Supergirl (2026)

     Supergirl has had a rocky history. In the original comics, she was practially just a female version of Superman. Post-Crisis there was a mandate that Superman could be the only survivor of Krypton, so the new Supergirl was a shapeshifter from another dimension. Then she became half-angel. At one point they reintroduced her as a Kryptonian again, but she turned out to be an assassin sent to kill Kal-El. She just keeps getting rebooted in wacky ways. As a huge Supergirl fan, I appreciate the variety, but I prefer stability. Just let her be Kal-El's cousin, dammit!
     But I see their point. What's the point of having her around, if she's just Diet Superman? The best Supergirl comics, IMO, are the ones that emphasize how alien she feels. Superman was raised on Earth since he was a baby, while Supergirl actually has memories of her Kryptonian family. She carries barrels of grief, and Earth makes her feel like a fish out of water.
     That's the version of Supergirl they portray in the new movie, and to me, that's what makes this movie a hit. This Supergirl isn't just Superman with breasts. The difference in her attitude is a huge plot point in the movie, and contributes to her character growth over the course of the film.
     So to summarize the plot: Kara doesn't spend much time on Earth, because she doesn't relate to the people. She prefers planets with red suns, so she can get drunk. Meanwhile, Krem the Badguy kills a family of swordmakers, leaving only their daughter Ruthye alive. Taking a cue from Inigo Montoya, Ruthye vows to get her revenge.
     Then Krem shoots Krypto with a slow-acting poison dart before stealing Supergirl's ship. Kara and Ruthye have three days to track Krem down to get the antidote, or Krypto will die. So we've got a Princess Bride meets John Wick plot. Oh, and did I mention the bad guys are running a human trafficking ring? So you can add Taken as well.
     This movie is more sci-fi than most superhero movies. In fact, only a few minutes take place on Earth.  Note that movie is based on a comic miniseries called "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow," which is a great read if you're interested. 
     Lobo fans should be pleased as well. This is the best portrayal of Lobo I've seen yet. He feels right out of the 90s comics.
     There are some pacing issues. The flashbacks slow the movie down a bit, but I do like this version of her origin story. The fight scenes are fun, and the special effects are fantastic (most of the time). Kara spends plenty of time both with and without powers, and her opponents are tough, so it never feels too easy.  Superman is often accused of being a walking Deus Ex Machina, but I don't see that here. This Supergirl earns her wins.
     Now keep in mind, as a Supergirl fan, I'm biased. But this is honestly one of the best superhero movies I've seen in years.

DCTV

Gotham - We watched the first five or six episodes of Gotham, but it was just too dark for us.  I've never been able to get into criminal-focused shows.  Real life is depressing enough, and I'd rather focus on the good guys than the bad.

Arrow - I've tried to get into Arrow, but I just haven't.  It's not as dark as Gotham, but it's still a bit too dark for me.  Plus the cheesy parts are a little too cheesy, probably because they stand out more against all the dark.  When the whole Arrow team gets into costume, it just looks like cosplay to me, because the rest of the world is so gritty and real.

The Flash - This is the best super hero show on television.  Yes it's even cheesier than Arrow, but that's the theme of the show and it's just good fun.  It's like a live action cartoon.  The cast really works well together, and I really enjoy seeing their takes on DC villains.

Legends of Tomorrow - It's kind of fun.  I enjoy watching it.  But, I don't know, it just doesn't feel structured enough for me.  They threw all these characters into a blender and hoped something cohesive would come out, but really it's just kind of a chaotic mess.  But it's a fun mess.

I think my biggest problem with LOT so far, is that I feel like I've seen most of what it has to offer.  They spent the first season bouncing around from time period to time period, always with the same mission (track down Vandal Savage in that time).  I like some of the characters more than others, but I don't find myself in love with any of them.  The breakout character is Captain Cold, and even he got less interesting as time goes on.

But some of the things I've heard about season 2 have piqued my interest, so I'm still going to give it another go.

Supergirl - I'm trying so hard to like this.  Supergirl is one of my favorite comic book characters, and I really want more female superhero shows to gain popularity.  Producers are so leery of female superhero movies, because most of them have tanked hard.  Never mind that those movies were just bad on many levels that had nothing to do with the hero's gender.  If we can just get a few good ones out there to break the perceived curse, then maybe it will open the door for more to be made.

But honestly, the Supergirl TV series is lukewarm at best.  I really like the casting job on the title character, but the rest of the cast is kind of meh.  Hardly anybody has a lot of chemistry together, and I just don't like how some characters are portrayed.  The government agent characters are especially annoying, going back and forth from "all business" to "touchy feely" so much I get whiplash.

And I really don't like most of the villains.  There seems to be a tradition now where the first episode sets up where most of the show's villains will come from.  It makes the writing easier, and keeps you from wasting a lot of screen time on villain origin stories.  Smallville had the kryptonite give everybody different super powers.  The Flash's villains mostly got their powers the same way he got his.  Well, Supergirl has Fort Rozz, a Kryptonian prison from which powerful aliens keep escaping.  I'm just not digging that plotline.

There's an overarching plot about a group of evil Kryptonians, and frankly they're just boring.  I've never been fond of having too many Kryptonians in a Superman-family series; the Kryptonians bored me in Lois and Clark, they bored me in Smallville, and they bore me here.  I've always preferred the continuities where Kryptonian survivors were kept to a minimum.

Supergirl's not great, but it's got room for growth, and I really hope it gets better in the second season.  I know there's going to be a lot of changes with it changing networks, so hopefully it will be enough to save the show.

DCAU - Of course, none of these shows are anywhere near as awesome as the Justice League and Young Justice animated shows.   That entire era of the DCAU was some of the best stuff on television.  Unfortunately, as of the “Flashpoint” animated movie, that era is pretty much over.  The new series of movies is a lot more adult, and a lot less fun.  I still keep adding the new animated movies to my Netflix queue, and I don't hate them... but man, they used to be so much better.