The review embargo for Supergirl lifted earlier today, and following mostly positive social media reactions, the next DCU movie was met with a mixed response from critics (mixed-negative might be more accurate, since the film's Rotten Tomatoes score has now slipped down to 57%).
The negative reviews highlight several reasons the movie didn't quite come together, but one recurring problem seems to be the script. What does and doesn't work for an individual in any film is subjective, of course, but quite a few critics have taken issue with Supergirl's "bland" and "by-the-numbers" story.
Variety's (admittedly harsh) review even states, "James Gunn's given us a comic-book movie with the worst script I can remember."
Why is Gunn getting flak when Ana Nogueria is the one who penned the script?
Last year, the DC Studios co-CEO was asked about the status of the Authority movie that was announced as part of the DCU's initial Gods and Monsters slate, and shared the following response on Threads.
“We won’t green light a film until we have a finished script we’re happy with and, in general, we won’t cast a film until the script is finished. This is why some projects are moving faster than anticipated and others more slowly. It’s always gonna be quality first no matter what.”
Again, opinions are always going to vary, and Gunn might well have been happy with the script, but that hasn't stopped the filmmaker's detractors from digging through his old posts (yes, he did also refer to The Flash as "one of the best superhero movies I’ve ever seen") in an attempt to hold him to account.
At the end of the day, it's not really fair to lay the blame for a movie's failings at any one person's feet, and while critics may not have been blown away by Supergirl, we won't know how audiences are going to react until the movie hits theaters this weekend.
Unfortunately, Gunn does leave himself open for this sort of backlash by continuing to respond to fans on social media, and he can expect that "quality first" promise to come back on him whenever a DCU movie is perceived to have underdelivered going forward.
Supergirl is on track for an $80M - $90M worldwide debut.
"When an unexpected and ruthless enemy threatens, Kara Zor-El is forced, against her will, to team up with an unlikely companion. Together, they embark on an epic cosmic journey where revenge and justice are at stake – and where Kara must confront her origins to find her own path as a hero. Alcock is joined by Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham and Jason Momoa in key roles. Peter Safran and James Gunn are producing the film for DC Studios."
Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow will also star Eve Ridley as Ruthye Mary Knolle, David Krumholtz and Emily Beecham as Kara's parents, Zor-El and Alura, and Matthias Schoenaerts as the villainous Krem of the Yellow Hills.
Our new Girl of Steel will take flight on June 26, 2026.
Said Gunn when the project was first announced: “In our series we see the difference between Superman who was sent to Earth and raised by loving parents from the time he was an infant, versus Supergirl who was raised on a rock, a chip off Krypton, and watched everyone around her die and be killed in terrible ways for the first 14 years of her life, and then came to Earth when she was a young girl. She’s much more hardcore, she’s not exactly the Supergirl we’re used to seeing.”