denstorebog Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 The 80's (and 1979) had Ellen Ripley. The 90's had Sarah Connor. I'm going to call it now and say that Imperator Furiosa will take on the legacy as far as the 10's are concerned. But who did it in the 00's? We're looking for a heroine defined by the following criteria: - Personality that lends itself to just getting the job done, no matter the physical or mental obstacles - Actress that makes it all totally believable rather than contrived - Pop culture status that ensures a lasting legacy; cannot be from a forgettable or niche movie; must be considered a standard bearer for the considerable future - Movies only, not TV series or other media. My first thought was Trinity, but the first Matrix movie came out in 1999, and the sequels didn't live up to the third criterium. Plus, neither the character nor the actress really delivered in the sequels. And so, alas, Trinity remains a shadow of what she could have been. So, who is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kissdbyfire Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 My pick, off the top of my head, The Bride/Beatrix Kiddo from Kill Bill 1&2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinDonner Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Not movies, but the noughties saw possibly the dawning of the TV As Better Than Films Anyway era, so it seems unfair to count TV out... so Buffy? I know the first few series were 90s, but the legacy was well into the noughties. Otherwise... the Bride out of Kill Bill? pipped by KBF due to my fuck-stupid new laptop and its persistent DNS errors :tantrum: But much as I love Furiosa, I would hope that we are able to get more than one fucking heroine per decade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kissdbyfire Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Ha! Nice to see I'm not alone in picking the Bride/Kiddo. I know I'm a little biased because I do love both KB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Tiger Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Yeah the Bride is the only one who really comes to mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veltigar Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Hmm, these are a couple of subpar film series, but the heroines were always the best part of it. So for the nillies I'd nominate Mila Jovovich for Resident Evil and Kate Beckinsale for Underworld. Although lasting legacy is probably a problem here. Kate from Lost comes to mind, although I recall she became wussier and wussier over the seasons (another sign of Lost's dramatic decline in quality). Although that violates both the TV and lasting legacy criteria. How about Keira Knightley from Pirates of the Caribbean? Although that again isn't exactly an ideal fit. When you think about it, there really is a problem with female roles in Hollywood. I can't really think of any heroine getting that top spot to be honest. Even the Bride, which I think is the best suggestion, is not really spot-on. But then again that's perhaps more my dislike of Uma Thurmann speaking. But much as I love Furiosa, I would hope that we are able to get more than one fucking heroine per decade. The Angel of Verdun and Lagertha are imo already good additions to this decade's list of heroines :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nictarion Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 My pick, off the top of my head, The Bride/Beatrix Kiddo from Kill Bill 1&2.:Agree: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howdyphillip Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 WINNER Zoe - from Firefly and Serenity Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: I'll take the shuttle in closer. Zoe, ship is yours. Remember, if anything happens to me, or you don't hear from me within the hour... you take this ship and you come and you rescue me. Zoë: What? And risk my ship? Other contenders Laura Croft - Tomb raider (If you just name Angelina Jolie as an actress, she probably wins hands down for the decade.) Selene - Underworld Alice - Resident Evil (again, when you add all of Mila Jovavitch's work in the decade it becomes impressive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Tiger Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 WINNER Zoe - from Firefly and Serenity Movies only, not TV, I know we had Serenity but almost all of Zoe's badassitude was in the series. if it was about tv I would have Max from Dark Angel on the list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mars447 Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 Every character played by Michelle Rodriguez.If they didn't always die. The problem with tough take no shit characters like the ones Michelle Rodriguez plays is that they're seen as disposable compared to the more conventionally feminine or demure heroine. Zoe, definitely, although she was tv instead of film. Rita Vrataski was last year's Furiosa in terms of general badassery, how ripped Emily Blunt got, and how much the plot upheld her agency as an (awesome) individual rather than making her an appendage of the male hero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iskaral Pust Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 She suffers from what I like to call "The Rock Syndrome," wherein she's a really popular and charismatic action star that can carry an individual