10 Kick-Ass Women Who Owned Blockbuster Season

Hollywood has been accused of profiting from the objectification of women ever since a flapper girl first showed a bit too much ankle, so it makes sense that this mantra is frequently thrown out during discussions of cinema. What exactly does this mean, though? Do we just need more female action heroes saving the day? What about featuring some 'normal' women who are more than just someone's eye candy? Bear with us a moment, but maybe, just maybe, strong female characters could be both... and perhaps even more. On second thought, let's not use the term 'strong female character' at all and just start referring to them as women. A novel approach, I know. After a century of demeaning the fairer sex, Hollywood is finally waking up to the idea that female characters deserve the same respect as men. Unfortunately, this trend is likely due to the realization that cinema audiences have women in them too, rather than any overwhelming social consciousness, but at least things are beginning to improve. Hollywood still has a painfully long way to go, but 2015 has been one of the most progressive years yet for the representation of women in cinema. As we wind down towards the end of the blockbuster season, join us in counting down 10 kick ass women who owned cinemas this summer. Cue jokes about the Fantastic Four's Invisible Woman being nowhere to be seen. 10) Susan Cooper (Spy) In earlier roles, Melissa McCarthy's weight was the butt of every joke, but that changed this summer when she took on the role of Susan Cooper in Spy. Sure, McCarthy was still overweight, but her transformation from a suppressed office worker to a strong, capable hero was refreshing in a genre that usually spends more time focused on women's physical assets than their personal lives. Spy put its predominantly female cast centre stage, pitting McCarthy against Rose Byrne's hilariously offensive antagonist in a way that was both convincing and funny all at once, notably without the help of any men. It's unusual to see an actress headline a comedy these days, particularly one that deconstructs a genre that tends to be aimed exclusively at male audiences, so McCarthy's success with Spy must be lauded. Move over plastic Bond girls and macho field agents. Susan Cooper is guaranteed to return in a sequel. Watch this space. 9) Joy/Riley (Inside Out) Inside Out may have been the first Pixar film to open at number two in the US box office, but it also grossed more in its first weekend than any other original property ever released in cinemas, so... tit for tat eh? This becomes all the more impressive when you consider how female-centric Inside Out really is, thriving in a system usually dominated by patriarchal Hollywood movies. Aside from the occasional shift in perspective, the film is almost exclusively told from a woman's point of view, personifying the inner workings of a young girl named Riley. Three of the five emotions that influence Riley's life are female and their leader Joy is the driving force, relentlessly optimistic in her outlook yet still realistic, navigating obstacles in Riley's life with logic and a level head. Few children's movies feature a female protagonist at all and those who do are rarely well rounded, yet the very premise of Inside Out revolves entirely around the complexity of a female character, sticking a middle finger to those who think children's movies need to star boys in order to succeed. Did the guys at Pixar choose a female lead for little girls everywhere who need a role model, or did they just fear what would happen if they delved too deeply into what goes on inside the minds of teenage boys? Crumpled tissues never belong in a children's movie, no matter how beautifully Pixar may render them. 8) Hope Van Dyne (Ant-Man) Some may balk at the inclusion of Hope Van Dyne on this list. After all, Marvel aren't exactly renowned for prioritizing women in their movies and Ant-Man certainly has issues from a feminist standpoint, but the studio are finally making strides in the right direction, which is why Evangeline Lilly's comic book movie debut is still worth discussing. It seemed bizarre at first that Hank Pym sidelined his daughter, especially considering how she was clearly more capable than Scott Lang, but it makes sense when you realize that he only did this to prevent Hope from sharing the same fate as her mother, the original Wasp. Although a romance inevitably develops between Hope and Scott, the relationship between Hope and her father is still the heart of the story and is never sensationalized needlessly in the same vein as Dr. Foster's love for Thor. Hope proves herself to be a strong and capable ally throughout Ant-Man, so it's a relief for fans when she finally receives her own Wasp suit at the end of the film, presumably ready to join the fight against Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. As the most capable character in the movie, Hope should have received her own costume much earlier, but at least this misstep is rectified somewhat at the end. "It's about damn time," indeed! 7. Amy Townsend (Trainwreck) Amy Schumer is one of those comediennes who you love or love to hate. Something's clearly working though, as Schumer's star power blew up exponentially this summer with the release of Trainwreck, the latest romcom from Judd Apatow and the first feature she's written herself. On the outside, Trainwreck seems like a fairly conventional romantic comedy. Amy Townsend meets a man who seems initially unsuited for her before eventually... well, we can all guess how that one turns out. Along the way though, Schumer's script takes joy in subverting the genre's cutesy conventions and it quickly becomes apparent that Townsend is far from your typical female protagonist. That is, unless you can remember Meg Ryan refusing to sleep round a strangers house after pursuing them for sex or Julia Roberts making fun of her sister's adopted child. Townsend is a complicated, messy character who makes huge mistakes, yet she's also intelligent and speaks her mind. Do these negative traits detract from the positives? Of course not. Trainwreck is one of those rare comedies that stars an independent female protagonist who moves the narrative forward solely on her own terms. Townsend doesn't exist for the objectification of men and her sole purpose in life isn't to please a member of the opposite sex. A novel approach, indeed. Perhaps Trainwreck will kick start a new wave of female characters who are entirely in charge of their own sexuality, even when a man flutters his eyelashes and flexes his biceps at them... or maybe Schumer's creation will remain an anomaly in a world of mindless Katherine Heigl romcoms. Only time