Supergirl

Director: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Milly Alcock, Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham, David Corenswet, Jason Momoa, Ferdinand Kingley, Diarmaid Murtagh, Clara Rosager, Heather Agyepong, Alice Hewkin, Paul Hunter
Running Time: 108 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★★ (out of ★★★★)   

If Craig Gillespie's Supergirl seemed like it never stood a chance, it wasn't due to quality, but the realization everyone had already made up their minds. And even if a standalone film centered around this character was always considered a tough sell for DC, the hostility still stung. Whether it was complaints about casting, its script or nearly any other aspect of a picture no one yet laid eyes on, financial failure gradually became inevitable. So despite the enthusiastic reception Supergirl's cameo got at the end of 2025's Superman, skeptics' knives were sharpened a while ago  

It's never a good sign when your interest in a project rests on finding out whether it really is as bad as everyone says. And considering all the venom spewed in its direction, you can't help but think it must be. But that's the thing with Supergirl. There are no "correct" versions of her, just varying incarnations of a character that needs constant reinvention to stay relevant. This is the latest, and though she's a mess, the movie isn't, as writer Ana Nogueira sets her on a journey to move past the pain and find some version of "home." Clocking in at just under two hours, it has a clear mission and equally strong execution, making for a fun, breezy watch that's superior to lot of the underwhelming superhero fare it's accused of resembling.   

Growing up on Argo City, Kara-El (Alcock) was raised by scientist father Zor-El (David Krumholtz) and mother Alura In-Ze (Emily Beecham) after they fled their destroyed planet of Krypton. But when the citizens of Argo suddenly start dying from the effects of Kryptonite, Zor-El sends Kara and her dog Krypto on a ship to Earth, where they're taken in by her cousin Kal-El/Superman (David Corenswet). Now on the eve of her 23rd birthday, Kara spends most of her time planet hopping and getting drunk, much to Superman's concern. 

Partying on the planet Holzherr, Kara encounters young Ruthye Marye Knoll (Eve Ridley), who seeks vengeance on the Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts) for brutally murdering her family. Initially, Kara dismisses Ruthye's pleas for help, at least until Krem shoots Krypto with a poisoned dart. Desperate to locate Krem and the antidote to save Krypto, Kara reluctantly takes Ruthye along as they face numerous obstacles, like a cocky bounty hunter named Lobo (Jason Momoa) who has a score of his own to settle with the Brigands. But as Krypto's life hangs in the balance, Kara and Ruthye must somehow move beyond their traumatic pasts to help each other. 

Rather than digging into Kara's origin story right away, it's inserted into the film's middle section, allowing for a more memorable, attention grabbing introduction. And given her bratty, wisecracking attitude, the rebellious Supergirl does immediately leave a lasting first impression. That the script's adapted from Tom King and Bilquis Evely's beloved comic book series, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow sets the bar high, but producer James Gunn picked the right actress in Alcock, who successfully captures an unconventional version of the character most haven't been exposed to. 

Apathetic and perpetually hung over, Kara wears a brown duster, sunglasses and a Blondie tee in place of that iconic suit for most of the running time. But it works, largely because it's a welcome departure that temporarily frees us from your usual superhero tropes. Just as Melissa Benoist wouldn't copy what Helen Slater did or Sasha Calle didn't pattern her performance after Benoist's, no Supergirl can fill the other's shoes. It's apples to oranges when we debate our favorites, each of whom personified a version of the role that suited their story's specific vision. So in this sense, Alcock fits right in, carrying on the tradition of being different from whoever came before.

Alcock does have a tight rope to walk in depicting a Kara who appears to be the polar opposite of her altruistic cousin, but still likeable enough to really root for. And her explanation that Superman sees the best in everyone when she sees "the truth," is a great line made better by the actress's dry, matter-of-fact delivery. But if Kara's recklessness and pessimism seems understandable once we recognize it as survivor's guilt, an even angrier Ruthye is hellbent on revenge, despite the further emotional scarring it'll bring. Of course, Kara's recognition of that and the begrudging willingness to take this girl under her wing suggests a bit more of Clark in her than she's willing to admit.

