Supergirl (PG, 1984)

Superman's younger cousin, Kara (aka Supergirl), travels to Earth to retrieve the Omegahedron, an object vital to the existence of her alien people that has fallen into the hands of wicked sorceress Selena (Faye Dunaway). On the outskirts of Metropolis, Supergirl (Helen Slater) disguises herself as a boarding school student and miraculously befriends Lois Lane's younger sister and intrepid newspaper photographer Jimmy Olsen (Marc McClure, who portrayed Olsen alongside Christopher Reeve's Superman). The fight of good vs. evil begins as soon as Selena realizes that Supergirl is in town. The wicked sorceress and her nitwit minions take on Supergirl in many non-graphic, comic book-style battles. Supergirl finds romance on planet Earth, but she will not allow her first love to distract her from her superhero duties.

As superheroes go, Kara is a fine female role model, but Helen Slater's acting often feels wooden. Viewers of any age may find it hard to connect with the character. Screen legends Faye Dunaway and Peter O'Toole were both nominated for "worst performance" Razzie awards, but Dunaway's over-the-top turn stands out as one of the best things in this lackluster film. Some of the more complex action scenes are intense, but there are a lot of scenes that drag on far too long. Any attempt at humor and comic relief in the script falls flat.

That said, this is a fine film for tweens to watch if you're open to something that feels more like a made-for-TV movie -- that is, don't expect the same quality of the 1978 Superman.

Studio: Warner Home Video
Director: Jeannot Szwarc
Cast: Faye Dunaway, Helen Slater, Peter O'Toole
Genre: Fantasy
Run time: 125 minutes
Theatrical release: January 16, 1984
DVD release: November 26, 2006
MPAA Rating: PG
MPAA explanation: mild violence