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.

“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

Going Around in Circles, Disjointed ‘On Swift Horses’ Is Frustrating Misdirect

Going Around in Circles, Disjointed ‘On Swift Horses’ Is Frustrating Misdirect

By Lynn Venhaus

Pretty people and sun-dappled scenery wind up being ineffective in a shallow head-scratcher, “On Swift Horses,” a stagnant 1950s melodrama heavy on turgid soap opera and light on authentic emotion.

Two card sharks, a freedom-yearning woman from Kansas, and a traditional breadwinner in the 1950s seek the suburban American Dream after the Korean War. While their lives intersect, they are actually very far apart in their wants, needs and desires.

Trying to imitate Douglas Sirk’s lush films from that era, director Daniel Minahan’s queer period piece addresses how homosexuals had to remain closeted during a very repressed and cookie-cutter time but fails to connect in any meaningful way.

An example of style over substance, this is the kind of film where chain-smoking cigarettes substitute for pensive thoughts and inner torment. And they all live in the shadows.

Sirk, who made “Magnificent Obsession,” “All That Heaven Allows,” “Written on the Wind,” and “Imitation of Life” from 1954 to 1959, captured attractive people who were trapped by social conditions, and his overwrought stories appealed because his filming featured splendid cinematic set pieces, and matinee idols like Rock Hudson and Lana Turner.

With such well-regarded performers as Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jacob Elordi and Will Poulter in what you may think is a seductive love triangle (trailer is a misdirect), one hoped they’d make us care about their journeys, but the story fails to provide reasons to be interested in what happens.

The trio is built up to appear “longing,” only they smolder and do not ignite. This disjointed adaptation of Shannon Pufahl’s 2019 novel by screenwriter Bryce Kass is overstuffed, not satisfying with basics. Neither did his lackluster “Lizzie” in 2018, which did not go far enough in fleshing out accused ax murderer Lizzie Borden.

Sure, they are a tempting pair, Elordi and Edgar-Jones, but do their character’s mutual connection benefit either? They spend most of their time in separate turmoil, with only a few scenes together.ccc

Oh, the trio try for big emotions, but it’s dialed down, as they speak in hushed tones and move around in scenes lit in such moody, murky atmospheres that it is almost too dark, so that is aggravating. Now, the stylish costumes designed by Jeriana San Juan, and distinct make-up and hairstyles are fabulous, but that can’t be the only selling point.

Muriel (Edgar-Jones) chafes at convention – doomed to be a typical wife in post-war America although she reluctantly attempts to fit in — while brothers Lee (Poulter) and Julius (Elordi) are Korean War veterans. The film starts in 1952 but it’s not clear how much time passes.

These young adults have different goals and desires, but fumble badly in their communication with each other. Lee talks in code about his wayward, secretive brother Julius who is always flirting with the wild side. “He has passions of his own. He’s just not like us,” he tells his wife.

The handsome Julius is a smooth gambler and gay hustler who falls in love with Henry (Diego Calva) while working in Las Vegas. Much of the interaction doesn’t feel genuine, and lack of convincing chemistry is an issue.

However, Elordi and Edgar-Jones have a spark when Julius and Muriel meet, becoming pen pals and share some, but not all, of their secrets. Don’t think this is going anywhere because it’s not.

At the diner she works at, Muriel overhears customers talking about their picks for the racetrack, so she starts playing the ponies with those tips. It’s a thrill for her to win and live a double life, stashing away the cash without her husband’s knowledge.

Lee, a total straight arrow who loves his wife and desperately wants the fantasy suburban life including a ranch house in a subdivision that signals middle-class prosperity. Developers are buying up farms and fields in San Diego for the “Baby Boom.”

One of the neighboring farms where Muriel purchases eggs and takes a shine to olives – and the woman selling them, Sandra (Sasha Calle). They become entangled in a clandestine affair.

Those hiding secrets are on a collision course for crash-and-burns, but whether you want to invest in their mess depends on how impatient you feel, for the pace is sluggish and resolutions are prolonged. And why does it take nearly 2 hours to tell this insipid story?

I fret that Elordi, promising as Elvis in “Priscilla” and as the rich golden-boy Felix in “Saltburn,” is a one-trick pony, destined to be the bad boy with the sad eyes. Let’s hope not, because he’s playing Heathcliff to Margot Robbie’s Catherine in Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Emily Bronte’s classic gothic novel “Wuthering Heights,” due out next year.

Poulter, who seems to be everywhere these days, recently in “Warfare” and “Death of a Unicorn,” is saddled with an underdeveloped character and being boxed in as the cuckolded husband. And would you believe he and Elordi are brothers?