Cinematographer Rob Hardy's grungy, brownish, hue has drawn considerable comparisons to Mad Max, but Gillespie's entire approach is more reminiscent of Star Wars, as there's definitely a Mos Eisley cantina vibe to the bar scenes and a thrilling mid-air sequence featuring a plethora of alien species. As for all the complaints about its effects, they're surprisingly strong, even as the digitized Krypto has you wondering if they'd be better off casting a real dog. Doing that comes with its own set of challenges, but considering he spends most of this film asleep on a gurney, now was probably the time to do it. There's just something to be said for a pet owner's connection to their dog that can't be replicated with CGI stand-in.   

Alcock and Ridley share natural big sis/little sis chemistry throughout, but when Kara's incapacitated, the latter actress proves herself capable of carrying the load alone with spunk and vigor. It also doesn't hurt that Schoenaerts' Krem makes for a formidably menacing villain who gets just the right amount of screen time to make an impact. And while many already believed the charismatic Momoa was born to play Lobo, his turn as the vicious but cool anti-hero supports that theory, stealing every scene he's a part of. Corenswet's effectively used as the Man of Steel, mostly because Gillespie doesn't get bogged down by it, wisely incorporating him in key spots to emphasize Kara's past and present. 

Kara slipping into the suit for the action packed final act carries weight because it feels earned by a simple story told well, which in this frequently overcomplicated genre, shouldn't be dismissed. Lacking unnecessary sub-plots, distracting DCU crossovers or anything else that shifts the focus, it's briskly paced and efficiently constructed, creatively eclipsing this summer's The Mandalorian and Grogu and The Masters of the Universe. Unfortunately, Supergirl had people rooting against it in ways those other two didn't. Maybe now with more time and distance, this gets another look, and a renewed appreciation for all it gets right.                                                                                   

Superman

Director: James Gunn
Starring: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Ed Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Skyler Gisondo, Wendell Pierce, Sara Sampaio, María Gabriela de Faría, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Nina Howell, Mikaela Hoover, Beck Bennett, Christopher McDonald, Bradley Cooper, Angela Sarafyan, Alan Tudyk, Michael Rooker, Pom Klementieff
Running Time: 129 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)  

In the decades following Richard Donner's Superman and its 1980 sequel, there's been this massive struggle over how to best present a new film that would again do justice to an iconic character. But from the slavish homage that was 2006's Superman Returns to Zack Snyder's broodier take on the material with his divisive Man of Steel in 2013, no one's really been able to crack the code since. 

Part of the problem stems from just how familiar we are with the origin story, putting the franchise in a precarious spot where DC's entire future hinges on studio chief and writer/director James Gunn's ability to somehow work around it. But within the first few minutes of 2025's Superman, he does just that, as a few sentences of text appear across the screen to concisely bring us up to speed. 

We're immediately off to the races with composer John Murphy's spine tingling new version of John Williams' iconic score as backdrop, giving us our most promising sign in years that someone may finally get this right. And with our hero's beaten and bloodied body prone on the ground, Gunn already sheds much of the baggage that's held this property down by simply getting right down to business. From then on, there's no looking back, which isn't to say the movie's flawless, just that it seems to grasp Superman's essence in a way other attempts haven't. 

After stopping the nation of Boravia from invading the neighboring country of Jarhanpur, Superman (David Corenswet) is left battered by an armored metahuman assassin known as the "Hammer of Boravia" before rambunctious super dog Krypto drags him back to his Fortress of Solitude to heal. But upon returning to Metropolis, Superman discovers billionaire Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) has unleashed a monster kaiju on the city, getting help to fight it from"Justice Gang" heroes Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Mr. Terrific (Ed Gathegi) and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced).  

