Supergirl is basically a poor movie. It does however have a shinning star in Helen Slater as Supergirl who even though overtly green at times manages to give the character not only an appealing presence, but a natural innocence. She overcomes the clumsy script and amplifies her alien persona. If your a comic book buff (especially of DC comics) you may have a natural inclination to want to like the film, but feelings can't save the awful reality of the movie. The shame is that they had a real Supergirl surrounded by a big mess. Childish antics which make you cringe even more than Superman's "Otis" abound. With a premise that has Supergirl traveling to Earth to re-obtain the Omegahedron that will save her city, can all be lost? Coming off the ridiculousness of Superman III, I can only figure that the filmmakers thought audiences wanted more buffoonery. Or, they just sank into their own selfish indulgences which were not all bad. The gaudiness remains pervasive throughout though. Hart Bochner's contrived "romance" is embarrassing, especially the poetry scenes. The villains to me are all clownish to the point of distraction. Had Faye Dunaway played her evil witch straight, we may have had something. Mia Farrow is bland and Peter O'Tool turns in an "oh well the planet will blow up" delivery. We also never got any bullets bouncing off Supergirl which made me, well, mad. On the plus side the Phantom Zone is well done and Supergirls perils within it bring a needed darkness that plays nicely. The flying scenes are quite good for the era, and playing the THX remastered DVD in a blu ray player adds beauty. The only way to watch this film IS the THX version as the print is surprisingly good compared to the grainy "directors cut".
The "limited edition" DVD which contains the THX version (and directors cut)is pricey now being that "only' 50,000 were made. You may get lucky on ebay as I did. The extras are well worth it for "Superman family" DC fans. The lengthy "making of the film" featurette is a great watch as Slaters evolution is discussed. Multiple trailers, storyboards, and a cautious directors commentary fill out the disc. Supergirl fails in most ways, but strangely triumphs in giving us a memorable film heroine embodied by Slater that succeeds in it's own right.
The "limited edition" DVD which contains the THX version (and directors cut)is pricey now being that "only' 50,000 were made. You may get lucky on ebay as I did. The extras are well worth it for "Superman family" DC fans. The lengthy "making of the film" featurette is a great watch as Slaters evolution is discussed. Multiple trailers, storyboards, and a cautious directors commentary fill out the disc. Supergirl fails in most ways, but strangely triumphs in giving us a memorable film heroine embodied by Slater that succeeds in it's own right.