As a change of pace from last year’s bright and hopeful Superman movie, Supergirl aims to be the messier DC Comics movie, coated in brash boozing and grimy aliens. But for a film that desires to party it up with an intergalactic pub crawl, there’s an underwhelming vibe to how much excitement can be had from this off-planet adventure. A thrilling space adventure centering on outsider anti-heroes surrounded by weird aliens isn’t hard to craft with the crass charm of James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy), but this film comes from Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya), resulting in a superhero picture more rote than rowdy.

There are thankfully no introductions given for Kara “Supergirl” Zor-El, with Milly Alcock stumbling onto the scene, looking more for drinks to consume than crimes to thwart. On a solo birthday celebration, her dog Krypto tags along for her chance to party. There isn’t much time to appreciate her inebriated antics among gross-looking aliens, as her ship is stolen and the dog poisoned by the villainous Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts), a space pirate with an ensemble fit for a Mad Max movie. Specializing in weapons and human trafficking, Krem has made some enemies, including the young Ruthye (Eve Ridley), eager to avenge the death of her family at his hands. Supergirl isn’t interested in helping this girl, but Ruthye’s persistence makes her an ally in this battle for family.

The one word that comes to mind throughout is “standard.” There’s a sufficient amount of production work placed into scenes of intergalactic buses and convenient stores that sell bug turds like popcorn, but it always feels like something is missing. It could be the lack of grime for strange creatures that Supergirl encounters, but her passive nature around them may account for how routine these character designs appear. Maybe it’s that Supergirl’s messy pub crawls are never given room for some fun, blazing by these character moments in hazy montages with few amusing exchanges. It’s hard not to compare the abundance of outsiders and strange planets to James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy. By comparison, these many creatures and locations feel too generic, as though they were on loan from a Star Wars show. It’s a good thing the movie provides titles for the many planets it quickly cuts to, given how similar they all are with either metallic urban environments or large open spaces of nothing.

The best part of the movie is how Milly Alcock fits into the role of Supergirl with almost too much ease. Everything from her stumbling swagger to her casual conversations in between scenes of heat vision and punching people through walls has some charm. It’s unfortunate that she doesn’t have much to work with here. Ruthye’s quest for revenge is so by the numbers that even Supergirl starts mockingly repeating her monologue for ending the life of Krem. Krem is a fine villain with a real presence and a salivation for the sadistic, but sticks to the cackling antagonist textbook when it comes to weakening Supergirl and threatening Ruthye. And then there’s the ideal casting of Jason Momoa as the self-centered bounty hunter Lobo, adding so little to the film’s story or banter that he feels like he wandered in from a completely different movie. It’s not as big a waste as Mark Strong was as Sinestro in the Green Lantern movie from 2011, but there’s a sparing use of this Superman wildcard that one hopes he’ll have something more substantial to do for the next DC Comics project he appears in.

Rarely does the film find a solid thematic focus, to the point that even Supergirl’s lecture to Ruthye on the nature of murder feels more like a PSA than a genuine growth moment. There’s clearly a fear of fitting in, leading to a choice to remain on the fringes of nomadic life with no place to call home. Kara’s backstory is progressively revealed throughout the film to make clear her tragic nature: the loss of her home, Krypton’s Argo City. Of course, Superman (David Corenswet) is there to ease her transition to Earth, but he always realizes he needs to keep his distance and give her time to find herself. The whole movie has an air of uncertainty about how to position Supergirl in this fresh cinematic universe. Rather than dive into the deep end, Supergirl’s debut plays it safe with a story so familiar that it feels like a fun adventure and more like a test drive for the character. She steers well when duking it out with space pirates, but, wow, did I want her to take these off-planet adventures more off-road.

Supergirl has some fun, but it often stumbles, making for a film that rarely finds a good groove for the character. The movie succeeds more for how well Milly Alcock rises above a bland script, likely hoping the movie would just be found once all the creepy aliens and galactic sets were in place. Interesting concepts of how different suns affect Supergirl’s powers and Krem’s diabolical methods of human trafficking shouldn’t feel so by-the-numbers that they’re brushed by without much cleverness. The film ends with Supergirl feeling more certain of herself and ready to become a bigger part of this DC Comics movie universe. Let’s hope the next film gives her more to do than just interact with characters who don’t have much to say between her rousing battles. She deserves so much more than more bad guys to punch really hard.

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