As Superman's interview with Daily Planet colleague and girlfriend Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) puts a temporary strain on their relationship, Luthor and his mercenaries Ultraman and The Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría) have infiltrated Superman's fortress, restoring a controversial message from his birth parents, Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van (Bradley Cooper and Angela Sarafyan) that turns the public and government against him. Demoralized and full of self-doubt, Superman will now need to rediscover his true purpose in order to thwart Luthor's master plan. 

Gunn doesn't shy away from Superman's inherent goodness, reflected in the character's ability to see the world for how it should be rather than what it is. Christopher Reeve played this trait sincerely, which is what made him the measuring stick for all who followed, including Corenswet, who possesses that similar quality when wearing the cape or bumbling around the Daily Planet offices as Clark Kent. And like Reeve, there's no adjustment period needed for us to wrap our heads around the fact he's Superman. From the first moment we see him, he just is.

With Superman still beloved by the citizens of Metropolis at the film's start, alter ego Clark Kent is in the awkward early goings of a secret relationship with Lois, who's already well aware of his true identity. While none of their Daily Planet co-workers even know they're dating or have an inkling who Clark really is, the fun facade they put on at work is enough to wish the film spent even more time there. 

You could actually quibble we don't get quite enough of Corenswet as Clark, if only because he plays the role so effectively. With his trademark glasses and  moptop of unkempt curly hair, his physical transformation is topped only by an underconfident demeanor and body language that has you believing photographer Jimmy Olsen (Skylar Gisondo) and editor-in-chief Perry White (an underutilized Wendell Pierce) wouldn't suspect a thing. 

If it's easy to immediately accept Corenswet, this applies equally to Brosnahan as the spunky, determined reporter with whom he shares a palpable chemistry that serves the film well, even when they're apart. Their flirty but occasionally contentious back-and-forth during her interview sets the stage for what follows, including the crisis of confidence Superman experiences when his biological parents' unsettling goal for him is revealed. So rattled by this, he'll eventually seek solace and answers back home in Smallville, where adoptive parents Jonathan and Martha Kent (Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell) help him rediscover his true purpose.

Once Superman surrenders and is held in Luthor's pocket universe prison, Gunn's script hits its stride at a midway point where most superhero entries drag or lose steam. Helping is Hoult's coldly consistent portrayal of Luthor as an Elon Musk-inspired meglomaniac who not only comes across as a credibly dangerous geopolitical threat, but a petty, jealous control freak whose ego can't handle the mere existence of a Superman. And those  worried the ancillary heroes would overwhelm the story or merely serve as a DCEU spin-off teaser will be pleased to know the Justice Gang's introduction couldn't go smoother. The only complaint is that Merced's Hawkgirl should have more to do, but Fillion's cocky, bowl haired Guy Gardner and Gathegi's stoic but hilarious Mr. Terrific make up for it, each leaving huge impressions.  

Gathegi's Terrific nearly steals the movie in his teaming with Lois, particularly during a brilliant fight sequence set to Noah and the Whale's "Five Years Time." But the most important supporting character is Krypto, the loyal caped canine with a knack for misbehaving at the right moments, like during Superman's fight against a formidable and strangely familiar looking Ultraman. Gisondo's Jimmy Olsen's involvement plays better than expected while Anthony Carrigan impresses as Metamorpho, a cell mate whose unusual abilities could either destroy or save Superman. 

It may be the worst kept best secret but Milly Alcock's cameo as Superman's cousin, Kara Zor-El/Supergirl is noteworthy, less for her showing up than the edgier context and presentation of this character. Think Will Smith in Hancock, or maybe more accurately the beloved comic book on which her upcoming film is based. True to form, Gunn also delivers a highly anticipated Superman/Luthor showdown that'll be remembered more for philosophy than fists. The speech and ensuing reaction is surprisingly emotional, resulting in a different kind of closure. At least until we get the inevitable rematch. 

