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Supergirl
Warner Bros. // Unrated // November 28, 2006
List Price: $14.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The charisma resonating from a star and the support structure from a well-known franchise can only go so far in a motion picture. Supergirl is an amazing example. This film ends up trying to build a sturdy frame by relying on high-quality established components, such as well-regarded production elements, brand recognition (the "S"), and a star-speckled cast. There's one problem: the foundation for this film, namely the script and story, pale dramatically in weight to the aforementioned bits and pieces. Because of this, Supergirl collapses by relying too heavily on the success of Supergirl's relative.
Note: This review is of the "International"/European Theatrical cut of the film, clocking in at 125 minutes. The prior Supergirl: Limited Edition 2-Disc DVD includes both this cut and the 138-minute Director's Cut.
The Film:
Directed by Jeannot Szwarc, this adaptation from the DC comic character introduces Kara (Helen Slater), one of a small group of survivors from the planet Krypton residing in a far-off city called Argo. Oddly enough, she is the cousin of Kal-El, otherwise known as Superman. Kara travels from her homeland in search of a vanished orb called the Omegahedron, the source of power for Argo. The orb soars through the fabric of space and time to Earth and falls in the clutches of Madame Selena (Faye Dunaway), a sorceress bent on harnessing the orb's power for world domination. In an effort to redeem herself since her and the Argoion Artist Zaltar (Peter O'Toole) sent this orb into space because of an accident, Kara travels to Earth to reclaim the Omegahedron.
When she lands, Kara discovers her mystical Kryptonian powers. Since she's related to the big red and blue guy, pretty much every single power he possesses has transferred over to her (laser beams through the eyes, gale wind breath, unlimited strength and, of course, the ability to fly). Once Kara has caught a grip on how special she is, she lands a cover-up position as a private-school student named Linda Lee. From there, Supergirl's quest to relocate the Omegahedron takes her ordeal after ordeal tossed at her by the mystical Madame Selena. Plus, Kara must deal with one of the biggest problems she'd ever face on earth: romance.
Supergirl boasts a smidge of potential from the get go in the form of two strengths: the creative precedence from Superman and the talented cast. Some of the effects team behind Superman lends their talents to the production of Supergirl, most notably the flying sequences. While by modern day standards the visual splendor seems aged, these techniques still fuel these Super characters with charisma. The flying sequences are still a joy to behold.
These effects couldn't fluidly be executed without an able cast to back up the activity. Helen Slater possesses the visual charisma that Supergirl should possess. Strong, wide-eyed, and blaringly innocent, Slater's Kara fits the female superhero moniker. Plus, Faye Dunaway and Peter O'Toole lend star power and overall quality to two larger roles in the film. Though not their best performances by a long shot, the gripping demeanor of O'Toole and the execution of voice projection from Dunaway cannot be denied. Some serviceable support work, including Jimmy Olsen himself played by Marc McClure, contributes to Supergirl's faint spark.
On paper, Supergirl appears to have moderately winning capabilities. The problem lies within poor storytelling and fairly abhorrent dialogue. Due to actor on-screen presences and appealing cinematography, the urge to appreciate and enjoy certain scenes is there. However, with dialogue accompaniment, the mood and weight of these scenes falls quicker than a ten-ton boulder from the sky. This dialogue feels terribly forced, awkward, and overacted from nearly every player. Helen Slater isn't given much substance to grasp as Supergirl, yet what she attempts to grasp doesn't flow naturally.
Moreover, this underdeveloped dialogue fights to support a very simple, dull story that just doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Part of what made Superman: The Movie attention-grabbing was the rich narrative about Kal-El and his past. Kara's story is left without substantial attention geared towards her character development. Moreover, many questions go unanswered once the conflict begins to erupt, such as how a "sorceress" who comes into contact with a magical orb can harness its power so readily. Strangely enough, interest can be found primarily when elements of the outer Superman universe are referenced. Referencing repeatedly to the Man of Steel seems to be both Supergirl's strong point and a major hindrance simultaneously.
