Starring: Faye Dunaway, Helen Slater, Peter O'Toole, Mia Farrow, Brenda Vaccaro Directed By: Jeannot Szwarc Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Binding: DVD Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, THX, NTSC Label: Starz / Anchor Bay Number of Items: 2 Region Code: 1 Release Date: August 08, 2000 Running Time: 262 minutes Theatrical Release Date: November 21, 1984
Description: After mistakenly losing the Omegahedron, Argo City's life-sustaining power source, Kara takes off on a mission to Earth to retrieve it and save the city. Upon reaching Earth, she is transformed into Supergirl and carries the alias Linda Lee. She must deal with the evil ambitions of a wicked witch, Selina (Faye Dunaway), and her meddling ex-boyfriend Nigel, who plan on ruling the Earth with help from the power of the Omegahedron, which they found when it crashed landed on Earth. Assisted by Jimmy Olsen and Lucy Lane, Lois Lane's sister, Supergirl is off on an adventure to save the Earth and Argo City.
Amazon.com: Supergirl qualifies as one of the most bizarre comic book adaptations ever to hit the silver screen. Bereft of logic or sensible plotting, but featuring a strong cast and slick special effects, the film follows Superman's cousin Kara (played by Helen Slater in her film debut) as she leaves Krypton to venture to Earth to retrieve the "Omegahedron," a life-force globe vital to her people's survival. She tracks down the device, unaware that it's fallen into the hands of aspiring black magician Selena (Faye Dunaway), which leads to an inevitable showdown.
All of the strong characters in Supergirl are women, making for a nice change of pace from traditional superhero machismo. However, none of the players seem to notice that many things are left unexplained, including how the naive Kara knows so much about Earth while having never been there, how a novice sorceress can attain power so quickly from something she does not understand, and how hardly anyone notices Supergirl flying around their city! (And hey, where's Superman?)
Taken as a campy 1980s comic book relic rather than a serious adaptation, Supergirl is fun because of its engaging special effects and sets, tongue-in-cheek humor, and Dunaway's truly inspired performance. Look for Marc McClure reprising his Superman role of Jimmy Olsen, while Mia Farrow and Peter O'Toole have small supporting roles as Kara's mother and mentor, respectively. The director's cut DVD features 24 minutes of newly restored footage that has never been seen before, which should enthrall Supergirl aficionados, although the additional material doesn't make the story any more logical. --Bryan Reesman
This is an awesome movie! I enjoyed it way more than the Superman movies. Huh, guess that means I'm mostly straight. Pros: Helen is gorgeous! The special effects are actually quite decent. Movie doesn't really drag in many places. Cons: The climactic battle at the end is rather short. I'll ad more stuff if I think of it.
Sorry. It doesn't even rise to the level of guilty pleasure. I hadn't seen this in 24 years. As a huge teenaged fan of the Superman family mythos, I was crushed by the poor quality of this film when it was released in 1984. Seeing all the glowing "camp value" reviews here I decided to give it another go - for laughs. But I couldn't get through the first half of it without wandering off to check the laundry. It wasn't funny. Just mind-numbingly nonsensical and dull, dull, dull.
The problem is not the effects. They're actually above average for an early 80s film. Nor is it the cast. They're all talented actors (some of them Oscar winners) and Helen Slater is very pretty and gives it her dead-level best in her first movie role. She was a fine choice to play Supergirl. She just did it in the wrong movie!
The problem is an abysmally ham-handed, out-of-left-field, emotionally flat script that makes no logical sense whatsoever. Even fantasy worlds have rules within themselves but the world of David O'Dell and Jeannot Szwarc's Supergirl has none. Zero. Zilch.
SILLY BUT HALF ENTERTAINING - EXCUSE ME, CULT MOVIE "You girls are rank amateurs playing with fire!"
"Because WE own the matches."
