Supergirl as the new The Good, the Bad and the Ugly? Hideo Kojima thinks so

Everyone lined up to call Supergirl the next Fury Road. Hideo Kojima watched it and went, actually… it plays closer to a Sergio Leone showdown. Not the take I expected, but the more you sit with it, the more it fits.

Kojima’s read: less demolition derby, more duel at high noon

The Metal Gear creator caught Supergirl in IMAX and posted his thoughts on X on June 28, 2026. Instead of a standard cape movie about noble sacrifice versus cartoon evil, he saw something tighter and more personal: Kara Zor-El trying to patch herself back together.

'I saw "Supergirl" in IMAX. It wasn’t a "superhero movie" about saving the Earth through self-sacrifice as "justice " confronts "evil." It was a coming-of-age story about saving oneself, Kara, as she struggles with her own trauma. '

He also said the film ’s shape reminds him less of Mad Max: Fury Road and more of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly — not because of cowboy hats, but because all the key players keep drifting toward the same inevitable collision.

Why that comparison actually tracks

Craig Gillespie leans into a full-on space western vibe: sketchy watering holes on far-flung worlds, bleak horizons, and a galaxy that doesn’t care if you make it home. The story sticks with Kara and Ruthye on a revenge trail, hunting down Matthias Schoenaerts’ Krem of the Yellow Hills. It’s more pursuit than parade-float heroics.

That structure clicks with Kojima’s read for another reason: motivations keep rubbing up against each other until sparks fly. Milly Alcock’s Kara is stumbling forward through grief, looking for a reason to be more than her trauma. Eve Ridley’s Ruthye wants payback for a murdered family and won’t blink. Krem is just trying to stay alive long enough to disappear. Different goals, same destination — very Leone.

Kara’s headspace matters

Unlike her cousin, Kara didn’t get a soft landing on Earth. She saw Krypton die and carries that loss everywhere. Teaming up to help a young alien chase the man who tore her life apart isn’t just plot fuel — it’s how the movie digs into identity, survival, and what healing even looks like when you’ve been scraped raw.

Reception: split screen

Critics and audiences have not been in the same theater on this one. Reviewers poked holes in the script; moviegoers largely rallied around Alcock’s take on Kara. And yes, fans are already gaming out where she could pop up next — including a possible handoff into the next Superman film.

Also: Kojima’s current movie crushes

When Kojima likes something, he doesn’t half-commit — which is why his praise tends to travel. This is the same guy who jokes that 70% of his body is made of movies, and his taste skews big, bold, and obsessive. Recent picks he’s championed:

• Sinners
• The Girl with the Needle
• Conclave
• Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In
• Nosferatu
• Dune: Part Two

Whether he’s boosting Ryan Coogler’s supernatural swings, Robert Eggers’ trancey nightmares, or Denis Villeneuve ’s sandblasted epics, he tends to spot the angle most of us miss. Supergirl just happens to be his latest case study.

Do you buy Kojima’s read, or is Supergirl still Fury Road in a cape for you?