Not enough kick in this 'Supergirl'

   

     Here we go again.

     DC Comics has added a new name to what feels like an infinite number of comic-book villains. It almost seems as if there are as many villains as there are drug commercials on TV. Some of these fiends even have names that sound like missed opportunities for drug companies.

     I’m sure, for example, that you can imagine being encouraged to ask your doctor about Krem, complete with quickly delivered warnings about side effects. 

     But back off, Big Pharma. Krem has been taken. The name belongs to the principal villain in the new Supergirl movie. Krem, by the way, leads the Brigands, male-dominated plunderers who capture young women for breeding purposes.

     Played by Mathias Schoenaerts, Krem's face is dotted with metal studs. He delivers his threats with underplayed menace. He's not from Earth, but he'd fit right in had he arrived in Metropolis in the heyday of late '70s punk.

       But what of Supergirl? Supergirl, a.k.a. Kara Zor-El, is Superman’s cousin. Played by Milly Alcock, Supergirl begins the movie as a hard-drinking party animal whose only companion is her rambunctious dog, Krypto.  

       Those who see the movie may be struck by the fact that most of Supergirl takes place far from Earth.  The action unfolds on planets that director Craig Gillespie and his team populate with creatures that look ready to audition for jobs as extras in Star Wars cantina scenes.

      A low-tech emphasis prevails. So, when Supergirl’s small spacecraft is stolen, she’s forced to wait at a forlorn bus stop until public transportation arrives.

       Working from a screenplay by Ana Nogueira, Gillespie abruptly drops in backstories, one involving  Kara’s escape from the planet Krypton, which pretty much mirrors what happened to Superman. 

      For most of the movie, Kara resembles a badly groomed teenager. Her disheveled mop of blonde locks leaves us wondering whether her father forgot to include a comb in the capsule that catapulted her to Earth just before the catastrophic end of Krypton.

      Early on, a reluctant Kara picks up a sidekick, young Ruthye (Eve Ridley), an embittered young woman whose parents were murdered by Krem. Ruthye doggedly tries to enlist Kara in her quest for vengeance.

       Then there’s Lobo (Jason Momoa), an intergalactic, cigar-chomping mercenarie who enters the picture as a biker who predictably will side with Kara, who -- by the way -- doesn’t don her Supergirl uniform until the movie's third act.

       Fights and action mark a movie in which production designer Neil Lamont creates a retro-comic-book environment that eschews futuristic sleekness. At times, Supergirl looks like a thrift-store version of a superhero movie, not necessarily a bad thing, and possibly a welcome reference to a time when comic books weren't considered high art.

       Superman (David Corenswet) makes an appearance. It’s not exactly a cameo, but Corenswet mostly serves to underscore the contrast between Superman’s Eagle Scout personality and that of his rebellious cousin. Kara insists on calling the Man of Steel by his mild-mannered first name, “Clark.”

         All of this unfolds against a ticking clock. Supergirl has three days to recover the antidote that will save her dog Krypto. Krem fired a weapon that poisoned Krypto, depositing the pooch at death's door. Krypto began his life on Krypton, which means that he can fly, thus saving Kara from having to walk him for exercise.

       A scene in a space bus with a pint-sized (literally) alien conductor proves amusing, but Supergirl seldom soars. When Kara puts on her uniform, battles against evil, and ascends into the sky for a celestial bow, the moment -- like too much of the movie -- feels more like a dutiful acknowledgement of Kara's identity than an exhilarating triumph.

       There are three suns in this universe. On planets with red suns, Supergirl loses her powers. Superpowers kick into gear on yellow-sun planets, and grow even stronger on blue-sun planets. In this outing, Supergirl must deal with two of these suns, but if she becomes the central figure in future stories, I hope they take place under Earth’s yellow sun, where DC Comics tend to work best.