After taking risks, Edgar-Jones’ character is mired in blandness. The actress, feisty in last year’s “Twisters” and superb in “Where the Crawdads Sing,” makes Muriel sympathetic but needed to give her more dimension. It’s a letdown.

Tell us something we don’t know and would like to know and not foist half-baked performative junk at us and call it alluring. “On Swift Horses” goes in circles and limps to the finish line with a clumsy ending that doesn’t answer any questions raised. It’s a safe bet you can skip this gussied-up charade.

“On Swift Horses” is a 2025 drama directed by Daniel Minahan and starring Jacob Elordi, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Will Poulter, Diego Calva and Sasha Calle. Its run time is 1 hour, 57 minutes, and it’s rated R for sexual content, nudity and some language. It opens in theatres April 25. Lynn’s Grade: D+

‘The Flash’ Entertains With Clever Cameos and Fun Fan Service

‘The Flash’ Entertains With Clever Cameos and Fun Fan Service

By Lynn Venhaus

Worlds collide in a standard superhero spectacle involving the multiverse and time travel. But “The Flash” film wisely capitalizes on personalities, thus the intrigue builds in smart cameos, bounteous Easter eggs, and captivating performances both sentimental and sassy.

As DC Comics Universe superhero “The Flash,” Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) uses his super speed to change the past, but his attempt to save his family creates a world without superheroes, forcing him to rally help to save the future.

For someone whose childhood introduction to Batman was Adam West (1966-68) and Superman was George Reeves (1952-58) in the first television series of those classic comic book characters, “The Flash” feels both familiar and fresh in its use of Justice League mythology.

Flash’s first DC Comics was in 1940, and the Scarlet Speedster has smoothly transitioned to a number of film and TV series. Barry Allen’s superpower is superspeed, which occurred when he was struck by a bolt of lightning in a lab, resulting in a chemical bath.

Barry Allen and Barry ALlen

In the latest franchise reinvention, Ezra Miller first appeared in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” in 2016, and subsequently in “Suicide Squad: (2016), “Justice League” (2017) and “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” (2021).

In this stand-alone, their portrayal is actually spot-on, deftly depicting the nerdy, annoying, hyperactive young guy trying to come to grips with his abilities – his insatiable appetite is a running gag – and the responsibilities of coming to the rescue. They easily transition from snarky encounters to poignant interactions with his mother before her death, and his concern for his father in jail for her murder.

The elephant in the room is that Miller, 30, has made headlines for being arrested and charged with crimes, and later, sought professional help for mental health issues. Warner Brothers and the DC powers-at-be stuck with them for the role.

As an interesting artist, they made a mark as insecure outcast Credence Barebone (Aurelius Dumbledore) in the “Fantastic Beasts” movie trilogy, and their haunting breakthrough role was in 2011 as the evil Kevin in “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” following up that critical acclaim as Patrick in “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.”

As The Flash, they are spry in scenes with superheroes and villains alike but tugs at the heartstrings in the family flashbacks to give the film some emotional depth.

Sasha Calle as Supergirl

Using his powers to go back in time and save his mother, Barry unwittingly creates a world without heroes. Oh, General Zod (Michael Shannon) has returned, ready to wreak planetary havoc. The Flash enlists a Bruce Wayne, retired as Batman, another incarnation of himself, and an imprisoned stranger to help right the world.

Inspired by DC Comics’ 2011 “Flashpoint,” co-screenwriters Christina Hodson and Joby Harold have crafted a different type of Supergirl, aka Kara Zor-El, Superman’s cousin. Sasha Calle is impressive as the endangered Kryptonian.

Hodson, who was behind “Birds of Prey,” has cleverly twisted some of the old-fashioned tropes.

Director Andy Muschietti, who directed “It” and its sequel, has delivered an entertaining story, giving fans reason to cheer throughout the 2-hour, 24-minute film, but it does eventually run out of steam in those climactic bombastic battles.

However, the finale’s big reveal is a good one, and there is the proverbial end-credits scene to stay for, although not as thrilling as some of Marvel’s best.

But any film with the extraordinary Michael Keaton as Batman, scene-stealer that he is, is worth the admission price.

This is a spoiler-free review, but some of those superheroes who show up briefly in the galaxy made my heart happy.

“The Flash” may be imperfect, but it’s far from the dud other franchises have unsuccessfully mounted in the past two years (u,e, “Black Adam,” “Shazam: Fury of the Gods”).

Michael Keaton as “Batman”

“The Flash” is a 2023 action-adventure-fantasy film directed by Andy Muschietti and starring Ezra Miller, Michael Keaton, Ron Livingston, Sasha Calle, Ben Affleck, Maribel Verdu and Michael Shannon. Rated: PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, some strong language and partial nudity, it runs 2 hours and 24 minutes. It opens in theaters on June 16. Lynn’s Grade: B