‘Supergirl’ Has No Idea What to Do With Kara Zor-El’s Superpowers

Kara Zor-El, the cynical, surly protagonist of the new Supergirl movie, has a very different attitude than her goody two-shoes cousin, Clark Kent. But Supergirl has all the same superpowers as Superman, including flight, super-strength, laser-eyes, and invulnerability. These fantastic abilities make Supergirl one of the strongest heroes out there saving the day. That’s great for the people of Metropolis; it’s less great for filmmakers who have to figure out how to make an engaging story that actually challenges such a strong character. All past Superman movies have had to face this problem, and unfortunately, Supergirl can’t overcome it. Ironically, Supergirl’s superpowers are the movie’s Kryptonite.