MOST KICK-ARSE FEMALE MOVIE HEROES
AFTER months of anticipation, the new Disney live action movie Mulan has been pretty disappointing, despite its heroine being able to kick butt.
Luckily there are more kick-arse heroines coming our way in the next couple of months, including Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow in that Marvel character’s final outing and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman in Wonder Woman 1984. In the longer term we can also look forward to the character of Shuri (Letitia Wright) taking on the mantle of Black Panther after the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman.
Yes, there are heroines who perhaps kick more butt, such as Alice from the Resident Evil series and Selene from the Underworld series — but those are not great movies.
With that in mind, here’s my Top 10 movie heroines who kick butt, judged not just on how many baddies they dispatch but the overall movie itself.
1: ELLEN RIPLEY ALIENS
Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is an unlikely heroine in the first movie of this series. By the second she is seemingly paralysed with PTSD. But, when things go wrong and she needs to save young Newt (Carrie Henn), the badarse comes out. The scene where she puts on an exoskeleton and takes on the Alien Queen is enough to make your guts explode out of your chest. WATCH IT ON YOUTUBE/ GOOGLE PLAY 2: SARAH CONNOR TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY
Like Ripley, Sarah (Linda Hamilton) is fairly harmless when we meet her. By the end of the first movie she is taking down Arnold Schwarzenegger. By the second she can take down a whole army. With triceps to die for, she’s unstoppable in this sci-fi romp. It doesn’t matter how many times you watch this, you’ll be back. WATCH IT ON FOXTEL 3: PRINCESS LEIA STAR WARS SERIES
Whether she is defying Darth Vader in the face of torture, leading the Rebel Alliance, rocking a bikini as she strangles Jabba the Hutt or calmly shooting stormtroopers, Leia (Carrie Fisher) was always a hero. Tragically Fisher’s death before the ninth movie meant the character wasn’t given the send-off it deserved. But what a ride it was. You have to feel her Force. WATCH THEM ON DISNEY+ 4: CLARICE STARLING SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) was a powerful villain but Clarice (Jodie Foster) was every bit his equal. From tackling the psychopath in mind games to taking down the serial killer the FBI was hunting, Clarice rose to the challenge every time. Scarily good. Enjoy it with some fava beans and a nice chianti. WATCH IT ON FOXTEL 5: RIVER TAM SERENITY
If you haven’t seen this sci-fi gem then do so immediately. River (Summer Glau) appears to be a tormented teen being protected by her brother and tolerated by the crew of Serenity because they hate the all-powerful Alliance. But — luckily for them — she proves to be an unstoppable warrior who can take down any foe. Don’t let it firefly you by. WATCH IT ON FOXTEL 6 THE BRIDE KILL BILL 1&2
She doesn’t get a name but The Bride (Uma Thurman) sure gets a lot of kills in her quest for revenge against those who shot up her wedding, took her baby and left her for dead. Being a Quentin Tarantino series, the stunts are incredible and the bad-arsery is off the charts. She pays back the bill. WATCH IT ON YOUTUBE/GOOGLE PLAY 7: FURIOSA MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
She may only have one arm but Furiosa (Charlize Theron) makes up for that with the ability to kick butt with both feet. Mad Max is supposedly the hero of this film but Furiosa is the one who gets the best lines, the best takedowns and the best stare. Mad if you miss it. WATCH IT ON GOOGLE PLAY OR STAN 8: KATNISS EVERDEEN HUNGER GAMES
Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers for the Hunger Games to save her sister, then takes down everyone else with a combination of smarts, guts and wicked bow skills. She got even more kick-arse in later movies but they weren’t as good as the first one. You’ll be hungry for more. WATCH IT ON NETFLIX 9: RITA VIRTASKI EDGE OF TOMORROW
This is an absolute sci-fi gem. Tom Cruise is great as the main character but Emily Blunt is the real hero, a warrior woman who uses the blade of a helicopter as a sword to take down the aliens. And she also gets to kill Cruise multiple times. Now that’s a good day. WATCH IT ON YOUTUBE/GOOGLE PLAY 10: REY STAR WARS THIRD TRILOGY
Yes, people either loved the second movie and hated the third or vice versa. But The Force Awakens was brilliant and introduced us to Rey (Daisy Ridley), a young woman who can wield The Force and a lightsaber both. It wasn’t as good as the first trilogy but Rey was in a galaxy far, far away from the others. WATCH IT ON DISNEY+