Trailer Park: CBS' Supergirl Takes Flight

In which I discuss the latest movie trailers.

It's been a long time in coming, but our first, substantive look at CBS' new Supergirl series is finally here.  And, truth be told, I'm not 100% sure what to think about it.  In some ways, I'm glad that it's an upgrade from the Smallville clone that I feared it could be, but the final product seems a lot... sitcommier than I would have pegged it as.  Check it out for yourself here:

It basically looks like what would happen if Kara Zor-El worked for Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada.  That's not a judgment, mind you, just the general impression that this extended trailer leaves.  I actually liked the movie and CBS seems to have nailed the franchise's tone perfectly: light, sunny and generally upbeat.  This is something that her cousin could benefit from on the big screen.

What I found especially interesting about this particular series is that it seems to desperately want to be a part of the nascent DCCU.  Aside from actually being in color, it takes most of its visual cues from Snyder's movies.  Kara's modern costume and dark coloration seems to be right out of Man of Steel.  Additionally, the visuals of Krypton, snippets of Jesus "Superman" Christ and the emphasis of her costume's "S" as her family's crest all hit the exact same notes as Warner Brothers' movies.

The internet, however, doesn't seem to share my cautious optimism.  Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy has seemingly set the golden standard for what people should expect from DC adaptations.  Arrow kept things dark and somber.  Man of Steel bullheadedly adopted a gritty, Batman aesthetic and Dawn of Justice looks like it's going to be more of the same.

People can't seem to get over the fact that Supergirl feels like, well, Supergirl.  It's bright and cheery and optimistic.  It's fun and girly and more of a romantic comedy with a little bit of action thrown in than a somber, action-heavy drama.

This isn't Batman and isn't trying to be.  And you know what?  That's okay.  That's what Supergirl is.  That's what Marvel's long since come to terms with: every franchise should be allowed to be its own thing.  If it wants to be a romantic comedy about Superman's younger cousin, then that's exactly what CBS should let it be, "grim 'n' gritty" be damned.

I'm actually pretty excited about this series and am going to be tuning into it just as soon as I'm able to.  Hopefully this series' success will show Warner Bros that not everything has to be so God damned bleak all off the time.  Things can be light and funny and still be awesome.

So what are your thoughts about the new Supergirl series?  Will you be tuning its premiere episode?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Join the Filmquisition on Twitter (@Filmquisition) or by subscribing to this blog.