On November 21, 1984, Tristar released its $35 million adaptation of Supergirl to US theaters as a spin-off of the Christopher Reeve-led Superman franchise. The film, starring Helen Slater and Faye Dunaway, eventually grossed $14 million domestically in theaters. The Hollywood Reporter’s original review of this feature is below:
The main problem with Alexander and Ilya Salkind’s masterful production of Supergirl is that it doesn’t really fly. Despite its cost, its hard-working cast, its extensive, expensive, eye-catching special effects, and Jerry Goldsmith’s effective but stunning score, the film remains surprisingly small, thanks to David Odell’s unimaginatively earthy screenplay. Even his occasional attempts at sarcasm rarely elicit more than a chuckle.
One keeps yearning for Supergirl to do something spectacular, like stabilize a towering skyscraper or stop a runaway train. Instead, she was able to put out a fire and save Hart Buechner from being crushed to death by a set of amusement park cars. The Salkinds have repeatedly said they don’t want to Supergirl To become Superman IV, The sad truth is that they succeeded very well.
Perhaps the biggest problem with this film is that Supergirl (Helen Slater) seems too slow in her fateful mission. She jumps to Earth to retrieve the life-sustaining omegahedron that slipped through her fingers in Argo City (which separated from Krypton when that planet was destroyed), and assumes the identity of teenager Linda Lee and enrolls in Meadville High School. An arrogant math teacher (Peter Cook) happens to fall in love with a carnival fortune teller (Faye Dunaway), whose humble ambition is to rule the world. When an omegahedron lands at a picnic lunch, she quickly seizes her opportunity.
Meanwhile, our supergirl makes friends and enemies in high school and falls in love with the muscular Bochner. But so did Dunaway, as much of Supergirl’s attention was diverted to rescuing her young man from Dunaway’s evil clutches. Since the girl doesn’t even know that Dunaway is in possession of the valuable power source until well into the story, one wonders why she keeps hanging around Meadville High – unless it’s to save Buechner from the many scrapes Dunaway keeps creating for him.
It’s a movie where the villains not only have all the fun, but provide most of it. Helen Slater, as Supergirl, chosen by the Salkinds after an international search, is as wholesome and sexy as a vanilla malt. As she flies through the air with her arm crossed in front of her (as she often does), she seems to be saying: “Give me an M, give me an I, give me a D…” Her romantic interludes recall Sandra Dee in her prime. The young Büchner seems understandably troubled at the delivery of the verses handed to him in these same interludes.
Dunaway and her tart-talking friend, Brenda Vaccaro, on the other hand, seem to be having the time of their lives as mistresses of the Dark Shadows (their dilapidated abode is a joyride on a ghost train decorated with skeletons, spiders and tattered webs). Dunaway is hilariously empowered as she tries out her newfound powers; Vaccaro is her most realistic partner, and she’s not entirely sure how her project will go, but she expects the worst. And Peter Cook, who can put a funny twist on flat lines, is civilized sinister as the professor who wants to start his own coven. Peter O’Toole brings his usual grace and authority to his role as the patriarch of the city of Argo, despite appearing only briefly in the film’s opening and closing reels; While Mia Farrow, who received fourth billing, is on screen for less than two minutes as Supergirl’s mother.
With a heavy name cast as just one example, Supergirl It is a film that promises more than it delivers. The disasters our heroine avoids are very small potatoes – a bulldozer wreaks havoc, an amusement park ride goes out of control, some prankster teens plan to turn a girl’s bathroom into a sauna. Even the special effects come across as less than amazing – especially since Jannot Szwark’s plodding direction provides enough time to sit there and figure out how it’s done. and Obligatory scene Of these epics, the race through space, comes so early that it is almost eliminated.
Despite all these drawbacks, this Tri-Star offering will likely come in handy during the holidays thanks to the strength of its heavy pre-load; But none of the kids I spoke to after the inspection last Saturday morning showed any great interest in coming back for a second helping. — Arthur Knight, originally published November 20, 1984.
