Stargirl May Not Shine Like A Supernova, But It Still Glitters
Now that DC’s Stargirl (yes, that’s its official title) has two episodes under its belt, it’s time for a spoiler-free first-impressions review.
In the first of what could be a slew of shows to use a new distribution system, Stargirl airs first on the DCU streaming service, then one day later it runs on CW. Because of that dual distribution path, Stargirl is thematically much more like the Arrowverse shows made by Stargirl’s production studio Berlanti Productions than the DCU-only show Titans. No F-bombs in Stargirl, and much less graphic violence.
That makes sense from an audience standpoint, aside from the show airing on basic cable. Stargirl is based on the comic Stars And S.T.R.I.P.E., in which author Geoff Johns updated Starman from the Justice Society of America (JSA) into a modern-day carrier of the Cosmic Staff, teenage high school student Courtney Whitmore (Bec Bessinger in Stargirl). It is aimed at a teen audience, unlike Titans which seems to be targeting the 30-and up crowd that grew up with the Teen Titans in the comics.
If you don’t know about the JSA, it would take way too long to explain what the group is here. The simple version is the JSA is a group of superheroes like the Justice League but from an alternate Earth. If you want to find out about the characters’ original histories as pre-DC Golden Age heroes from the 1940s and ’50s, Google has way more information than you might want.
Geoff Johns is an executive producer on Stargirl, and wrote the first two episodes, which sets it solidly on the path he imagined for it. Johns also relies a little too much on his encyclopedic knowledge of the DC universe as it introduces the JSA and the Injustice Society in an extended opening flashback to 10 years prior to the show’s modern setting. If you have never heard of any of these characters, it will seem like a massive exposition dump by way of a fight scene. The otherwise excellent Luke Wilson as Pat Dugan, Courtney’s stepdad and one-time sidekick to Starman, does his best to deliver concern in a bunch of lines that simply state “Wildcat!” or “Hourman!” in the flashback, but it’s pretty painfully obvious exposition.
Good, efficient scripting
In general, though, the scripting is solid, but it is the well-respected comic veteran Johns doing the writing from his own comic series, so that’s to be expected. Johns does have the characters make a few illogical choices but nothing that gets in the way of enjoying the series so far. By moving the story into the modern day, Johns does get to make fun of some of the silly names of heroes and villains from the previous era of the JSA (i.e., comics’ Golden Age).
Bessinger does a good job as the naive, perhaps overly talented, Courtney. At times she is simply adorable, and at others, the very embodiment of an annoying teenager. She portrays Courtney as earnest and determined during fight scenes, and properly scared.
Amy Smart is the other bigger-name get along with Wilson, and she plays Courtney’s mom, Barbara. Smart is wonderful in everything she does, and that holds true for her work in Stargirl. And watch out for Trae Romano as Courtney’s stepbrother Mike Dugan. This kid’s comic timing is nigh-on perfect and he steals almost every scene he is in.
If there is one overarching weakness to the show so far, it is the poor action choreography — particularly the stunt work for Courtney. Perhaps they have insurance concerns for using a stunt person young enough to match Bessinger’s size, or maybe she does her own stunts. But at times it looks like the fights are in slow motion, particularly any time Courtney takes a hit and/or falls from a height. Considering how good the fight choreography is in other Arrowverse shows, this lack in Stargirl is surprising.
Early impressions of Stargirl are that it is a show worth watching, particularly for any DC fans, but also for all fans of comic adaptations.
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