Supergirl
Tags: good versus evil, cult, psychedelic, violence, romantic

Plot synopsis:
Kara Zor-El lives in an isolated Kryptonian community named Argo City, in a pocket of trans-dimensional space. A man named Zaltar allows Kara to see a unique and immensely powerful item known as the Omegahedron, which he has borrowed without the knowledge of the city government, and which powers the city. However, after a mishap, the Omegahedron is blown out into space. Much to the distress of her parents, Kara follows it to Earth (undergoing a transformation into "Supergirl" in the process) in an effort to recover it and save the city.
On Earth, the Omegahedron is recovered by Selena, a power-hungry would-be witch assisted by the feckless Bianca, seeking to free herself from her relationship with warlock Nigel. Whilst not knowing exactly what it is, Selena quickly realizes that the Omegahedron is powerful and can enable her to perform real magical spells. Supergirl arrives on Earth and discovers her powers. Following the path of the Omegahedron, she takes the name Linda Lee, identifies herself as the cousin of Clark Kent, and enrolls at an all-girls school where she befriends Lucy Lane, the younger sister of Lois Lane who happens to be studying there. Supergirl also meets and becomes enamoured with Ethan, who works as a groundskeeper at the school.
Ethan also catches the eye of Selena, who drugs him with a love potion (which will make him fall in love with the first person he sees for a day); however, Ethan regains consciousness in Selena's absence and wanders out into the streets. An angry Selena uses her new-found powers to animate a construction vehicle which she sends to bring Ethan back, causing chaos in the streets as it does so. Supergirl rescues Ethan and he falls in love with her instead while in the guise of Linda Lee.
Supergirl and Selena repeatedly battle in various ways, until Selena uses her powers to put Supergirl in an "eternal void" known as the Phantom Zone. Here, stripped of her powers, she wanders the bleak landscape and nearly drowns in an oily bog. Yet she finds help in Zaltar, who has exiled himself to the Phantom Zone as a punishment for losing the Omegahedron. Zaltar sacrifices his life to allow Supergirl to escape. Back on Earth, Selena misuses the Omegahedron to make herself a "princess of Earth", with Ethan as her lover and consort. Emerging from the Phantom Zone through a mirror, Supergirl regains her powers and confronts Selena, who uses the Omegahedron's power to summon a gigantic shadow demon. The demon overwhelms Supergirl and is on the verge of defeating her when she hears Zaltar's voice urging her to fight on. Supergirl breaks free and is told by Nigel the only way to defeat Selena is to turn the shadow demon against her. Supergirl quickly complies and begins flying in circles around her, trapping her in a whirlwind. Selena is attacked and incapacitated by the monster as the whirlwind pulls Bianca in as well. The three of them are sucked back into the mirror portal, which promptly reforms, trapping them all within forever. Free from Selena's spell, Ethan admits his love for Linda and that he knows that she and Supergirl are one and the same, but knows it is possible he may never see her again and understands she must save Argo City. The final scene shows Kara returning the Omegahedron to a darkened Argo City, which promptly lights up again.

Review: I am forced to scream at the screen however; Why the hell do you wear a camera if you aren't going to use it when a major news piece flies into your lap?I remember being dismissive of Supergirl when I was younger; due in part to the use of magic which has no part in the Superman films, but mainly I suspect due to the ludicrous man-eating excavator scene.
It isn't scary, its stupid.Apart from that scene, Supergirl is good gentle viewing and a nice counterpoint to Superman.It is hard to describe my exact feelings, but I do feel that standing on its own Supergirl should be considered a success and I deeply regret never having a chance to watch the sequels that were never made..
While it is by no means a great movie, it IS a good film which makes a comic book story come to life.
While not an epic like "Superman: The Movie", "Supergirl" is an enjoyable movie and it has a special place in my heart just like the first Superman movie.The beautiful Helen Slater is fantastic in the title role of Supergirl and she easily carries the film.
This scene has always made me wish I could fly, a desire that was created when I saw the original Superman movie.The music, which was composed and conducted by the great Jerry Goldsmith, is also one of the film's best aspects and I love it very much.
The Director's Cut is the best version of the movie as it provides better characterisation and some explanations for plot holes that are present in the US theatrical and domestic cuts."Supergirl" is one of my favourite movies despite it's flaws and I find it to be a much better film than "Superman 3" and "Superman 4: The Quest For Peace"..
