Spunky, Punky Milly Alcock Ascends in DCU’s Edgier, Grittier ‘Supergirl’

Spunky, Punky Milly Alcock Ascends in DCU’s Edgier, Grittier ‘Supergirl’

By Lynn Venhaus

A messier, edgier alien superhero has arrived in “Supergirl,” with all its expected over-reliance on CGI visual effects and its anticipated female-forward power dynamic. What is surprising is Milly Alcock’s spunky, punky portrayal of the party girl from Krypton.

Alcock, who portrayed Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in the first five episodes of HBO’s “House of The Dragon” prequel to “Game of Thrones” and as insecure sister Simone in Netflix’s limited series “Sirens,” brings considerable heart and vulnerability to Kara Zor-El’s backstory.

The origin story is in a flashback detailing  her solo grief-stricken journey to Earth. An only child, her parents (Emily Beecham, David Krumholtz) became terminally ill when they were sent to live in Argo City after Krypton’s demise. Her father is Zor-El, brother to Superman’s father Jor-El.

Alcock’s present-day Kara is angsty, sassy, and sarcastic, and needs to find a compelling reason to put the suit back on and do good for mankind. Instead, she  stumbles and mumbles through life only clad in a Blondie t-shirt and a rumpled trench coat until she is called upon to be heroic. Her self-destructive tendencies have masked her pain and she questions her purpose. 

Kara Zor-El lands on Earth to be welcomed by cousin Kal-El.

She must rise to her destiny when she reluctantly joins forces with Ruthye (an impressive Eve Ridley), whose family was slaughtered by the monstrous villain Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts).

As the sole survivor, she seeks vengeance. Kara reluctantly takes her under her wing on an interstellar journey, where they planet-hop between red, yellow and green-designated planets.

Hot on their trail, Krem, devoid of any humanity, injures Krypto, Kara’s beloved rascally pet, with a poison dart. Supergirl has three days to find the antidote, so that ramps up her motivation. The scalawag bounty hunter Lobo (colorful Jason Momoa) becomes an unlikely ally.

.As a follow up to DCU’s “Superman” reboot last summer, this “Supergirl” presents a different, grittier spin on Clark Kent’s younger first cousin (eight years apart). Magnetic David Corenswet returns as the noble Man of Steel, and he’s a terrific addition to James Gunn’s new vision for the DCU.

Milly Alcock as Supergirl with her beloved pet Krypto.

The return of fan-favorite Krypto is another welcome sight. As the clock ticks, Ruthye becomes a wily companion, and anti-hero Lobo steals every scene he’s in as an “immortal” with glowing eyes and a big, bad, brassy demeanor.

The entertaining actor, best known as DC’s “Aquaman,” is now a go-to for extended cameos in action films in the same way Jack Black shows up in comedies to add his over-the-top sauce.

With his hulking physique, gravelly growling voice, and riding a tricked-out motorcycle, Momoa fits into this grimy aesthetic that resembles the chaotic “Mad Max: Fury Road” and the irreverent “Guardians of the Galaxy.” The film features a visually striking motley crew of space creatures that look like an even gnarlier collection of “Star Wars” cantina revelers.

This renegade-like adventure is capably directed by Craig Gillespie, who helmed such standout darkly comedic films as “I, Tonya,” “Cruella,” and “Dumb Money” in recent years, after his breakout indie “Lars and the Real Girl” that’s among his eclectic resume..

Waiting for a bus.

Based on Tom King’s 2021-22 comic book mini-series, “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow,” the screenplay was written by Ana Nogueira, who focused on emotional depth, cheeky wit, a found-family connection, and an underground vibe. Where the story is weakest is its villain, Krem.

Supergirl first showed up in a DC comic in May 1959, created by Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino for the story “The Supergirl from Krypton.” If you are unfamiliar with the source materials, no worries. The plot isn’t so dense that you can’t figure out what drives the super-powered Kryptonians to save the universe, one epic battle at a time.

St. Louis native Gunn, creator of Marvel’s vastly successful “Guardians of the Galaxy,” took over the reins of DC Studios as co-chair and co-CEO with Peter Safran in 2022, and he is the creative leadership for the film, TV and animation slate.

As writer-director of the 2025 “Superman,” Gunn restored the iconic American superhero to his altruistic roots and did considerable world-building. He also teased the new Supergirl coming this summer, when Kal-El was headed for the Fortress of Solitude, and she returned to fetch Krypto.

Supergirl (Milly Alcock) face to face with villain Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts).

Gunn is up next writing and directing “Superman: Man of Tomorrow,” which is set for release July 9, 2027, with Corenswet back and Nicholas Hoult reprising his role as arch-villain Lex Luthor.

Memorable villains are always key to how good a movie holds up, and Krem is bland. It’s not that Schoenaerts isn’t a good actor, because the Belgian has been noteworthy in acclaimed international films (“Bullhead,” “Rust and Bone”), as a thug in the vastly underrated “The Drop” and as a prisoner seeking redemption in “The Mustang.”

But written as a one-note demonic space pirate, he’s not interesting. His physique is imposing as a sadistic killing machine, but there is not much to work with here.

Jason Momoa as “Immortal” antihero Lobo.

The last “Supergirl” live adaptation feature was in 1984, as a spin-off of Christopher Reeve’s Superman movies, and bombed, with Helen Slater in the title role.

