5 Reasons To Watch The 1984 Supergirl Movie

It won't be long until we'll be seeing the Supergirl TV series on our screens, but they've been rocking comic movies as early as the 80s and YES a Supergirl movie exists.

Helen Slater takes the lead role as Kara (Linda Lee) with appearances from Peter O'Toole, Mia Farrow and Maureen Teffy as (DC's most recent incarnation of Supergirl) Lucy Lane.

This is still one of Geeky Girl Bimpe's favourite comic superhero films and here are five reasons why you should watch it, and why it holds its own over Marvel and DC's recent onscreen adaptations.

1. It's old school

The story is simple and effective. Kara has come to earth in search of a mystical and powerful item that will save her home on Kyrpton - the Omegahedron. And what follows is a series of simple yet graceful visual effects. CGI has no place here, and if anything scenes are made more enjoyable because of it. Supergirl's flight scenes are visually stunning and elegant, and far less distracting than recent adaptions.

Even better is that there's nothing strange or shameful in her feeling the need to use her powers. We've gotten so used to seeing the dark and depressing side of how our heroes feel about their powers, to the extent that they struggle to hide or suppress them (X-Men, Man of Steel). So for once it's nice to see someone using them for the hell of it and so unashamedly so, and why? Because it comes naturally to her! She's a hero goddam it.

2. PLOT HOLES? WHAT PLOT HOLES!

One of the biggest issues people might have with the film is 'if she's Superman's cousin, wouldn't he know she's in town?' Easily taken care of! If you listen carefully at the beginning of the film (when we finally see earth), as one of the bad guys drives off, on his radio a new correspondent states that our friendly neighbourhood Superman is off on a peacekeeping mission billions of light years away. PROBLEM SOLVED in a matter of seconds, leaving all focus on the main girl.

3. CLEVER CASTING AND CHARACTER CONNECTIONS

We're a sucker for all-star casts and characters crossing paths, and this film does it perfectly. First there is Lois Lane's sister (and future Supergirl) Lucy Lane. And through Lucy we are introduced to Jimmy Olsen (Marc McClure from Superman I-IV), who becomes the films supporting character. And who can ignore the amazing Mia Farrow in the role as Kara's mother, Alura. They even manage to sneak a Danvers (not Carol) in there, in the form of Kara's school head teacher. It's good stuff.

4. THAT SCENE

One of our FAVOURITE scenes in a film ever. It's so simple, yet so smart, and when you're younger it really can spark your imagination. Of course we are talking about that transition from Supergirl to Linda Lee between the trees.

With the magic of CGI and all sorts of advancements in VFX, we rarely see simple visual transitions on characters. But in this film there's something so magical about it, and in some ways witnessing her transition in a few steps makes the process so much more mysterious and enjoyable. It's always felt like these changes should be personal to the hero (to maintain their identity), but watching it from beyond the tree's always felt like as a viewer you were in on the secret. Love it.

And the wig wasn't half bad either.

5. No room for damsels in distress.

This is a film about strong women on multiple accounts, the heroine, the unconventional hero and even the villain.

We have Kara. Yes, she is VERY innocent, and her discoveries about earth lead her to some harsh truths. She even develops feelings for an earth man, but our little Kara doesn't fall at his feet. There is an interesting and refreshing bit of role reversal, with the male character in need of saving multiple times and all without the emotional power play.

And then there's Lucy - she shows that a hero is more than a costume or Bruce Banners millions. Throughout the film she is the first to step to the plate and help, and plays a key role in defeating the main villain. The film portrays Lucy as a great female role model, proving that you don't need superpowers, or assassin type skills to save the day.

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