It would be interesting to see a remake that perhaps didn't stray so far from the source mythology (was the omegahedron in the comics?), but on the other hand, the eighties was a different time, and perhaps today's climate (whether the world could use a super-hero or not) is not right to relaunch the poor girl to Earth.
If this film was marketed the way it should have been and released the way it should have been (some countries got a seriously bad edited version wich effected the charactors allot) then this would have been the success everyone thought at the time and still deserves to be This is a great movie and its one of my favourites.
I think its not what many people wanted ot see back then though...they wanted explosions, action and they wanted Superman to fit into this film.I think the fact that Supergirl arrived on earth in the supercostume without no actual logic was bad.
Apart from the witchcraft, I LOVE this movie!This was the first time I ever saw Helen Slater, and rightaway I knew she was the most beautiful lady in the world!
And I would've liked to see how Argo City was torn away more or less whole from Krypton as the planet detonated, and wound up in Inner Space, trapped in a warp that only Kal-El's little spaceship was equipped to navigate and exit.I don't think it's over for Supergirl, her story could be REtold (a la Batman), but I'd only be interested in a remake if the filmmakers would remain true to the style of THIS movie (Supergirl (1984), rather than opting for a trendy, dark, angst-ridden "hero" (I use the term loosely) in a demented action "adventure".
naturally, Supergirl - The First Adventure.This is a beautiful, dream-like jewel of a movie, a real Pink Panther (I refer, of course, to the diamond).That breath-taking, emotional moment as Supergirl arrives on Earth, and discovers her powers and her new environment, in my humble opinion, is unmatched in all the Super-movies.Jerry Goldsmith's score, especially the Supergirl March and the Love Theme are stirring and moving respectively, and easily equal to John Williams' contributions to the Superman movies.
The film focuses on Supergirls adventures when she arrives on earth, from her FANTASTIC ariel ballet entrance, to her final battle with the witch Selena, portrayed by a darn-good-fun-loving Faye Dunaway.
What difference does it make if we cannot answer all the questions, so what if it wasn't the film this country wanted...it was NOT supposed to be an identical superhero movie with flying missiles and plots to destroy the world!
People who do see it for wonderful movie it is, are the real ones who know the true heart of a beautiful superhero, and will not cease to be satisfied by what a film of its kind has to offer.
Helen Slater, Faye Dunaway, Peter O'Toole, Brenda Vaccaro, Hart Bochner, and every one else on the film have every right to be proud of this masterpiece!
Anyway, this movie is very stunning, with powerful effects, and even better acting by Helen Slater as "Supergirl".
It is one of my all-time favorite movie themes.Having the opportunity to watch the limited edition DVD, which has both the international release version and the director's cut, made the film even better.
Both versions add a new dimension to the film which round out the characters far better than was shown in the United States domestic release.All in all, if you are a fan of superhero movies, then this is one you don't want to miss.
After a mistake goes awry within the peaceful walls of the city of Argo, Kara(Helen Slater, in probably her best performance.) must go to earth and retrieve the omegahedron, a power source that ArgoCity needs to live.
Like Superman/Superman II, the greats were hired to take this film flight: Faye Dunaway(Network), Peter O'Toole(Laurence of Arabia), Brenda Vaccaro(Midnight Cowboy-Once is Not Enough), Maureen Teefy(Fame), Mia Farrow(Rosemary's Baby), Peter Cook(Bedazzled), and of course, Helen Slater, turns in such good acting that one is right there in the front row shouting for her to win!
Helen Slater is an ideal Kara, aka Supergirl, and, as the wicked witch Selena, arch-diva Faye Dunaway spoofs her high-camp Mommie Dearest Joan Crawford persona.
This film to me, gets too many bad Reviews, I cannot fault it in any way, even the music that is composed by Johnny Goldsmith is beautiful I would not of minded a Supergirl 2,3 and 4 like my SuperMan DVD'S I have also in my collection.
I thought the story was really cool, very appropriate and comic book like, a new direction from the first 2 superman movies.
Helen slater is perfectly cast she is Supergirl,OK some or the dialogue was lame but name a film that does not have any bad lines.
Helen Slater is the most beautiful woman on earth, and it shows as she portrays the title role with such balance and grace, and her arch nemesis, Selena, is played out real fine by a wicked Faye Dunaway!
This is one of the great movies of the 80's in MY collection that I think about all the time.Supergirl is an excellent film that in My opinion is one the greatest of all time.