Nonetheless, with this watered-down and misdirected quality of storytelling, everything in the film sinks below interest. Relying on Superman's success and his presence as Kara's cousin end up more as persistent reminders of how appealing he can be to watch. Instead of adding fuel to this fire, it makes the viewer wish they were watching him instead. This, however, might please fans of the Superman universe that might appreciate a consistent stream of reference to Kara's relative. Needless to say, even as a very remotely fun and campy film, it's a shame more attention wasn't shown to developing Supergirl.
The DVD:
Warner Bros. has released the Supergirl European Theatrical Version DVD in a single disc keepcase with Photoshopped/illustrated coverart.
The Video:
Supergirl is presented in a very attractive, richly detailed anamorphic image that has really withstood the years. The palette of colors really popped from the very attractive cinematography. Detail was surprisingly brilliant in a few scenes, while shadows and darker scenes were reasonably deep. In previous DVD editions, Supergirl has boasted a pretty decent transfer. Although the details on the prior editions can't be fully recalled and compared, the WB disc does possibly seem brighter and richer in color.
The Audio:
Presented in Dolby 5.1, the audio was very clear and crisp throughout the film. Dialogue was easily heard, hitting higher and lower tones fairly well. The bass portions and sound effects don't pack very much punch, but still resonated with decent clarity. Overall, Supergirl sounds very nice. Audio is available in English and French, while subtitles are included in English, French, and Spanish for the film.
The Extras:
WB has presented Supergirl in a fairly bare-bones edition DVD. Included on this DVD are:
A Director Commentary from Jeannot Szwarc, also including historian Scott Bosco. This could very well be the same commentary from the previous release.
A Theatrical Trailer.
A Legend of Superman mosaic on all things Man of Steel that can be purchased on DVD.
Final Thoughts:
Supergirl is pure, campy '80s style superhero action with solid special effects and moderately successful performances. Sadly, the storyline and dialogue make this film much more grating on the nerves than fun to watch. Those who own the Limited Edition DVD from years ago might want to pass up this edition due to the lack of extras, even though there is a potentially better transfer. Fans of the Superman series might also want to rent this DVD for the references to the Superman universe. However, it's very good that this DVD is stripped down and inexpensive for those who enjoy Supergirl because a Rental is suitable enough for most casual viewers.
Thomas Spurlin, Staff Reviewer -- DVDTalk Reviews | Personal Blog/Site
Note: This review is of the "International"/European Theatrical cut of the film, clocking in at 125 minutes. The prior Supergirl: Limited Edition 2-Disc DVD includes both this cut and the 138-minute Director's Cut.
The Film:
Directed by Jeannot Szwarc, this adaptation from the DC comic character introduces Kara (Helen Slater), one of a small group of survivors from the planet Krypton residing in a far-off city called Argo. Oddly enough, she is the cousin of Kal-El, otherwise known as Superman. Kara travels from her homeland in search of a vanished orb called the Omegahedron, the source of power for Argo. The orb soars through the fabric of space and time to Earth and falls in the clutches of Madame Selena (Faye Dunaway), a sorceress bent on harnessing the orb's power for world domination. In an effort to redeem herself since her and the Argoion Artist Zaltar (Peter O'Toole) sent this orb into space because of an accident, Kara travels to Earth to reclaim the Omegahedron.
When she lands, Kara discovers her mystical Kryptonian powers. Since she's related to the big red and blue guy, pretty much every single power he possesses has transferred over to her (laser beams through the eyes, gale wind breath, unlimited strength and, of course, the ability to fly). Once Kara has caught a grip on how special she is, she lands a cover-up position as a private-school student named Linda Lee. From there, Supergirl's quest to relocate the Omegahedron takes her ordeal after ordeal tossed at her by the mystical Madame Selena. Plus, Kara must deal with one of the biggest problems she'd ever face on earth: romance.
Supergirl boasts a smidge of potential from the get go in the form of two strengths: the creative precedence from Superman and the talented cast. Some of the effects team behind Superman lends their talents to the production of Supergirl, most notably the flying sequences. While by modern day standards the visual splendor seems aged, these techniques still fuel these Super characters with charisma. The flying sequences are still a joy to behold.