With a plot both timely and direct, this incarnation of Superman doesn't lose sight of the idea that heroes are nothing without formidable villains and action spectacles mean more when you care about those involved. Briskly paced and judiciously edited, it's a good sign when any blockbuster comes to a close and you find yourself wanting more. By giving us what many complain superhero movies lately lack, Gunn avoids the pitfalls plaguing an iconic character and hampering a desperately needed rebirth. Now that he's gotten one, the rest of the pieces just might fall into place.                                               

Twisters

Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos, Brandon Perea, Maura Tierney, Harry Hadden-Paton, Sasha Lane, Daryl McCormack, Kiernan Shipka, Nik Dodani, David Corenswet, Tunde Adebimpe, Katy O' Brian
Running Time: 122 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)  

As a follow-up to 1996's hit disaster film Twister, Lee Isaac Chung's Twisters far exceeds reasonable expectations, proving sometimes it's worth waiting for legacy sequels we didn't know we needed. A skilled director, the right cast and a tightly woven, surprisingly intelligent script results in the kind of summer blockbuster experience that's recently fallen by the wayside. Beyond just sharing a writer and star, it compares favorably to Top Gun: Maverick by taking everything that worked in the original and building on it.  

The question going in would be how they'd approach a second installment nearly thirty years after cows flying across our screens seemed like a huge deal. Considering the lengths we've come, you can't help but wonder whether disaster films like this even carry the same cultural currency they did decades ago. Storms that felt like once in a lifetime occurrences are now commonplace as the media inundates us with images of weather-related destruction on a daily basis. 

You may also wonder why fictitious scientists and meteorologists would waste their time physically chasing storms when modern tracking technology has advanced so far beyond anything depicted in the original. But the best thing about Twisters is how it accounts for this, crafting an entirely new plot around that very idea.

It's been five years since Kate Carter (Daisy Edgar-Jones) led her crew into an EF5 tornado, attempting to use the Dorothy V doppler to reduce the storm's intensity and secure future research funding. Instead, the tornado took the lives of friends and team members Addy (Kiernan Shipka), Praveen (Nik Dodani) and her boyfriend Jeb (Daryl McCormack). Still wracked with guilt, Kate works in New York's NOAA office, where she's contacted by her team's other remaining survivor, Javi (Anthony Ramos). After some initial resistance, she accepts her former friend's single week offer to join his mobile Storm Par team as they test a revolutionary new tornado scanning radar. 

Kate returns home to tornado alley in Oklahoma where she and Javi's team encounter popular YouTube storm chaser and self-professed "Tornado Wrangler" Tyler Owens (Glen Powell) and his crew consisting of videographer Boone (Brandon Perea), drone operator Lily (Sasha Lane), scientist Dexter (Tunde Adebimpe) and mechanic Dani (Katy O'Brien). Also tagging along is petrified British journalist Ben (Harry Haden-Paton), who's doing a profile on Tyler. As the two squads clash for access during a dangerous tornado outbreak, Kate and Tyler feud, allegiances get tested and they all risk their lives battling the unpredictable force of these natural disasters.

Those certain this would open with a childhood flashback echoing the original will be relieved to discover Mark L. Smith's script takes a more immediately impactful route for the prologue. It isn't often characters you assume will carry the rest of the movie are killed off within the first fifteen minutes, but the tactic does create a sense of urgency that propels the plot forward, its ramifications not lost on either the viewers or protagonist. 

Out of that comes a solid setup, wherein Kate must overcome her trauma to finish the job she started five years earlier but has given up finishing. Javi's pitch for her to join him is a good one since his new technology seems focused on preventing future catastrophes, offering Kate another chance to make the positive difference she originally intended. But while they clearly need her expertise, a stark contrast is drawn between the corporate funded Storm Par and Tyler's ragtag gang of misfits seeking social media views. Neither side represents what Kate initially assumes, leading to some compelling developments that test everyone's character.