The film stars Faye Dunaway, Helen Slater, Peter O'Toole, Mia Farrow, Brenda Vaccaro, Peter Cook, Simon Ward, Marc McClure, Hart Bochner, Maureen Teefy, and David Healy.
If you like Faye Dunaway, Helen Slater, Peter O'Toole, Mia Farrow, Marc McClure, the rest of the cast in the film, Sci-Fi, Adventure, Fantasy, Action, Comic Book Feature Films, and interesting films then I strongly recommend that you do what I did and buy this astonishing film today!
I'm now 26 years old and still love it.She is a superb actress and i think one of the most beautiful ever.I think the storyline was very good shes seems so innocent when she arrives on to earth which is a completely different galaxy from where she is from.Still to this day i would love to meet her in person.Her costume is really great and her figure is fantastic,i love her blond hair and shes so pretty All i can say is very well done to Helen Slater your my heroLouise XXX.
And then people wanted to use it as a benchmark to measure other films in the same category).Supergirl, not only promoted the delicate side of a super heroine (to say that she has all the good and faltering human feelings) it publicized Helen Slater's name and acting capability as well.
The film, a Superhero's story, is about Kara-El, Superman's cousin, who must go to earth and save mankind from a witch who is going to take over the world, to save millions and most importantly, to do what's right.
Helen Slater, Faye Dunaway, Peter O Toole, Jeannot Szwarc, Jerry Goldsmith, and Ilya Salkind all did their absolute best to make sure that this film is a thrilling experience, and I think they have done their job.
This is therefor, my way of explaining that this movie is just as good as "Superman".Helen Slater is glorious and righteous, and her equal Faye Dunaway is a manipulative witch with a mega-force of a temper.
I think it was the most wonderful movie to escape to and to really believe in women as heroes, for example modern day police officers really do protect you and they are women, so supergirl was like my hero in the 80s and Faye Dunway did an excellent job as the wicked witch.
Most people, however, don't know what to think, so they go with their instinct, and reject the unfamiliar, and because of this, "Supergirl" is unfairly deemed a 'bad movie.' The goods that this film brings are rich and plentiful.
We see a plethora of special effects, most of which still hold up to this day; we see Faye Dunaway, Brenda Vaccaro, Peter O Toole, Peter Cook, Mia Farrow, and Simon Ward have fun and play around with their acting chops; we see Helen Slater look beautiful, and prove she was worthy of working with her co-stars; we hear one of Jerry Goldsmith's finest marches; and we get Oscar worthy cinematography by Alan Hume.
Supergirl, instead of setting a trend for the high flying Superhero, told more of a coming of age Superhero story, wherein our hero (heroin) must learn things about herself, about how to adapt *as* as superhero in a new place (LONG before that 'X-men' Crap.) Once she has done this, she is tested by the villain, and learns something more, and must gather herself for her next 'test.' Hmm...Something we only *assumed* Superman did in the opening scenes of S:TM.
Well, be it flawed or not, it deserves the love it has, and from the looks of things, people do like this film a lot, I know I do..
And I do mean all (even the now dreadful 3 and 4) simply because I was a child, and believability and good writing had no impact on me, so long as Superman was flying around kicking the crap out of bad guys.Supergirl was an altogether different kind of character for me.
Chances are that movies like G.I. Jane and Alien would also have flopped at the box-office if they was released in the early 80's.Supergirl was and still is a great film for people of all ages, despite what the critics may have said..
Helen Slater was perfect as Supergirl (I had a major crush on her), Faye Dunaway was campy as the evil witch Selena and Peter Cook was rather amusing as her boyfriend Nigel.I first saw this movie in it's director's cut form when it aired on UK TV as a Premiere in the late 80's (yes, the director's cut "was shown" in the UK, regardless of what fans may have read on various websites.
Jerry Goldsmith's score, while not as classic as John Williams Superman is still a great music score and I have never met anyone who did not name the main title music as either Superman or Supergirl to this day.The reason this movie flopped at the Box-Office in the US was mainly because of poor-marketing, cuts to the US version by it's second distributor Tri-Star (Warner Bros.
It's a shame because this is clearly the only reason this movie never had any sequels made."The movie actually did very well overseas" which isn't a huge surprise to me at all because Supergirl had actual decent marketing there, they also got a different "superior" cut of the movie which was released in countries outside of the US, this being the "international version" which is now available in the US via both a separate DVD and a 2-disc DVD set which also includes the even longer "director's cut".This movie is a fun, enjoyable movie that does not deserve the reputation it has received over the years, the DVD is also one of the best releases I know of, giving the movie the justice it deserved unlike the poor handing of Superman II by Warner Bros., "Anchoy Bay are one of the best DVD handlers out there for Special Editions!"7/10.
