There have been many different versions of Supergirl over the years. Throw in Power Girl, who is a Supergirl variant, and there are even more. So, as a comic reader of many decades, I’d argue there is no “real” version of Supergirl. The new Supergirl movie, continuing James Gunn’s vision of the DC Universe, takes Kara Zor-El’s story forward, based largely on the “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow” arc from the comics.

The movie has several ties to the recent Superman movie starring David Corenswet, and his Superman has a few scenes. But make no mistake, this is Supergirl’s story. Kara is very different from her more famous cousin, and also different from the various live action versions that have come before, on either tv or the big screen. She’s not in a great place, and one of the reasons for this is a new slant on a previously established version of her origin. Her home, Argo City, survived the destruction of Krypton for years, and their own tragedy overtook them. Unlike infant Kal-El, Kara grew up as part of the Krpytonian civilization and knows exactly what she lost.

In the midst of her sorrow and grief, Kara encounters Ruthye, a young girl who needs help with a quest of her own. Kara is very much in the Refusal of the Call to Action trope at this point, wanting nothing to do with any of it. It’s an open question whether Kara’s better nature would have prevailed, but the stakes get raised and Kara ends up with a personal spur to get involved. Along the way, we also see Jason Momoa’s portrayal of Lobo. Momoa has wanted to play this part for years, and I’d say he is much better suited for it than his previous DC role of Aquaman.

There is a lot of action that is well rendered with both stunt sequences and special effects. They put in a spin on the whole “I get my powers from the yellow sun” concept that I personally have not run across before. There was the potential for a lot of Easter Eggs for assorted DC space characters that they chose not pursue, and I think that was a decent decision. I love tie-ins and crossovers as much as the next comic book geek, but this incarnation of the DC Universe is very new and I can see wanting to focus on the main characters, especially one that has been through so many changes over the years.

What I Liked: Milly Alcock did a fine job as the newest incarnation of Supergirl. This is a much more conflicted version of the character, and I think she did a great job with it. I admit that I’ve never been a fan of Lobo, but Jason Momoa did a note-perfect take on the character. The special effects were nicely done. I liked that while Supergirl and Superman are very, very different in this version, they were both true to themselves and the mutual respect they have for each other was apparent.

What I Didn’t: The actress (Eve Ridley) may well be very talented, but I just did not care for Ruthye. She seemed like more of a foil and plot device than a realized character. There were a few scenes that verged on a bit more crude than it felt like was needed (how many times do we need to see Supergirl vomit?). I also really wonder where she got the spaceship she cruises around in. It’s never explained, and even in the DCU, spaceships aren’t all that common on Earth.

It was a fun movie, my criticisms above to one side. I’ll give it a solid 3.5 out of 5. It will be fun to see where Supergirl and Krypto go next, and how the DC Universe evolves from this point.