Supergirl reviews are in, and the verdict echoes what the first reactions hinted at: critics can’t agree on the movie, but they almost universally agree on Milly Alcock.
The film currently sits at 56% on Rotten Tomatoes from 108 reviews, a Rotten score, and a clear step down from the across-the-board enthusiasm DC enjoyed with last year’s Superman.
But dig into the reviews and a pattern emerges almost immediately: even the harshest pans single out Alcock as the best thing in the movie.
The fight is over everything around her, director Craig Gillespie’s approach, a villain critics keep calling bland, and a tone that draws constant comparisons to Guardians of the Galaxy and Mad Max.
Gillespie, the filmmaker behind I, Tonya and Cruella, adapts Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and whether his take honors that source or waters it down is exactly where critics part ways.
Critics Agree On Alcock, Split On The Movie
What the positive reviews say
The favorable reviews lean almost entirely on Alcock’s performance and the film’s willingness to let its hero be messy, angry, and flawed.
USA Today‘s Brian Truitt calls it an intergalactic revenge flick that freshens up familiar tropes through its self-destructive lead.
Collider‘s Therese Lacson scored it 8/10, won over by the messy hero and her chaotic superpup.
IndieWire‘s Kate Erbland praised the film for staying small and asking big questions.
The Guardian‘s Peter Bradshaw landed at 3/5, noting there are moments when “you’ll believe this franchise can fly.”
Variety‘s Owen Gleiberman aside, outlets like the San Francisco Chronicle, Total Film, and AV Club all circle the same idea: Alcock is the reason to watch, and the movie is at its best when it leans into her and gets out of the way.
Negative reviews call it generic — but not Alcock’s fault
The critics who disliked it agree on the core problem: the movie around Alcock is derivative and flat. Almost none of them put the blame on her.
Film Threat’s Chris Gore called Supergirl flat out “terrible.”
Variety‘s Owen Gleiberman called the plot “numbingly flat” despite all its action. He also called it a “super-horrendous” comic book movie, “with the worst script I can remember.”
The Hollywood Reporter‘s David Rooney flagged the film’s failure to find emotional depth as notable given Gillespie’s history with spirited women.
RogerEbert.com‘s Tomris Laffly (1.5/4) wondered why the characters’ emotions don’t land harder. The Daily Beast‘s Nick Schager called it “a less than super spin-off,” and ScreenCrush‘s Matt Singer summed his review up as “a DC disappointment.”
The most repeated knock is familiarity.
Critic after critic compares the film to Guardians of the Galaxy, The Marvels, and Mad Max — Beyond the Trailer‘s Grace Randolph said the movie throws its great source material “in the trash” for a watered-down version of all three.
CGMagazine pointed to Gillespie’s constant needle drops making it feel like “a lesser Guardians of the Galaxy,” and the bland villain comes up again and again as a central weakness.
Those who connect with it praise its smaller, grief-driven character study.
Those who don’t see a generic space adventure that wastes a perfect lead, with Alcock’s performance the one thing nearly everyone walks away praising.
A Step Down From Superman
The throughline in even the kindest reviews is the comparison to Superman.
Where Gunn’s 2025 film was a sunny, confident crowd-pleaser, Supergirl is repeatedly described as bleaker, messier, and less assured.
Screen Rant‘s Molly Freeman (6/10) called it “fine, even good,” but said it doesn’t reach the bar Superman set.
The Film Maven‘s Kristen Lopez landed in the same place: a solid entry that never feels as focused as its predecessor.
That 56% also lands against a tough commercial backdrop.
Supergirl is tracking to lose its own opening weekend to Toy Story 5‘s second frame, and a mixed-to-negative critical consensus is exactly the kind of word-of-mouth a film in that position doesn’t need.
Supergirl opens June 26.
