Kara is right that just because you kill someone who hurt you, it won’t make your pain go away in the end. The actions will haunt you and that’s something miss in the stages of grief and I’m glad they showcased that side of grief. In the end, while Ruthye doesn’t get her chance to kill Krem, Kara turns the tables on us and kills him for both Krypto and Ruthye’s family. I knew he would’ve met his demise but not the way we expected and I like that element of surprise.

I love the elements of surprises this film shared and Mamoa’s performance of Kobo. When I thought he would be very hardass and he is, we see the comedic side of this character and sharing Ruthye’s vengeful attitude. He was a great addition to the film and the makeup department did a great job with his makeup and hiding his face as to not give his other DC identity (AquaMan).

Overall, this is a film worth watching and spoiler: Krypto lives! Only saying this because a dying dog can be a triggering theme for dog parents and to have this ending will hopefully help get people in the theaters to watch this film!