Supergirl Reviews Tease The First Major Disappointment Of James Gunn's DC Universe

The second big-screen story from James Gunn and Peter Safran's DC Studios will be swooping into theaters this week, but by the sounds of things, "Supergirl" is going to experience a bit of turbulence on her first adventure. The critics were out in force to share their thoughts on the newest chapter from the DCU, and while it seems there was nothing but good things to be said about Milly Alcock's performance as the Woman of Tomorrow, the rest of the film seemed to be struggling to match her level.

At the time of writing, the new film from Craig Gillespie that sees Kara Zor-El on her first solo adventure since 1984 (although the less we say about that '80s adaptation the better) is sitting at 58% on Rotten Tomatoes. That's quite a disheartening blow to this comic book franchise in bloom after Gunn's "Superman" has settled at a commendable 83%. 

So what precisely is so bad about it, then? Zaki Hasan of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote that "Alcock's Supergirl has to grow into the hero she's destined to become, and by the time the credits roll, it's her performance — not the increasingly oversized spectacle surrounding it — that leaves the strongest impression." Matt Singer of Screen Crush was blunt with his view of the movie, calling it "a DC disappointment." Should any of you die-hard DC fans be close to canceling your tickets, there are thankfully some who were considerably kinder to the Girl of Steel and backed the new movie for what it was trying to achieve.

Sprinkled in among the other kryptonite-laced reviews were some that were happy with the outcome of "Supergirl." Rachel Leishman of The Mary Sue said, "'Supergirl' really made me feel special and like I could, if I wanted, flip a car and hey, isn't that what these movies are all about?" Linda Marric of HeyUGuys loved the difference between this entry and that of the squeaky clean Big Blue Boy Scout's adventure, writing, "'Supergirl' is not as assured as 'Superman,' and it knows it too well. What it has instead is temperament; a roughness, a willingness to let its protagonist be wrong." Collider's Therese Lacson also argued, "Who can say no to a messy superhero and her adorable but chaotically destructive superpup?"

With such a lukewarm reaction, it'll be interesting to see how Alcock's scrappy, super alter ego fares at the box office this weekend. The chances of it taking the top spot seem unlikely, if only because of the money-munching "Toy Story 5," still in theaters after having passed $200 million on June 23 (via Deadline). Regardless of how Kara's initial outing fares, though, Milly Alcock is confirmed to be returning as Supergirl in "Man of Tomorrow," a sequel that will see Superman and Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor stand off against a new big baddie, Brainiac, played by Lars Eidinger.