Top Five: (Real) Action Heroines
2) Lieutenant Ellen Ripley (Alien Series)
Cameron plays the best of both Verhoeven and Donner. Ripley, through all the shit and horror, still remains a woman and in spite of it doesn’t just materialise as some genetic superbitch. She remains a scarred mother, at least in the director’s cut of Aliens, effeminate and vulnerable. In fact, it’s the mothering instincts that kick in having her unleash all hell on her own bug massacre. She’s also someone who needs to be prepared and familiarised with weapons etc, like any normal – male or otherwise – freighter pilot would need to be in a desperate situation.
To be fair, Ridley Scott did introduce Ripley, but Cameron made her an icon. Ripley is courageous but sexy. This applies to both Alien and Alien3 too. And in most Weaver movies actually, I love her aloof confidence. I didn’t put Alien Resurrection in the tag above, because although a slightly underrated film, the Ripley that appears in it is just a caricature – even though the story allows for that.
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