Supergirl (1984)
Closed CaptioningJeannot Szwarc
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Plot Summary
After a power source for the community of Krypton survivors is accidentally whisked to earth, Kara-El, cousin to Superman and niece to Jor-El, chooses to go to earth to find it, and bring it back. Upon her arrival, she becomes just a powerful as her cousin, but encounters dangerous battles and unexpected obstacles when a mean spirited woman who practices rituals of the occult takes the power source for herself, and uses it to cause destruction and attempt zenith human status.
Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews
TOMATOMETER
8%- Reviews Counted: 25
- Fresh: 2
- Rotten: 23
- Average Rating: 3.3/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Rotten: Miss Slater makes a four-square heroine of unrelenting sincerity; a sturdy ingenue, she is great fun to look at but hardly a live wire.
Rotten: Screenplay is filled with witty lines and enjoyable characters, but Jeannot Szwarc's direction is rather flat.
Rotten: Why even go to the trouble of making a movie that feels like it's laughing at itself?
Rotten: This is one comic-book feature that doesn't fly.
Customer Reviews
Awesome! Brings Back Memories
I may be the only one, but I will always enjoy watching this show. It brings back many memories as a kid, plus I will always have a crush on Helen Slater :). A definitely must-see
Guilty pleasure
This film reminds me of Calvin Trillin's suggested state motto for New Jersey: "Not as bad as you might have expected."
I remember taking my then seven-year-old daughter to the theater when it was released at Thanksgiving in 1984. She says she doesn't remember seeing it, but the movie made a big impression on me. The plot and direction are wincingly bad, but Helen Slater is perfectly cast in the title role, it's one of Jerry Goldsmith's best scores, and the flying sequences are simply phenomenal.
Remember, this is pre-cgi stuff. Flying was done with wires, with the Zoptic front projection system, and with some surprisingly primitive tricks. For example, the effects crew resorted to using a full-size photographic poster cutout for the scene where Supergirl flies up out of the water. They couldn't think of any other way of doing the shot without Ms. Slater getting thoroughly and un-photogenically drenched.
I remember seeing Christopher Reeve on The Tonight Show shortly after Supergirl's original release. At the time, his relations with the Salkinds (the producers of the Superman films) were strained, and he had refused to appear in Supergirl, even in a brief cameo. Despite the bad feelings, Reeve praised Slater's performance and said the flying sequences were superior to those in Superman and Superman II, especially the wire work. Kara's arrival on Earth- the "aerial ballet," done with a wire flying rig, and the Zoptic front projection sequence which immediately follows- are almost flawless. That alone is worth the price of the download, along with Helen Slater's performance in her first motion picture role. She's so charming, wholesome and sincere that you find it impossible to *not* like this big, slobbering mongrel of a movie.
There should be a Supergirl II!!
This film is a lot of fun! And it has stood the test of time WAY BETTER than Superman III, Superman IV, Superman Returns or Batman & Robin. Helen Slater is great as Kara/Linda Lee Danvers/Supergirl and the supporting cast (Peter O'Toole, Faye Dunaway, Mia Farrow, Brenda Vacarro, etc.) is excellent. Plus a cameo by Jimmy Olsen (Marc McClur) and slightly genius score from Jerry Goldsmith! C'mon what else do you need?
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- $9.99
- Genre: Action & Adventure
- Released: 1984
- © SUPERGIRL and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and DC Comics.Copyright 1984 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.