Supergirl

Supergirl is a 1984 British superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name that was directed by Jeannot Szwarc & starred Helen Slater in the lead role.

The film was first released in the United Kingdom in July of 1984 and later released in the United States in November of 1984.

Plot
After a power source for a community of Krypton survivors is sent to Earth by accident and ends up into the hands of a witch named Selena (Faye Dunaway), Superman's cousin, Kara Zor-El (Helen Slater) decides to go to Earth to retrieve it and faces dangerous situations along the way.

Cast

 * Helen Slater as Kara Zor-El\Linda Lee\Supergirl
 * Faye Dunaway as Selena
 * Peter O'Toole as Zaltar
 * Hart Bochner as Ethan
 * Mia Farrow as Alura In-Ze
 * Brenda Vaccaro as Bianca
 * Peter Cook as Nigel
 * Simon Ward as Zor-El
 * Marc McClure as Jimmy Olsen
 * Maureen Teefy as Lucy Lane
 * David Healy as Mr. Danvers
 * Sandra Dickinson as The Pretty Young Lady
 * Matt Frewer as Eddie
 * Kelly Hunter as Argonian Citizen

Production
After gaining the film rights for Superman: The Movie in 1974, Alexander Salkind and his son, Ilya purchased the rights to the character of Supergirl in the event of any sequel or spin-off should occur.

After the critical and commercial disappointment of Superman III, the Salkinds decided to make a Supergirl movie to regenerate the franchise.

The producers attempted and failed to get director Richard Lester (who had directed Superman III and completed the second film after original director Richard Donner was fired).

After Robert Wise turned down the offer to direct the film, French filmmaker Jeannot Szwarc was ultimately chosen after meeting with Christopher Reeve. He also sought advice from Richard Donner over some technical aspects of the production.

Hundreds of actresses tested for the role of Supergirl/Linda, among them Demi Moore and Brooke Shields (who was Alexander Salkind's top choice for the role), but they were rejected by Ilya Salkind and Jeannot Szwarc, who wanted an unknown actress for the role and they picked Helen Slater to play Supergirl.

Dolly Parton turned down the role of Selena before it was offered to Faye Dunaway.

Much of "Supergirl" was shot at Pinewood Studios in London where almost 85% of the film was shot. It took place between the summer and fall of 1983.

Christopher Reeve was supposed to make a cameo appearance in the film, but he dropped out before filming began, but a picture of Reeve dressed up in his "Superman" costume is featured in the film.

In order to do the outdoor flying sequences in the film, Helen Slater had to train three hours a day for three months and was suspended by wires from a 200-foot tower crane.

Although the Salkinds financed the film completely on their own budget, Warner Bros. were still involved in the production as the studio owned the distribution rights to the film and its parent company, Warner Communications (who was also the parent company of DC Comics, which held the original copyright). The entire film was shot, edited and overseen under the supervision of Warner Bros.

Release
For the film's release, Warner Bros. only had a slot open for July of 1984, but the producers wanted it to be released during the holiday season. Due to that issue (along with the disappointing critical and financial performance of Superman III and Supergirl), the studio relinquished its distribution rights to the Salkinds.

However, the film proceeded to be released overseas and it received a Royal Film Premiere in the United Kingdom in July of 1984.

When "Supergirl" was released in the United Kingdom, it received poor reception from critics and fans.

In the United States, the film was picked up by TriStar Pictures and was released in November of 1984.

The test audiences found "Supergirl" overlong and the film was edited from 135 minutes to 105 minutes for its North American release.

Box Office
"Supergirl" opened at #1 at the box office, grossing $14,296,438 during its opening weekend, but dropped to #17 by its fifth week, grossing only $315,462.

The film is widely considered to be a box office bomb after making only $14.3 million in North America. It closed in theaters on January 27, 1985 after only 68 days in release.

Critical Reception
"Supergirl" received poor reviews from critics.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film was given a 7% rating based on 27 reviews with its average rating being 3.2\10.

The critics' consensus says: "The effects are cheesy and Supergirl's wide-eyed, cheery heroine simply isn't interesting to watch for an hour and a half."

Roger Ebert gave the movie a one-star rating, saying, "When it goes for campy laughs, it falls flat on its face."

According to Janet Maslin from the New York Times about Helen Slater's performance in the film, she says she "makes a four-square heroine of unrelenting sincerity; a sturdy ingenue, she is great fun to look at but hardly a live wire."

Accolades
1985 Saturn Awards
 * Best Actress: Helen Slater (nominated)

1985 Razzie Awards
 * Worst Actor: Peter O'Toole (nominated)
 * Worst Actress: Faye Dunaway (nominated)