[Nerdspresso] Supergirl: True Grit in Space with Capes

By Jeff Stanford, Special to Southpoint Access

I’ve never been a huge Supergirl fan. I don’t have a problem with female heroes, but I always just felt that the character wasn’t super original. She was just a lady version of Superman. That’s okay, but I always wanted something more.

Ripley in Aliens is not a female version of Arnie in Predator. Charlize Theron is not Lady 007 in Atomic Blonde. They’re dynamic action heroes who also happen to be women. Supergirl always just seemed to be Kal-El in a skirt. Yawn. 

[Nerdspresso] Tough Girls Rule! Furiosa and Other Movie Ladies Who Could Beat Me Up

So Furiosa, the prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, has already come and gone from movie theaters. It rolled out earlier this summer with expectations that it would dominate the box office, but it fell short. Like The Fall Guy, another recent good movie that flamed out too soon, Furiosa

Southpoint AccessJeff Stanford

Thank you, new Supergirl movie, for giving me a much more intriguing version of this character. Taking a cue from 2021’s groundbreaking comic by Tom King and Bilquis Evely, Supergirl puts Kara Zor-El on a divergent path from her legendary cousin.

This flick is more sci-fi than superhero and serves as both an origin story and redemption arc. It gives off different energy than James Gunn’s Superman reboot, establishing the character on her own terms. 

Sharing the same smart-ass sci-fi tones of Guardians of the Galaxy, this movie gives the character a universe to explore far from Superman’s beloved Metropolis. Millie Alcock plays the character introduced in the final moments of last summer’s blockbuster. She’s a reckless, super-powered party girl, living it up on worlds with red suns so her powers don’t get the way of her having a good time.

With her mischievous mutt Krypto by her side, Kara is celebrating her birthday when she's approached by a young girl with a very specific request.