I feel sorry for “Supergirl.”

The movie, that is, not Supergirl, the cousin of Superman.

In the movie, “Supergirl,” Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl (Milly Alcock) is having a super time, celebrating her 23rd birthday across the universe, jumping from planet to planet, as someone with superpowers is wont to do. With her is her trusty Superdog, a wire-haired terrier named Krypto.

It’s not all fun and games when Supergirl’s dog Krypto is shot with a poisonous dart by Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts), leader of the Brigands, who are space pirates and human traffickers.

Supergirl has three days to retrieve the antidote to save Krypto’s life. She checks in, via a video call, with her cousin Superman (David Corenswet), who is on Earth.

Helping Supergirl in her interstellar quest is Ruthye Marye Knoll (Eve Ridley), whose parents were murdered by the Brigands, and Lobo (Jason Momoa), an alien bounty hunter.

“Supergirl” is a mash-up of several movies and movie franchise genres.

The villains, led by Krem, are reminiscent of creatures in alien monster science-fiction films. They mostly resemble the motley crew in the Mos Eisley Cantina on Tatooine scene in “Star Wars: A New Hope” (1977), the first “Stars Wars” film.

Bounty hunter Lobo, smokes a cigar and rides a motorcycle. His appearance, demeanor and roaring about is right out of the “Mad Max” films, especially “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015). So is Krem of the Yellow Hills, leader of the Brigands, whose face is festooned with metal studs. You might say that he’s very studly.

The banter and camaraderie of Supergirl, especially with the Wormhole bus driver (Paul Hunter) and his talking dashboard alien (voiced by Seth Rogan). is not unlike that of a scene from the “Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014, 2017, 2023).

James Gunn directed the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films.

James Gunn and Peter Safran are co-chairmen and co-CEOs of DC Studios, a division of Warner Brothers.

When Gunn and Safran took over DC Studios in 2022, they began rebooting the DC Extended Universe franchise.

The first feature movie released under their tutelage, “Superman” (2025), starring David Corenswet as the Man of Steel, was adjudged a critical and commercial success, opening with $125 million and grossing $618 million worldwide.

“Supergirl” has not been a critical and commercial success. “Supergirl,” with a budget said to be $170 million, opened at No. 2 with $37.1 million domestically and $62.6 million globally for the June 26 to 28 weekend. It was not enough to overtake “Toy Story 5,” which stayed at No. 1 for a second week.

“Supergirl” is directed by Craig Gillespie (Primetime Emmy nominee, “Pam & Tommy”; director, “Cruella,” 2021; “I, Tonya,” 2017; “Million Dollar Arm,” 2014; “Lars and the Real Girl,” 2007).

The screenplay is by Ana Nogueira (feature film screenplay debut) based on DC Comics characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

Supergirl, aka Kara Zor-El, first appeared in “Action Comics” No. 252 in 1959. The first “Supergirl” feature film was released in 1984 starring Helen Slater in the title role. A “Supergirl” TV series aired 2015-2021.

Supergirl is played with finesse, ferocity and fidelity by Milly Alcock (TV’s “House of the Dragon,” 2022-2024; TV’s “Upright,” 2019-2022). Her character is no Barbie doll. Think Bratz dolls.

Alcock has a wonderfully-expressive face, whether staring down an adversary or displaying tender affection for her pet dog Krypto.

Alcock’s scenes with Eve Ridley (feature film debut) are charming. Ridley portrays a centered calmness that is polar opposite to Alcock’s portrayal of wild emotionalism. They could have had even more screen time together.

Jason Momoa as Lobo has a role that is not much more than a cameo. Momoa (“A Minecraft Movie,” 2015; “Aquaman,” 2018) has a great range, whether dramatic or comedic. He’s underutilized in the role.

“Supergirl” the movie spends too much time on fight scenes, most of which are filmed too darkly to tell who is hitting whom. This may have been intentional to diminish the depiction of bloodshed and violence for younger viewers. Many of the fight scenes are choreographed and edited to the beat of rock, hard rock and pop music songs.

“Supergirl” will be of interest to fans of DC Comics, DC Extended Universe, Superman, Supergirl, Milly Alcock and Krypto the Superdog.

Milly Alcock is the star of the show. Too bad, the film-makers didn’t let Milly Alcock as Supergirl be the star of “Supergirl.”

“Supergirl,” MPA rated PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned: Content inappropriate for children under 13) for sequences of strong violence, action, language and smoking. Genre: Science-Fiction, Action, Adventure; Run time: 1 hour, 48 minutes. Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Credit Readers Anonymous: “Supergirl” was filmed January to May 2025 at Warner Bros. Studios’ Leavesden and London, England; Scotland, and Iceland.

At The Movies: ”Supergirl” was seen in Dolby Cinema at AMC, AMC Center Valley 16.

Theatrical Movies Domestic Weekend Box Office, July 10-12: Disney’s “Moana,” the live-action version starring Dwayne Johnson, Freedom High School, Class of 1990 graduate, opened at No. 1 with $43 million in 3,875 theaters.

The “Moana” budget is said to be $250 million and the opening weekend is being compared to Disney’s live-action “Snow White,” which opened at $42 million and was adjudged a box-office bomb, according to Variety, the show business publication.

2. “Minions & Monsters” dropped one place from its one week at No. 1 with a still strong $20.5 million in 4,244 theaters, $108.2 million, two weeks. 3 “Toy Story 5” dropped one place, with a steady $18.5 million in 3,575 theaters, $403.7 million, four weeks. 4. “Evil Dead Burn,” a supernatural horror film and sixth in the “Evil Dead” franchise, $13.7 million in 3,004 theaters, opening. 5. “Young Washington” dropped two places, $6.4 million in 2,771 theaters, $33.1 million, two weeks. 6. “The Invite” moved up five places, $5.7 million in 1,610 theaters, $7.3 million, three weeks. 7. “Obsession” dropped one place, $3.8 million in 2,069 theaters, $253.3 million, nine weeks. 8. “Supergirl” dropped four places, $3.5 million in 2,584 theaters, $66 million, three weeks. 9. “Disclosure Day” dropped four places, $3.2 million in 2,204 theaters, $111.3 million, five weeks. 10. “Backrooms” dropped three places, $1.4 million in 1,262 theaters, $194.1 million, seven weeks.

Movie box office information is from Box Office Mojo as of July 12.

Unreel, July 17:

“The Odyssey,” MPA rated PG; 2 hours, 52 mins. Christopher Nolan directs Matt Damon (Odysseus), Tom Holland (Telemachus), Anne Hathaway (Penelope), Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal, Mia Goth, Samantha Morton, John Leguizamo and Benny Safdie in the Sword and Sandal Action Adventure Epic. The Synopsis: After the Trojan War, Odysseus faces a dangerous voyage back to Ithaca, meeting creatures like the Cyclops Polyphemus, Sirens and Calypso along the way. Christopher Nolan wrote the screenplay based on the story by Greek bard Homer, who wrote the work in eighth century B.C.

Movie opening date information as of July 12 is from Internet Movie Database.

Three Popcorn Boxes out of Five Popcorn Boxes