British actress Daisy Edgar-Jones has been popping up everywhere of late, but she's an unexpected natural as Kate, entertainingly trading dry, sarcastic jabs with Powell while still fulfilling every other requirement asked of her in the action scenes and beyond. When the narrative undergoes a major shift midway through, it turns into the Glen Powell show, as he flexes his considerable charisma as the type of rogue, cocky cowboy that would have been played by Matthew McConaughey in the 90's. And he pulls it off just as smoothly, especially when Tyler's personality and motivations evolve, taking the story where it needs to go. 

Of Powell's recent breakthroughs, Hit Man may still be his best, but this one stands as the biggest example of why his movie star presence has earned all those Tom Cruise comparisons. As for the rest of the crowded cast, they more than hold up their ends, including Maura Tierney as Kate's estranged mom and future Superman David Corenswet as Javi's less than accommodating business partner. 

It wouldn't even be accurate to say this has a romantic sub-plot since it's so restrained and subtly handled you may not notice it's there. Chung knows what really needs emphasis in the final stretch, which of course features the tornado to end all tornadoes. The teams scramble to save lives while Kate struggles to implement her updated innovation, leading to a really impressive last act.

If the original was all about spectacle, this definitely doesn't lack that with much improved visual effects, along with an acknowledgement of the permanent mark these tornadoes leave on rural residents who survive them. It won't be mistaken for a Weather Channel documentary anytime soon, but considering how this issue was barely addressed in the first film, there's just enough of it here to raise the stakes. 

It's clear everyone involved with Twisters worked to avoid the traps that typically plague event sequels, and despite the usual groans from skeptics when an acclaimed indie filmmaker supposedly "sells out," it doesn't apply to Minari director Chung, who's made a worthy successor. Remaining true to the original's spirit, the whole concept gets a refresh that feels comfortably familiar, earning its place under the Amblin Entertainment banner by invoking Spielberg's 80's and 90's adventure output.      

Pearl

Director: Ti West

Starring: Mia Goth, David Corenswet, Tandi Wright, Matthew Sunderland, Emma Jenkins-Purro, Alistair Sewell
Running Time: 102 min.
Rating: R  

★★★★ (out of ★★★★) 

The best advice to give someone before watching Ti West's Pearl is not to see its prequel, X, first. Or maybe even at all. That won't happen since those most interested in this already did, eager to analyze the connective tissue between the two films. But there's little crossover, as it's sometimes tough to believe it was even made by the same person. Anyone lucky enough to know nothing going in wouldn't categorize it as a horror prequel at all, far transcending its slasher label to paint a psychologically unnerving portrait of a troubled young woman on the brink of emotional collapse. Featuring a brilliantly disturbing performance from Mia Goth as the younger version of the murderous octogenarian character she played in X, this operates on an entirely different level, replacing that film's gore and gruesomeness with suspense and heartbreak. 

If we already knew West had the talent, it's never quite come together for him like this, finding aesthetic inspiration in golden age cinema classics like The Wizard of Oz while still creating a singular, genre blurring vision that stands as an anomaly in the current movie landscape. Recreating the 1918 era in which this takes place with a vibrant technicolor presentation that confirms we're not in Kansas anymore, this film's version of Dorothy desperately aspires to escape her suffocating home life to become a star. And in depicting a surprisingly relevant world not so far removed from our own, West injects the material with a depth and complexity that's brought to life by Goth's staggering turn. The film belongs entirely to her, as Pearl's giddy, wide-eyed exuberance gives way to unbridled madness and bloodshed.

It's 1918 during the influenza pandemic and Pearl (Goth) is living with her German immigrant mother Ruth (Tandi Wright) and paralyzed father (Matthew Sunderland) on their Texas farm while husband Howard (Alistair Sewell) serves overseas in World War I. With Pearl's father wheelchair bound, the controlling, domineering Ruth has her taking care of him and the farm, but she yearns to escape for the bright lights of Hollywood. Depressed but hopeful for the future, she becomes entranced by the films she sees at the local cinema, befriending the theater's young projectionist (David Corenswet), who takes an immediate interest in her. 

