Supergirl

Starring: Faye Dunaway, Helen Slater, Peter O'Toole, Mia Farrow, Brenda Vaccaro, Peter Cook, Simon Ward, Marc McClure, Maureen Teefy
Directed by: Jeannot Szwarc
Rating: PG
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
1984

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Superman's cousin (Helen Slater) comes to Earth where she faces off against a sorceress (Faye Dunaway).

Review:

Tim: I have vague recollections of watching this movie when I was younger. It was released when I was 12 years old, so it's realistic to think I watched it in the 13-14 year range. I remember sort of enjoying it and also somewhat not enjoying it. Watching it again as an adult, I can see why. Supergirl is a fairly messy movie with a lot of flaws. That being said, there were parts of the film I enjoyed as well. I was probably too forgiving of the film (maybe it was the nostalgia), but I thought this was a decent movie. Most critics hated it.

First off, I enjoy the premise of introducing a woman superhero. This is one of the very first films to ever do that (Sheena: Queen of the Jungle came first, but that feels more like a comic book vs. superhero film). The movie deserves acclaim for that. Even writing about this film in 2021, there's not nearly enough women-led superhero movies. So, this film deserves credit for breaking boundaries back in the 1980s.

Now, unfortunately, the movie doesn't live up to this. The script is really a mess. The story tries to do too much. It's an origin story of Supergirl, but it also includes elements of her homeworld. Then, there's the whole sorceress/witch story, which never quite worked. The movie in some ways too directly copies Superman's own origins. The film is hurt some by playing it safe. None of this makes a whole lot of sense, which is somewhat emblematic of the times. It would still be many years before filmmakers took superhero films seriously. At this point, no one was too concerned about a lackluster script.

This doesn't mean there aren't enjoyable moments sprinkled throughout the film, because there absolutely are. The scene of Linda learning to fly and discovering her powers is a wonderful scene. There's a scene later where two men try to assault her and get their comeuppance, which is enjoyable (and sad when you think about it). I derived some level of enjoyment from the film, probably even at times I shouldn't have.

I thought Helen Slater did an admirable job in the lead role. She's not an especially talented actress, but she approaches the part with enough wide-eyed wonder and later, strength, to make for a fairly good Supergirl. Making her film debut here couldn't have been easy, so she's surprisingly effective for a relatively inexperienced actress. Faye Dunaway was certainly hamming it up in her villainous role. It was fun to see her embrace this role, although her character and story were among the most problematic of the entire film. Dunaway takes up a lot of the screen time and her character is never as interesting as the film imagines her to be. As I said, it was fun to see Dunaway in this role, but it hurts the narrative. The movie grinds to a halt during this too-long sequences. I don't blame Dunaway in the least, but her character and screen time were mishandled here. I liked seeing Peter O'Toole in this role. It felt like he was unexpectedly cast here, but he did a good job during his scenes. I had fun watching him interact with Slater. It was nice seeing Marc McClure reprise his role so that there was some connection to the Superman films.

The visual effects aren't anything special, but I didn't have any issues with them, either. That's especially true when you account for the film being released in 1984. I don't think they were necessarily cutting edge, but they work effectively enough. It does get a little dark and horror-like towards the end.

I have to admit that Supergirl isn't a good movie. It was a failure as a film and it certainly contributed to the ridiculous idea that women-led superhero movies wouldn't work. That being said, there's something I've always enjoyed about the movie. It was an ambitious attempt and while it failed, it still offers some good moments. As a whole, I'm probably a bit too kind, but I thought this was a decent film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Superman, Superman II, Superman III, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace