On Nov. 21, 1984, Tristar released its $35 million adaptation of Supergirl in theaters stateside as a spinoff of the Christopher Reeve-led Superman franchise. The film, starring Helen Slater and Faye Dunaway, ultimately grossed $14 million domestically in theaters. The Hollywood Reporter’s original review of the feature is below:
The main trouble with Alexander and Ilya Salkind’s elaborate production of Supergirl is that it doesn’t really fly. Despite its expense and hard-working cast, its extensive, expensive and eye-filling special effects, and an effective but ear-splitting score by Jerry Goldsmith, the film remains surprisingly small, thanks to David Odell’s unimaginative, earthbound screenplay. Even its occasional attempts at campy tongue-in-cheekiness seldom raise more than a titter.
One keeps longing for Supergirl to do something spectacular, like steadying a towering skyscraper or halting a runaway train. Instead, she manages to put out a two-alarm fire and save Hart Bochner from being crushed to death by an array of amusement park bump’em cars. The Salkinds have repeatedly stated that they didn’t want Supergirl to become Superman IV, and the sad fact is that they’ve succeeded all too well.
