Women Heroes in the Movies...

[Qlippoth]

That's Angela Bassett, who would've been my first choice for Storm in X-Men.

Absolutely.

 

[Klaus]

Absolutely.

Seconded. She has "African Weather Goddess" written all over her.

"Do you know what happens to a toad that is struck by lightning, mo-fo?"

"Huh?"

FZZZZAP!

"Same thing that happens to everything else... mo-fo!"

 

[Merlion]

First, I agree with the whole "make better movies you blithering morons" sentiment. Although I probably will see Elektra...but I'm sure Catwoman was crap...of course I dont care as much for DC-based comic stuff anyway as a rule, and I'm not overly fond of Halle Barrie.


Next, if we're talking comic book movies...there is certainly a lack of lead roles. Most super-heroines are members of groups or teams, not the leaders of them or independent heroes. Also, comic books, super heroes, and movies based on them tend to suffer in credibility with the general public somewhat anyway.

I think as far as strong female roles overall... a lot of it is that movie people due tend to see a female lead as a means to atract a certain target demographic (males, especially young males) and so they play up the sex aspect and ignore the rest. But as has been said, thats not going to make a movie fly, if the movie sucks, not when guys can see atractive women on the internet more or less for free.


Really, I think it boils down to two things.

They need to stop trying to use sex appeal as a selling tool. In an action or sci fi or whatever other kind of movie, that isnt what most people are there for. If they want porn, they'll go online or otherwise aqquire porn...if the want an action movie, they want an action move and they want it to be good, and a scantily clad female isnt a good action movie.

Second, action/fantasy/horror/sci fi/comic book movies in generall need to be taken seriously by the people making them. It needs to be seen as serious storytelling rather than hackwork.

 

[Thotas]

It's all about script quality. Character name recognition? Nobody had heard of Luke Skywalker or Indiana Jones before SW and RoLA, didn't seem to be a problem. Audience not ready for a femme who can kick a man's butt in a fight? Then why is Emma Peel remembered fondly after doing just that almost 40 years ago? If we aren't ready for it now, we couldn't have been ready for it then. It would seem that Catwoman was just a really bad movie.

 

[Klaus]

Let's think of female comic book heroines that could be turned into movies:

- Wonder Woman: has to be epic in scope, she's an icon and the very first female superhero.
- Birds of Prey: Oracle, Black Canary and Huntress. I'd like to see this one in a James Bond-ish route, with lots of action and sneaking about and butt-kicking in exotic locations.
- Vixen: Supermodel inherits african artifact that gives her the powers of animals. I'm thinking slightly tongue-in-cheek, like a superpowered Cleopatra Jones.
- Zatanna: Stage magician that casts spells by speaking backwards. I can see this one as a romantic comedy, maybe with Marisa Tomei as Z.
- Batgirl: trained from birth to kill, Cassandra Cain must learn to live. This one could be a nice TV series, centered on Cassandra's attempt at a normal life.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

I'd just like to say that "women" is not an adjective, and "female" is not a noun.

We have female heroes who are women, thank you very much.

 

[apoptosis]

Bridgette Wilson, who played Sonya Blade in Mortal Kombat, is a prime example of this. Possibly the worst action heroine performance I've ever seen. She obviously can't fight, and if the movie guys bothered to train her in martial arts, they did a terrible job. Why she was chosen for the role in a martial arts movie is beyond me. And some of the fight scenes with Liu Kang and Jonny Cage are really quite good. Sandra Hess, who took over the role in Mortal Kombat Annihilation, was much better than Bridgette.

I could be wrong but i think Bridgette Wilson played Red Sonja not Sonya Blade...Bridgette Wilson physically was good for Red Sonja..but she really was not a great actress and the movie was not so good.

 

[Villano]

I could be wrong but i think Bridgette Wilson played Red Sonja not Sonya Blade...Bridgette Wilson physically was good for Red Sonja..but she really was not a great actress and the movie was not so good.

Bridgette Wilson was Sonya Blade. Brigitte Nielsen played Red Sonja.

 

[apoptosis]

Bridgette Wilson was Sonya Blade. Brigitte Nielsen played Red Sonja.

I thought Bridgette Bardo played Sonya Blade

Sorry..though i did say i might be wrong....

My understanding on Female was that it can be either an adj or a noun..looked up at Dictionary.com and it agreed with this (but not sure how good dictionary.com is). I do know in scientific manuscripts and publications Female is an appropriate term for the Female of a species and is used as a noun quite often (saying the female instead of saying the female fruite fly..) (of course scientists are all insane so take that for what it is worth)

 

[apoptosis]

On to the actual topic and not my odd confusions of all the sonja's and bridgettes of the world.......

I think they tend to have the all or nothing heroine as the lead actor too often in movies...She is either almost perfect (Laura Croft) or relatively inept. I am sure that there are movies where this is not the case but it does seem to be the rule. In TV this tends to be avoided (atleast in the good shows) as the length of the series allows the heroine to have more character depth.

I am sure this occurs with male heroes often as well, but the good action male heroes (Indiana Jones, Spiderman etc) tend to have better well rounded characterization...which could go back to they just happen to make bad action movies with women.....