This article is part of Upstream, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
***
Milly Alcock needs media training. Since the beginning of the year, the “Supergirl” actress has been on a generational run of angering and alienating fans for absolutely no reason. Part of this can be attributed to the loaded questions journalists have asked her, but every time, she takes the bait.
In March, Alcock anticipated backlash for her new role, telling Vanity Fair what she’d learned from her “House of the Dragon” acting gig: “It definitely made me aware that simply existing as a woman in that space is something that people comment on. We have become very comfortable having this weird ownership of women’s bodies,” she said. “I can’t really stop them. I can only be myself.”
Two months later, she addressed the backlash from her backlash comment — fairly standard “it’s hard to be a woman in Hollywood” fare that she should have just moved on from — by doubling down. This time, she targeted hypocritical Christian dads.
“And it’s from a lot of people whose profiles have no photo, who are burner accounts,” she said. “Or someone’s name and then ‘Dad of four, Christian,’ which is hilarious to me. But I mean, whose opinion do you really care about? If you’re pissing the right kind of people off, you’re doing OK.”
Later on, in red carpet interviews, Alcock made other faux pas: She admitted that she’s never seen the 1984 “Supergirl” film, and she suggested that her character is bisexual. (Saying “she probably goes both ways” does imply the existence of only two genders, however; so, a win!)
The 26-year-old actress has also prompted such uninspiring headlines as this one from Variety: “Milly Alcock Embraces Queer Readings of ‘Supergirl’ and ‘Loves’ How the Movie Ditches a Romance Storyline: ‘A Great Representation of a Modern Woman.’”
A great representation of a modern woman? Oh my bad, I was expecting “Supergirl” to have a great representation of a trad wife.
None of this inspired confidence in me that the movie would be any good — and it did not exceed my expectations. Across the board, the movie isn’t doing well with critics: “Supergirl’s Rotten Tomatoes Review Score Is A DCU Disappointment,” reads a headline at Forbes. The film amounts to a handful of superhero story tropes thrown together with the occasional good song playing in the background.
A swanky rendition of “Cheek to Cheek” playing during a fight scene has the intended comedic effect; a somber cover of Jimmy Eat World’s “The Middle” during the final action sequence does not, though it’s unclear whether this is meant to be funny, or significant, or really anything with a discernible purpose.
Speaking of purpose, if we’re looking at the hero’s journey, Supergirl is missing a mentor, someone to give her the wisdom she needs to make the right choices. In flashbacks to her mother, we hear her tell her daughter that she must be good, but that doesn’t mean she can’t be tough or that she must be nice. Her teenage charge Ruthye later encourages her by telling her that while she is pretty rude, she is good. This seems to be all she needs to complete her transition from slovenly alcoholic to a sober and serious hero.
According to the interviews, we’re meant to accept that Supergirl is an unlikeable and messy character, but the movie never gives us much reason to like her; besides having a tragic backstory and a dog whom she loves, she does little to prove her goodness, or “save the cat.” She does, however, save her CGI dog.
The villain is forgettable — I could not tell you his name without searching it and I refuse to waste any more time on this — but a bounty hunter played by Jason Momoa brings some charisma and comic relief. Speaking of which, I saw the movie in a fairly full theater on opening night, and not one single joke elicited an actual laugh. A film should more fully commit to being a drama if it can’t figure out how to tell a good joke. In one scene, Supergirl puts Ruthye in a pop-up space suit, and the dialogue goes something like this:
“Don’t freak out.”
“I’m not freaking out.”
“You’re not freaking out.”
“I’m not freaking out!”
“It seems to me like you’re freaking out.”
“I might be freaking out.”
We get it. You’re freaking out.
Supergirl is the chaotic counterbalance to Superman’s all-American charm, following the current pattern of heroes who are relatable, who curse a little, and who don’t have much to offer when it comes to inspiring young fans. What we need is a film that either fully leans into the silliness of superheroes or presents something valuable to say. “Supergirl” does neither.
.png)
.png)