movie, but for some reason nobody has ever tried to build a franchise around her. As much as I like her, the snarling sneer gets old. Perhaps she is just typecast and limited by direction but so far she seems to need other actors with greater range alongside her. She always plays a lone wolf hero, often a martyr. A franchise hero needs more complexity to be compelling or at least some charm. I think the specific requirement in the OP of a movie character is too limiting here. As others have said, Angelina Jolie as a movie actress crushes this, and she effectively played the same character many times in different guises. Was Jane Smith really that different from Lara Croft? And her character in Hackers could have been the (relatively) awkward teenage precursor of either. And in TV, the Buffy character definitely fits the profile and had more seasons than any movie franchise. There are several one-off movie examples, often with the same actress in different roles. Why does it need to be a multi-installment franchise of movies? And remember, Sarah Connor was originally a damsel in distress who only got tough in the last 15 minutes of the first movie. Her iconic appearance as a resourceful hero was in the second movie. That's not on the same level of Ripley's three movies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denstorebog Posted July 19, 2015 Author Share Posted July 19, 2015 So for the nillies I'd nominate Mila Jovovich for Resident Evil and Kate Beckinsale for Underworld. Although lasting legacy is probably a problem here. It is. There's no lasting legacy at all here. WINNER Zoe - from Firefly and Serenity Other contenders Laura Croft - Tomb raider (If you just name Angelina Jolie as an actress, she probably wins hands down for the decade.) Selene - Underworld Alice - Resident Evil (again, when you add all of Mila Jovavitch's work in the decade it becomes impressive. None of these have a lasting legacy beyond the time when they were in theaters. Every character played by Michelle Rodriguez. We're looking for a specific, iconic character, not an actress. There are several one-off movie examples, often with the same actress in different roles. Why does it need to be a multi-installment franchise of movies? It doesn't (Furiosa). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red snow Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 The two that came to mind were Milla Jovovich for Res Evil (there's been hundreds of them and she's the star in all of them) and Tomb Raider. Res evil'slegacy is debatable but to be honest if we're calling that character out I think we need to wait a bit longer before we can be sure Furiosa lasts out the decade (which res evil has). I doubt this will be the case but it could easily happen - people can be fickle and move on quickly. I also think there's a lot of people who'd argue Tomb Raider is an icon - although I guess we could be pedantic and say these characters were already popular as video games prior to their 00s films. I can't think of an example other than the excellent bride from Kill Bill, where a 00s heroine is in a film I actually rate though. This decade also has Katniss and all the other female lead YA films popping up at the moment. They are maybe aimed at a younger audience but I imagine Teenage Ripley would have shared a lot in common with them when thrown in similar situations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howdyphillip Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 Bite your tongue denstorebog !!! Zoe Washburne still lives on in the hearts and minds of millions. Browncoats forever !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good Guy Garlan Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 Do we stop counting at 2010 or 2011? If it's the latter, Natasha Romanoff makes the cut, along with Elektra. Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace's version), maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyanidePie Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 Trinity? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arch-MaesterPhilip Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 The Angel of Verdun is my choice followed by the Bride. I've always said Linda Hamilton and Sigourney Weaver set the standard by which all women should be judged in an action role. Emily Blunt and Uma Thurman are the two that met that standard. I didn't see Mad Max but I heard that Charlize Theron belongs there too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Igziabeher Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 The Bride would eat Sarah Connor for beakfast. Seems like a no brainer for the 00s. Lara Croft movies and Underworld/Resident Evil were forgettable, I'd take Jolie from Mr. & Mrs. Smith than any of those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Igziabeher Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 TV for the 00s= Kara f'n Thrace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denstorebog Posted July 20, 2015 Author Share Posted July 20, 2015 TV for the 00s= Kara f'n Thrace If I had included TV, Thrace would have been my choice too. We're not just looking for 'a heroine who fights people', we're looking for a special brand of heroine that continues the Ripley/Connor standard. Angelina Jolie? Give me a break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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