Aspiring to become a chorus girl, Pearl hears from sister-in-law Mitsy (Emma Jenkins-Purro) of a church audition being held to find new dancers for a traveling troupe. Potentially seeing this as the big break, she pins all her hopes and dreams on winning, even as her behavior becomes disturbingly erratic. Between Howard's absence and insurmountable pressure to conform to her mother's ways, a mentally unhinged Pearl reaches a breaking point, with those closest to her about to discover just how dangerous she can be.

While it seems as if every other release these days centers around the impact of formative moviegoing experiences, West actually uses this familiar trope for a renewed creative purpose. Aside from cinematographer and frequent West collaborator Eliot Rockett invoking the MGM-era technicolor classics in perfecting the film's bright, gaudy look, Pearl's celluloid obsessions undoubtedly play a role in sending her further into her own head, which is a perilous place to be. 

Seeing the verbal abuse her tyrannical mother unleashes at seemingly minor indiscretions engenders a certain degree of sympathy for an outwardly sweet, goofy and often jubilant young woman. Desperately longing to get out from under her mom's iron fist, the desire to get into pictures becomes that escape hatch as Goth gradually peels back the layers to reveal how Pearl's issues cut far deeper. Calling back to one of X's major themes, she hears the clock ticking, as the fear of time passing without realizing her dreams becomes an all consuming obsession. 

If killing animals or doing the unspeakable with a scarecrow weren't already red flags, Pearl's admission that she can't wait until her parents die feels like a turning point and the moment that inside voice takes over, terrifying those who thought they knew her. To varying extents, the projectionist, Mitsy, and even her infirm, unresponsive father begin gradually waking up to this reality, albeit entirely too late.

West patiently builds to her breakdown, with many of the most thrilling, suspenseful scenes having little to do with violence, but the characters' reactions to Pearl's words and her reaction to them. She's hurt and bewildered by their responses in a way that far surpasses any surprise or remorse in herself that she said it. And as an uncontrollable Pearl's behavior becomes more theatrical, these exchanges increase in prevalence and intensity, culminating in her uncomfortably cringe worthy audition, which has a fallout even more tragic than anticipated.

Goth's now infamous eight-minute monologue is built entirely around that very conceit, as Pearl lays bare all her insecurities, crimes, and darkest thoughts for an initially willing listener who gets more than they ever bargained for in volunteering to play armchair therapist. The actress takes us on an unpredictable, emotional ride, investing Pearl with a naivety that only faintly acknowledges the heinousness of her actions. But being honest doesn't necessarily mean she grasps what that truth actually means, and by the time she does, it's too late for the unfortunate soul who sat there and listened to it. If in X it seemed as if Goth channeling Shelley Duvall then that observation holds much truer here in appearance, presence and delivery, reimagining Olive Oyl as an ax wielding sociopath.

The eventual slashings actually mean something due to the empathy Goth elicits for the character, and despite the film's playfully wicked sense of humor, West takes the smiling Pearl seriously, firmly distinguishing this from X's winking, tongue-in-cheek Texas Chainsaw tribute. After watching this it's hard not to wonder if that would play any differently now on a rewatch, even with this succeeding entirely as a standalone. 

By setting it in a period plagued with fear, isolation and financial instability, West also manages to make a pandemic movie without directly making one, cleverly utilizing the 1918 Spanish flu and World War I as anxiety-fueled triggers that only add to an already present sense of impending doom. And it maintains that momentum throughout, punctuated by a memorable closing credits sequence you won't be able to look away from or shake off.

Much has been made about what an incredible year it's been for horror, and while that's true, categorizing Pearl as strictly that almost sells it short, implying its strengths are limited to only a narrow, specific category. But even amidst a crowded pack of elevated horror entries, it earns its place toward the top, with 2019's Midsommar as its only viable competition. A psychological thriller before all else, certain biases will likely prevent the film and Goth from getting some much deserved attention and accolades. But for adventurous audiences who appreciate the shockingly unique and bizarre, that won't make a bit of difference at all.