Perhaps Supergirl would have been a better film if any of the creative team had evinced any faith in the film. Superhero movies are very tricky things to get right; there needs to be a certain lightness so that the audience can share the wonder that the character experiences when using his or her superpowers, but that lightness has to be balanced with a firm belief in the seriousness of whatever task is at hand. Director Jeannot Szwarc and writer David Odell clearly don't have that belief. There's nothing onscreen to suggest that either one has a fondness for Supergirl or had any desire (other than monetary compensation) to make a film about her. The result is a big, silly mess -- one which manages to be both over-the-top and deadly dull. The plot is convoluted and ridiculous, as well as filled with holes. (For example, if Supergirl is on a mission which will decide the fate of her home and loved ones, why does she dally by needlessly enrolling in school and getting involved in a romance?) The villain that has been created is in no league with those of the first Superman movies, and the lack of a credible threat is damaging. Szwarc directs without a sense of style and allows his actors to perform in whatever style suits their fancy; thus, viewers suffer through Brenda Vaccaro's annoying and Faye Dunaway's high-camp histrionics as well as Helen Slater's earnest and well-intentioned but lackluster performance. The special effects are surprisingly cheesy, with visible wires in several scenes. Every now and then, Supergirl has a moment when Szwarc plays things straight, not treating the star character as a ridiculous object but as a real character; in those moments, the film reveals that it could have been an exciting little excursion, rather than the bore that it is.