The hardest thing to swallow about how bad this film really is, is the talent on hand such as Peter O'Toole and Faye Dunaway - what on earth possessed them to put their genius into this appalling production is beyond me.Helen Slater's acting is as cardboard as it gets.
Some of the effects don't exactly look great, although I can't hold that against it - the film was made over 30 years ago.But Helen Slater was pitch-perfect - and gorgeous - as Supergirl (it's a shame she never got to repeat the role), Hart Bochner was spot-on as the himbo/'dude in distress', David Healy was entertaining as the headmaster, and Peter Cooke (always a favourite of mine) was funny.
The acting is hit and miss, and unless I was not paying attention, it was not really explained how Supergirl magically gets a costume as soon as she hits earth...But this is a fun film, and that makes up for any shortcoming, because it is actually enjoyable to watch.
Helen Slater is good in her starring role, but at times seems dazed and confused.I haven't seen the Director's Cut or the International Cut, but I heard it makes the film make more sense.
Helen Slater is beautiful and talented but she is wasted in a bad script dragged down by an unrealistic plot and the over-acting of Faye Dunaway and her co-horts of Mia Farrow and Peter Cook.
Right there the movie loses gravity and coherence.Huge holes large enough for a train to go through sideways are throughout the script as in why does Supergirl waste time getting enrolled in school when her family's life is in the balance and how in the world did she know about her cousin as Superman.
Supergirl seemed like the answer, but to no avail.The good: Helen Slater in the title role seemed to bring to life Kal-el's cousin and fellow Krypton denizen, Kara with grace and natural beauty.
Some wizard dude called Zaltar (Peter O'Toole) shows Kara Zor- El/Supergirl (Helen Slater) a baseball-sized object known as the Omegahedron which powers the city but can also be used to make cheap looking jewelry or big butterflies (??).
Ever.I don't know if there is a Supergirl porn parody movie but I think it has better acting, plot and special effects then this piece of utter garbage.
I wasn't able to see it it in theatres then, but I still wanted to watch it one day.I didn't know too much about who was in the movie or what the plot was either, except that Helen Slater was Supergirl.Faye Dunaway makes a dastardly villain.Really enjoyed the movie..
Helen Slater has never been more beautiful and endearing, and Faye Dunaway's campiness, wardrobe and dominance is the stuff drag queen's fashions and performances are made of, to be tons of fun.I wish director Jeannot Szwarc would have been more careful in hiding the cranes and cables that made Supergirl fly, they are all too visible in this clean, THX-certified transfer.Jerry Goldsmith's music score is delightful and invigorating, the same way he did it for 1993's "Rudy".Thank you Anchor Bay for giving this movie, and its fans, the chance it deserves to be seen like this..
I think that "Supergirl" deserved a better film, but I have loved this one since the first time I saw it.I admit that when I was a child I didn't understood it well, and it seemed to me a little long and boring, but I have recently re-discovered it and it is full of details of the Superman Universe Mythology.Helen Slater is just correct in her role, but Faye Dunaway is simply great, as also Peter O'Toole and Mia Farrow are.In my opinion, it reaches the quality of Superman II, and firmly surpasses Superman III and IV.Supergirl: The Movie needs three times or more to be fully understood; maybe it is better for fanatics than the main audience...(Don't lose the OST, Jerry Goldsmith composed a great score, one of his best works ever).
This came only a year after Superman III, but resembles the 1978 more than anything else, with it's epic sci-fi tone, but the inclusion of black magic into the plot is a little odd.Helen Slater is perfect casting for Supergirl, and she displays fine talent in showing the character's vulnerability and wonder at experiencing an entirely new world.
In fact, there's more stuff out-of-place in this movie than not; a cameo from Marc CcClure (Jimmy Olsen) to make sure we know who's series this really is, Selena's partner in crime Brenda Vaccaro is just unecessary comic relief, while Peter Cook gets far too much screen time for absolutely no reason whatsoever.The script is a little too much like that of Superman to be comfortable.
Personally, I do not like Helen Slater too much, but for 19 years old girl in her first serious role, she did a great job playing Supergirl.
Supergirl (1984) * 1/2 (out of 4) Superman's cousin Kara Zor-El (Helen Slater) comes to Earth after a powerful orb lands on the planet.