These effects couldn't fluidly be executed without an able cast to back up the activity. Helen Slater possesses the visual charisma that Supergirl should possess. Strong, wide-eyed, and blaringly innocent, Slater's Kara fits the female superhero moniker. Plus, Faye Dunaway and Peter O'Toole lend star power and overall quality to two larger roles in the film. Though not their best performances by a long shot, the gripping demeanor of O'Toole and the execution of voice projection from Dunaway cannot be denied. Some serviceable support work, including Jimmy Olsen himself played by Marc McClure, contributes to Supergirl's faint spark.
On paper, Supergirl appears to have moderately winning capabilities. The problem lies within poor storytelling and fairly abhorrent dialogue. Due to actor on-screen presences and appealing cinematography, the urge to appreciate and enjoy certain scenes is there. However, with dialogue accompaniment, the mood and weight of these scenes falls quicker than a ten-ton boulder from the sky. This dialogue feels terribly forced, awkward, and overacted from nearly every player. Helen Slater isn't given much substance to grasp as Supergirl, yet what she attempts to grasp doesn't flow naturally.
Moreover, this underdeveloped dialogue fights to support a very simple, dull story that just doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Part of what made Superman: The Movie attention-grabbing was the rich narrative about Kal-El and his past. Kara's story is left without substantial attention geared towards her character development. Moreover, many questions go unanswered once the conflict begins to erupt, such as how a "sorceress" who comes into contact with a magical orb can harness its power so readily. Strangely enough, interest can be found primarily when elements of the outer Superman universe are referenced. Referencing repeatedly to the Man of Steel seems to be both Supergirl's strong point and a major hindrance simultaneously.
Nonetheless, with this watered-down and misdirected quality of storytelling, everything in the film sinks below interest. Relying on Superman's success and his presence as Kara's cousin end up more as persistent reminders of how appealing he can be to watch. Instead of adding fuel to this fire, it makes the viewer wish they were watching him instead. This, however, might please fans of the Superman universe that might appreciate a consistent stream of reference to Kara's relative. Needless to say, even as a very remotely fun and campy film, it's a shame more attention wasn't shown to developing Supergirl.
The DVD:
Warner Bros. has released the Supergirl European Theatrical Version DVD in a single disc keepcase with Photoshopped/illustrated coverart.
The Video:
Supergirl is presented in a very attractive, richly detailed anamorphic image that has really withstood the years. The palette of colors really popped from the very attractive cinematography. Detail was surprisingly brilliant in a few scenes, while shadows and darker scenes were reasonably deep. In previous DVD editions, Supergirl has boasted a pretty decent transfer. Although the details on the prior editions can't be fully recalled and compared, the WB disc does possibly seem brighter and richer in color.
The Audio:
Presented in Dolby 5.1, the audio was very clear and crisp throughout the film. Dialogue was easily heard, hitting higher and lower tones fairly well. The bass portions and sound effects don't pack very much punch, but still resonated with decent clarity. Overall, Supergirl sounds very nice. Audio is available in English and French, while subtitles are included in English, French, and Spanish for the film.
The Extras:
WB has presented Supergirl in a fairly bare-bones edition DVD. Included on this DVD are:
A Director Commentary from Jeannot Szwarc, also including historian Scott Bosco. This could very well be the same commentary from the previous release.
A Theatrical Trailer.
A Legend of Superman mosaic on all things Man of Steel that can be purchased on DVD.
Final Thoughts:
Supergirl is pure, campy '80s style superhero action with solid special effects and moderately successful performances. Sadly, the storyline and dialogue make this film much more grating on the nerves than fun to watch. Those who own the Limited Edition DVD from years ago might want to pass up this edition due to the lack of extras, even though there is a potentially better transfer. Fans of the Superman series might also want to rent this DVD for the references to the Superman universe. However, it's very good that this DVD is stripped down and inexpensive for those who enjoy Supergirl because a Rental is suitable enough for most casual viewers.
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