Now People Are Comparing Supergirl to Armie Hammer’s Gross Anti-Immigrant Movie?!

Supergirl is inspiring some of the most wild takes on social media. And, now different outlets are getting in on the madness.

The best and the worst thing about the Internet is that all takes are welcome. Take a Newsweek piece from this week where a writer explains that Supergirl and Citizen Vigilante are the same, actually! Well, we don’t believe that and it’s a wild claim to make.

You know how wild this take is? Well, when we label the article as “the editorial team,” you know something is going to be incendiary. That’s definitely the case when you argue that Citizen Vigilante is the same as the latest summer blockbuster from DC Studios. 

The main thrust of this argument is basically that some plot points about human trafficking make these “revenge fantasy” films a spiritual match for each other. But, there’s one large problem to contend with aside from Armie Hammer’s latest. Namely, is Supergirl really about revenge?

On the surface, maybe in a way? Well, for Eve Ridley’s Ruthye Marye Knoll, the story is about revenge. But, in the end the real world is more complicated than the story she keeps trying to tell herself throughout the film. 

Meanwhile, Citizen Vigilante is one of the most overt power fantasies you’re going to see on any screen in the near future. A world that is molded, consumed, and discussed by minds that have had too much input from conservative streamers.

Still, the Newsweek article about the whole Supergirl business serves as a throwback to the old “peak thinkpiece” era. If this was back then, we would be on maybe our third outrageous take of the week?

Why Are We Comparing Supergirl to Citizen Vigilante?

To be serious, the only real common thread is the trafficking element in each story. Both protagonists are trying to right a wrong. But, Citizen Vigilante is much more acidic about it. That’s a narrative shaped by the kind of bile that 24/7 Newsmax might give you.

In an email to newsweek, director Ewe Boll took aim at Craig Gillespie’s superhero film. The filmmaker took particular issue with the “artificial nature” of Supergirl. But, a movie about literal plastic toys ended up carrying the box office.

Boll argued, “The movie shows an inconvenient truth what all other movies out there don’t want to show or try to sugarcoat in their productions. The audience wants real films again—bold and with impact and about reality. The times of SUPERGIRL and all that c*** are over.” 

Interestingly, Boll’s “massive hit” is a movie that was banned in Germany over concerns that it would incite violence against immigrants. (Before you brush that off, think about current events for a second. 

The director also credited social media. Boll said, “The reason that CITIZEN VIGILANTE turned into a massiv[e] hit without any advertising budget is very simple: the power of social media.”    

An oversimplification. It’s easy for your otherwise offensive movie to find an audience when the richest man on earth turns himself into your personal street team. And, he aligns with your personal views on the subject matter.

So, instead of a normal weekend, we’re stuck on the bad take machine. Let’s hope that everyone gets distracted by the holiday weekend and we find better stuff to talk about

(featured image: Warner Bros., DC Studios and Amazon)

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