DC’s Stargirl, “Pilot”, Review!

This of course is DC’s Stargirl to separate it from the Disney+ movie.  It is written by Geoff Johns who created the character with Lee Moder in Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #0 (1999).  Two other actresses played Stargirl in Legends of Tomorrow (Sarah Grey) and Smallville (Britt Irwin).  There is some type font that reads about a Golden Age of Heroes that ended “Ten Years Ago”, we see the extreme closeup of a lightbulb that lights up.  Then, a car races under a Merry Christmas sign, it is Stripey, Pat Dugan (Luke Wilson) calling Star Man (Joel McHale) who tells him he is a sidekick.  Star Man and Stripey first appeared in Star Spangled Comics #1 (1941).  The car is called the Star-Rocket Racer built by Pat who is the Tony Stark of this universe.  He crashes through a gate to see a strange, green light blast from a house.  

The house is set on fire with green flames and Pat rushes out only to see a costume figure fall down.  This is Wildcat, who is wounded.  Pat runs into the chaos of the house as lightning bolts are thrown in the burning house.  Stripey, in his red striped shirt, sees a battle where Dr. Midnight is down.  A dark figure drags him back screaming.  Star Man faces off against two supervillains.  He is levitated by the villain, Brainwave (Christopher James Baker) and then a large spike is thrown that pierces Starman!  Pat removes the spike and takes Star Man to his car.  The supervillains, The Injustice Society,  emerge from the house and send Solomon Grundy after the car.  Pat activates jets to fly away from the bulky creature.  The battle has some cheap CG and it is choppy introducing characters in seconds.  

DC’s Stargirl - “Pilot” - BREC BASSINGER - Quantrell Colbert/The CW. 

The car crahes in a forest and Pat brings out Star Man who is dying.  He says the Justice Society is over and passes his Cosmic Staff to the next hero, not Pat.  At the house trying to celebrate Christmas is young Courtney who has a wrapped gift for her father.  Her mother, Barbara (Amy Smart) has to leave.  This shifts to the “Present Day”, with a house in the daytime, an American Action Movers truck pulls up.  We see photos of Courtney and her mother.  An older Courtney (Brec Bassinger) is packing up her belongings.  The car is towed to the house, young Mike (Trae Romano) and Pat are moving to Blue Valley, Nebraska.  Courtney is also not happy at the move.  

They drive into the small town and to their new home where Mike is excited at the size of the house. Pat goes to move a case.  The family walks to the town where they are greeted by the residents.  The parents are happy to see Ritchie’s Diner where they met.  Pat says he was in Nebraska “looking for something.”  Night, Courtney is trying to unpack, and looks out to the night sky.  We see stars light up in a constellation. The next day, Pat drives Courtney to Blue Valley High School, she has told there is no gymnastic class.  Then, takes her i.d. picture not smiling.  Pat meets Larry Kroc, who is called the Crusher.  Barbara is starting her new job at an office.  

Courtney is trying to find a place with her lunch tray.  She meets Beth (Anjelika Washington) and some other sullen teens.  Beth says it’s the losers table.  A jock, Henry King, Jr. (Jake Austin Walker) tries to bully a girl at the table, but Courtney stands up to him and pushes him away.  She is taken away by a principal who apparently wasn’t around until the end of the confrontation.  She is threatened by Cindy (Meg DeLacy).  At night, Mike likes his new school, he goes to play Fortnite at a friend’s house.  Courtney goes to the basement covered with cobwebs.  She sees a photo of Pat fishing and pulls it out to see a photo of the Justice Society.  Courtney continues to look through her stepfather’s personal items finding a photo of Stripey and Star Man and then a super suit.  The Cosmic Staff starts to glow in the box.  She opens the box and we have an origin in 25 minutes.  

DC’s Stargirl - “Pilot” - LUKE WILSON, BREC BASSINGER - Jace Downs/The CW. 

So it’s fine that Courtney goes through belongings of the stepfather she doesn’t like?  The staff pulls her upstairs.  A magical staff choses an average teen because she pushed one bully?  The staff has taken Courntey outside of the high school, she throws it into the air, to use it as a gymnastics kip bar.  Oh, the staff chose her because she knows gymnastics.  Then, it takes her into the air.  Pat brings a box to the basement and sees that the staff is missing.  The Cosmic Staff has taken her to the drive-in where the jocks are acting like jerks.  She sneaks over to their car with a handkerchief to hide her faceand uses her staff to deflate the tires.  

The staff knocks Henry King, Jr. down and blows up their car.  Could the mysterious girl be the only girl in school who stood up to them?  What is the need for superheroes if the supervillains have gone into hiding?  It seems like a peaceful world without superheroes.  Courtney returns home and faces off with Pat.  He takes back the staff.  She holds up a locket of her father and compares it to the JSA photo of Starman. Courtney tells Pat that her father was Sam Curtis.  Pat says Starman was Sylvester Pemberton.  Courtney goes to tell her mother who says her husband abandoned them.  Henry is talking to his father, Henry King Senior (Baker) about the staff in their wealthy estate with a secret door.  It has his costume as Brainwave.  A bully whose father is a supervillain is too expected.  I like the twist of comic book and show, Runaways, where fun kids are raised by supervillains.  

Courtney talks to Pat about his code name.  He explains that he was 20 when Sylvester was 15 and took the identity of the Star Spangled Kid.  Courtney says she will keep Pat’s secret if he doesn’t interfere with her superhero identity.  We get the pov wandering the house to find Courtney.  It is the Cosmic Staff which she shoves under her bed when her mother comes to talk to her.  Later, it is going to take her into the night sky.  Brainwave checks out the drive-in.  The staff takes her to a rooftop to practice as a superhero, she rides it flying through the streets.  I sense somewhere that the staff will take an image or voice of her father.  Courtney is thrown down by Blue Valley Tires and finds that she has to face Brainwave.  There is one more surprise.  Bassinger has some good gymnastic moves, she is fun as a superhero, but the teen part of her character is too cookie cutter.  The pilot needs to slow down and spend time with the characters.  I sense Stargirl does have potential as it is a personal project for Geoff Johns.  

Three Cosmic Staves out of Five! 

 #Stargirl, #BrecBassinger, #LukeWilson, #AmySmart