Three decades later, Supergirl re-appeared as a popular television series on the CW from 2015 to 2021, starring Melissa Benoist. Since then, the character appeared as an alternate-universe Kara in the crossover 2023 film “The Flash,” played by Sasha Calle.

While this “Supergirl” is not without flaws, it still is a promising start to the new direction, and has enough characters to care about, particularly the lovable scruffy floppy-eared, white furry mutt, and the resourceful and determined Ruthye. The female protagonists both deal with trauma in an identifiable way.

Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El and Eve Ridley as Ruthye Marye Knoll.

“Supergirl” is a 2026 sci-fi action-adventure directed by Craig Gillespie and starring Milly Alcock, Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Corenswet, Jason Momoa, Emily Beecham and David Krumholtz. It’s runtime is 1 hour, 47 minutes, and is rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, action, language, and smoking. It opens in theatres June 26. Lynn’s Grade: B

Stunts Dazzle, Story Fizzles In Grisly ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ Prequel

Stunts Dazzle, Story Fizzles In Grisly ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ Prequel

By Lynn Venhaus

Another thunderous full-throttle fever dream from visionary filmmaker George Miller, “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” repetitively smashes and crashes a megaton of souped-up vehicles in a savage and dusty post-apocalyptic world.

That loud and noisy thrill ride is expected in the prequel to Miller’s ambitious fourth foray nine years ago – “Mad Max: Fury Road,” which continues his gritty, grungy, and gruesome sci-fi world he created in 1979.

Filmgoers enthralled with this high-on-carnage, low-on-story dystopian adventure will again be dazzled by the extraordinary stunt work, eye-popping aerial feats, and the stunning visual effects as survivors’ barrel through the Australian Wasteland.

Nevertheless, Miller’s reliance on more CGI than its predecessor makes this action spectacle’s excess mind-numbing, accompanied by a grating music score composed by Tom Holkenborg that sounds like an incessant cruise ship’s horn.

When clips from Fury Road play over the end credits, it’s another reminder of how much better and epic it was.

After all, the 2015 film earned 10 Academy Award nominations, and won six – for costume design, film editing, production design, sound mixing, sound editing, and makeup and hairstyling. (This one may duke it out with “Dune, Part Two” in technical categories, however.)

Not to take anything away from the efforts of Anya Taylor-Joy, who is terrific, and so is her remarkable young counterpart, Alyla Browne, in creating the backstory of Imperator Furiosa, the mysterious and fierce warrior who was memorably played by Charlize Theron in the Fury Road installment.

With her striking appearance – shaved head and missing part of one arm, she teamed with Tom Hardy’s Max Rockatansky against the evil Immortan Joe and his War Boys to rescue five imprisoned brides.

Taylor-Joy, who proves her mettle as an action star, is a captivating middle piece in the puzzle established by Browne’s astonishing turn that deftly sets the table for the faster, more furious grown-up.

The youngster was snatched from The Green Place of Many Mothers, and had no choice but to become a rebel, disguising herself as a male, saying little, and staying sharp. In fact, the character only has 30 lines of dialogue for 2 hours and 28 minutes.

The technical elements are first-rate, with Simon Duggan’s cinematography an outstanding achievement, as is the gnarly production design by Colin Gibson, who created “Fury Road” – and that Australian classic “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.” Costume Designer Jenny Beavan, who has won three Oscars, including one for “Fury Road,” continued her punk aesthetic.

But there is little freshness to this dystopian adventure now being told for the fifth time. The resolution takes too long, and the plot holes are obvious in the script, co-written by Miller and Nico Lathouris.

While a movie is only as good as its villain, Dr. Dementus is not a strong one, despite showy antics from a nearly unrecognizable Chris Hemsworth. He’s a preening and pompous buffoon who acts like a carnival barker and controls Gastown with his marauding biker boys.

The supporting cast is nondescript and interchangeable, except for Tom Burke as Praetorian Jack, who becomes Furiosa’s ally. This movie is the first one without Mad Max, although there is a brief cameo that means nothing.

Increasingly more brutal, the Mad Max series began 45 years ago, when a little-known Mel Gibson portrayed the cop whose wife and daughter are murdered by a biker gang. As the world fell in a future Australia, he came a drifter roaming through the bleak radioactive desert.

The 1979 film, which dubbed Gibson’s voice for an American audience, helped usher in the Australian New Wave.

A superior “The Road Warrior” followed in 1981, establishing Miller as an action force. By then in the sci-fi plot, society had broken down to such an extent, after war, a ruined environment, and critical resources in short supply, that it’s survival of the fittest, and an unsettling barbaric culture.

The third film, 1985’s “Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome,” was the weakest, yet Tina Turner’s performance as Aunty Entity was impressive. It wasn’t until 30 years later that Miller revisited this landscape.

Miller has directed them all with bombast, which is quite a departure from his beloved Oscar-winning animated film “Happy Feet” and Oscar-nominated “Babe” and its joyous sequel “Babe: Pig in the City.”

If you’re still interested in watching the Mack Truck war rig and tricked-out dune buggies as bodies pile up amid the swirling dust, “Furiosa” is meant for you. However, my eyes glazed over.

Sure, the wild stunts are appealing — those acrobatic polecats are still tremendous additions as we drive full-speed-ahead into a hopeless world.

“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” is a 2024 sci-fi action adventure directed by George Miller and starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Alyla Browne, Tom Burke, and. It is rated R for sequences of strong violence, and grisly images, and the runtime is 2 hours, 28 minutes. It opened in theatres May 24. Lynn’s Grade: C-