Anyone associated with the original is nowhere to be seen. Every element of the film attempts to make connections to the first. Right from the start, the title sequence and musical score are a horrible reimaging (almost parody) of Superman. While this sequence felt grand in scale in the original, it feels cheap and contrived here. Throughout the motion picture, there are not-so-subtle references to Superman, all there to remind you that this story is connected to Superman and therefore must be as good. There’s no mistaking that Supergirl was a way to milk more money out of the franchise.
Let’s go back to the story. For the most part, any story succeeds when we, as an audience, can relate to it somehow. Superman was an orphan, raised by good people, which lead to this alien trying to find a way to do good and be a part of society. Also, who couldn’t relate to wishing half of California would fall in the ocean?
Getting past the quest to recovering the powerful Omegahedron to save her planet, this battle between a superpowered heroine and an evil sorceress didn’t resonate with me. I think the writers backed themselves into a corner, making Kara’s story and goals different than Kal-El’s. She’s only going to Earth to complete a task instead of being stranded on Earth and trying to fit in as an alien teenager.
“…I can see why they chose her to potentially build a new franchise around.”
As Supergirl, Helen Slater does a fine job with what she was given. Her performance comes off like a rookie actor, but I can see why they chose her to potentially build a new franchise around. She’s attractive, good-natured, and can grow professionally—in other words, young, cheap, and locked in for many sequels in the studio’s mind. Again, it’s the script and story that let her down.
Also, let down is Supergirl (the character) herself. It’s not just enough to be a female Superman. One has to ask the questions: what would a female superhero look like, what would her struggles be in a male-dominated world (even for superheroes), and how could she be different from her alter ego, Clark?
Supergirl could have been a contender. Instead, it felt like it was only made to make money rather than say something important or tell a compelling story.
"…every element of the film attempts to make connections to [Superman]..."
