In one of his poems, J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, “Not all who wander are lost.” The meaning being that sometimes people have to take a long and unorthodox path to find their center and their purpose. That’s certainly true of Kara Zor-El.

The second film in the new D.C. universe is Supergirl, which focuses on Kara (Milly Alcock) and her search for identity, purpose, meaning, and home. It’s an expansion of the world and one that hopes to prove this new D.C. has legs. But does it work?

We pick up with Kara, celebrating another birthday, is roaming the galaxy. She’s on a drinking tour with her best friend Krypto. While her cousin Clark (David Corenswet) has found his purpose as Superman, Kara hasn’t been as lucky. He keeps reaching out, trying to coax her home, but that feels like a foreign concept to Kara.

When Krypton exploded, her father (David Krumholtz) used his scientific prowess to protect Argo City. It was meant to keep civilization alive. It was where Kara was born, and the only home she’d known. But all his efforts did was create a temporary stopgap. With Argo City failing, too, he sent Kara to Earth, following her cousin.

Kara and Krypto survived, but they were adrift. Kara was older than Clark when she arrived on Earth, and it didn’t feel like home. So, she took to searching the galaxy—which brought her to Ruthye (Eve Ridley), a young girl whose family was murdered and is seeking revenge. When the man who killed Ruthye’s family attacks Krypto, it spurs Kara into action.

As she hunts Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts) to save Krypto and keep Ruthye safe, she begins to find her purpose and consider what it means to have a home.

This new film is a bit of a tonal departure from Superman, which bowed last summer. But it’s a fun journey into Kara and her story. It also features a fun debut of the anti-hero Lobo (Jason Momoa), who is a larger-than-life presence during portions of the film.

The film comes from director Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya, Dumb Money). It features a script from Ana Nogueira, featuring a blend of comedy, action, and some pathos. It’s a nice exploration that provides some personality and humor to connect the bigger action set pieces. I also liked the way it mixed in flashbacks to help tell Kara’s story and see how she came to be where we meet her in the story.

The whole thing really works thanks Alcock, who has to carry the film as the lead character. She does a nice job of taking us on a journey, especially with the payoff in the third act and in the concluding sequence. This feels more like an origin story than what we got with Superman, but that feels fitting for this character who has never really had a strong leading role in films.

It’s also a bit of fun. I enjoyed the dialogue and the story. I liked Momoa as Lobo and I thought Ridley did a decent job as Ruthye. The film has a decent story and some fun action sequences, feeling like a solid summer blockbuster. It gives me hope we’re going to see some nice worldbuilding as the new D.C. continues to roll out.

Supergirl opens nationwide on Friday, June 26.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.