Better than average flick that cashes in on a winning formula. Faye Dunaway as the villainess, lending a little star weight. Keep your expectations way low and you'll probably enjoy much of it, in spite of yourself. I haven't turned it off, and I will when movies bore me too much. This one hasn't yet, though it is undeniably ridiculous. NOTE: THIS IS MY REVIEW AFTER HALF AN HOUR.
"Oh terrific, the old dangling in a cage thing".
Actually, it has the flavor of a cult B-movie at times. There's something of the Rocky Horror Picture Show in Faye Dunaway's fiendish character - like where are the whips and chains? Supergirl is probably one of the sexiest superheroes to come along, beautiful in her SuperGirl outfit with blond hair, less so as a brunette in her girl school uniform. Besides being superequiped with all the powers that run in the SuperFamily, she's also quite the romantic. THIS AFTER AN HOUR AND A HALF.
Actually, this movie gets better as it goes along and fully deserves cult status for it's combination of ridiculousness, dark B movie scenarios and a quirkiness that develops into all the classic proportions as the movie goes on. The eighties was a good decade for that kind of thing I guess. This movie has dark netherworlds, a black magic villain and a pretty superhero with a girlish charm. What more could you ask for? I can understand some people giving this five stars. For the right audience, it could be.
p.s. - the cover of the US version takes itself too seriously I think. My Japanese zone 2 version, as usual, has the essential cover art - in this case, the original movie poster (it's a drawing of Supergirl flying up into space with a demon behind her and a schoolgirl in uniform in the background - drawing style similar to original Star Wars poster). I don't understand why dvd makers insist on updating and modernizing artwork for classic movies, or why they can't use images from the movie that have more sense of art, mystery, or general cleverness or humour in them - or original movie posters for some. I just bought Henry Winkler's "The One and Only" (1978) and they didn't bother to use the original art of the film (which had been used for the videotape) but instead opted for some cheesy modern photo that was supposed to encapsulate the feeling of the movie, but which totally didn't have and feeling of the times. People often watch these movies to capture that retro flavor. No one's hoping they're gonna come up to standards with the latest Hollywood blockbuster - so why all the boring cover art?
God Aweful God Aweful, the worst superhero movie ever filmed, point blank. This even makes Superman 4 look like great cinema and that's a damn shame. I watched the first 15 minutes of it and shut it off in disgust. Their interpretation of Kara's character is just pitiful to say the least. She came off as an irresponsible little brat in the begining, how she went to earth and the entire scene where she emerges from the lake automatically wearing the Supergirl suit? ? ? come on now
DO NOT BUY, DO NOT RENT, just forget this movie even exhist's
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Supergirl! "Supergirl" thrilled me when it opened back in 1984. Along with Wonder Woman and She-Ra, Supergirl was part of an era of female superheroines. "Supergirl" is a true camp classic. It marked Helen Slater's debut (and subsequent departure) from the silver screen. Faye Dunaway could've shouted,"No more kryptonite wire hangers!" but she's close enough. "Supergirl",along with "Puma Man",is one of the cheesiest superhero movies ever made.
"Supergirl" opens on the heroine's homeworld,with her mother Mia Farrow&her mentor Zaltar (Peter O'Toole,hammy as ever) They need the Omegahedron to restore their world. Supergirl,a.k.a. Kara,is sent to Earth. Her cousin Superman is mentioned, but never makes an appearance,since the late Christopher Reeve wanted nothing to do with this movie. Kara confronts thugs, goes to a boarding school. In the meantime, the evil sorceress Selena (Dunaway) is in control of an amusement park. She has a female companion (Brenda Vaccaro) Lest one think these two dowdy ladies are carrying on a super-Sapphic romance, Selena lusts for a hunky carpenter/gardener. And yet she wants world domination??? Somehow the Hunky Guy is in the middle of all of it. There are numerous cheesy battles. At one point, Supergirl is hurled into the Phantom Zone with Zaltar. Somehow,good triumphs in the end. But not good taste.
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