The Batgirl

After years of production uncertainty and a controversial shelving by Warner Bros., Batgirl finally soars—and it was worth the wait. Directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Bad Boys for Life), Batgirl is a gritty, emotional, and refreshingly grounded entry in the DC universe that centers on identity, legacy, and reclaiming power in a city that tries to break everyone.

Set in post-The Flash Gotham, the film follows Barbara Gordon (played with remarkable depth by Leslie Grace), a brilliant tech-savvy grad student and daughter of Commissioner James Gordon (J.K. Simmons, reprising his role). Struggling with the legacy of her city, her family, and her own internal doubts, Barbara stumbles onto a conspiracy involving a corrupt redevelopment scheme tied to a series of brutal vigilante-style killings. When evidence leads her to a disgraced former WayneTech employee—Garfield Lynns, aka Firefly (Brendan Fraser)—she puts on the cowl not to avenge, but to protect.

Rather than mimic the darkness of The Batman or the flashiness of The Flash, Batgirl strikes a rare balance. It’s intimate in scope yet rich with character-driven tension. Gotham here feels more lived-in than ever—claustrophobic, modern, and decaying from the inside out. The directors borrow visual inspiration from The Raid and Jessica Jones, using hand-held shots, narrow corridors, and neon-lit rooftops to make every fight feel personal.

Leslie Grace delivers a compelling performance as Barbara—intelligent, vulnerable, fiercely determined. Her transformation into Batgirl feels earned, not rushed. She doesn’t instantly win every fight. She learns, she adapts, and she makes mistakes—making her one of DC’s most relatable new heroes. Fraser’s Firefly, meanwhile, is tragic rather than cartoonish: a blue-collar worker broken by the system, his descent into villainy painfully human and disturbingly understandable.

Michael Keaton returns as Bruce Wayne/Batman in a mentor capacity—but thankfully, he doesn’t overshadow Barbara. His presence is restrained but symbolic, offering guidance without stealing focus. Their relationship is built on mutual respect, not control.

The score, composed by Natalie Holt (Loki), pulses with urgency—mixing orchestral cues with synth-laced dread. The result is a film that feels modern but deeply rooted in Gotham's mythos.

Batgirl is more than just a “lost” project—it’s a bold character study wrapped in a street-level superhero thriller. It's not trying to save the multiverse. It’s trying to save one city, one block, one life at a time—and that’s what makes it powerful.