will tell. 6) Elise Rainier (Insidious: Chapter 3) Speaking of Amy Schumer, the comedienne teamed up with Tina Fey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Patricia Arquette recently to perform a skit titled "Last F**kable Day", bemoaning the lack of quality roles for older women in Hollywood. It's hilarious, but what does this have to do with the third chapter of the Insidious franchise? Whatever you think of Insidious: Chapter 3 as a film, Lyn Shaye's central performance is hugely watchable, grounding the demon fighting in a silly yet enjoyable way. And no, Shaye isn't the young attractive girl who fits your typical 'final girl' category. She's 71 years old. With the immortal phrase "Come on, bitch!", psychic ghost hunter Elise Rainier provided 2015's funniest and most ridiculous line, but to dismiss it as a silly throwaway moment in an increasingly silly horror franchise would do Rainier a disservice. The few mainstream movies actually headlined by women tend to star younger actresses in skin tight outfits, so it's incredibly rare to see female performers working past their forties now, let alone their seventies. Even if Shaye was younger though, even if Insidious: Chapter 3 didn't pass the Bechdel Test with flying colours, hell, even if this was the worst film ever made, the character of Elise would be guaranteed a place on this list for that one defining moment. Bitches better not mess with Elise Rainier. That's all I'm saying. 5) Claire Dearing (Jurassic World) Let's get straight to it. How can a woman too dumb to remove her high heels during a dinosaur chase be perceived as a rounded, inspirational character? Aside from the fact that running shoes probably weren't readily available during a dinosaur outbreak, talk of Claire Dearing's footwear choices dominated discussion of Jurassic World upon its release, suggesting that her character was just the latest in a long line of weak female women on the silver screen. Here's the thing, though. Dearing basically runs Jurassic World because her idiot boss is too obsessed with becoming a helicopter pilot to know what's going on. Yes, things don't turn out so well at first, what with the Indominus Rex escaping and all, but who saves Chris Pratt from the pterodactyl outbreak, despite having no formal gun training? And who ultimately saves the day, freeing the T-Rex and luring it towards the Indominus Rex that threatens her family? Those who question how on earth Dearing managed to evade the T-Rex while running in heels are missing the bigger point here. The image of Dearing holding the flare as she runs in her stilettos is one of the most empowering images that cinema has produced this year. Rather than be debilitated by her most 'feminine' attribute, Dearing succeeds beyond a question of a doubt, saving herself and her extended family in the process. Sure, Dearing ultimately softens her hard exterior, welcoming both a relationship with Pratt's character and the potential role of motherhood in the near future, but who says women can't fall in love and still retain their independence? 4) Black Widow (Avengers: Age of Ultron) Despite Marvel refusing to bow to public pressure regarding a Black Widow solo movie, the Russian spy has evolved into one of the studio's most popular characters, stealing scenes from her male counterparts across a range of films. As a full-fledged member of the Avengers, Natasha is regarded as an equal despite her lack of super powers, a remarkable feat considering that she's surrounded by thunder gods and super soldiers on a daily basis. Issues cropped up this year though in Avengers: Age of Ultron. After flirting with both Steve Rogers and Tony Stark in previous films, an inexplicable romance was shoe-horned in with Bruce Banner. Natasha eventually revealed that she's unable to have children, labelling herself a "monster" in the process. Suffice to say, the internet was not best pleased with this and to make matters worse, Black Widow required rescuing in the films third act, becoming the token 'damsel in distress'. As the only woman on the team, this seems more than a little unbalanced, especially considering Joss Whedon's penchant for creating strong, independent roles for women in his previous work. Despite all this though, Black Widow still played a pivotal role in the storyline and her general fighting capability earns her a place on this list. Natasha is sexy as hell and she knows it too, but her role on the team isn't the resident sex object. If anything, more camera time is spent on Thor's abs and Captain America's arms, but Marvel still needs to hurry up with that damn Black Widow movie if they plan to keep things fair and equal. 3) Ilsa Faust (Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation) The spy genre isn't exactly known for promoting the female agenda. Most agents are exclusively male as part of an all boys club and the legacy of the Bond girl has objectified women for decades on the big screen. The Mission: Impossible franchise has certainly been guilty of this in the past as well, but Rogue Nation set itself apart from previous instalments with the character of Isla Faust. From the beginning, you assume that Faust and Ethan Hunt will hook up. She's beautiful, intelligent and clearly on top of her game. Faust is essentially a mirror version of our hero, so why the hell wouldn't they be together? Surprisingly though, while there is sexual tension between the pair, the two ultimately part ways at the end of the film with nary a snog in sight. What's particularly refreshing about Faust's character is that she doesn't hang on to Hunt's every whim, never lusting after him in any way. Faust has her own business to take care of and only works alongside Hunt when his goals coincide with her own. It's unusual to see a blockbuster where the female character is actually far more complex than the star of the film. At the end of Rogue Nation, audiences were left pining for more of Faust than Hunt, a novel approach at a time when female action heroes are still few and far between. 2) Minnie Goetz (Diary of a Teenage Girl) Diary of a Teenage Girl may not be a blockbuster, but this frank and empowering story of teenage sexuality kicked ass this summer. Central character Minnie is almost too honest at times, revealing the inner workings of her lust for boys her age and even men far older. While Minnie is more sexually adventurous than your typical protagonist, particularly as she's sleeping around at the tender age of fifteen, director Marielle Heller never judges Minnie for her actions. The sex she engages in isn't portrayed as either damaging or dangerous. Rather, Minnie's interactions develop as an honest exploration of what teenage sexuality really can be like. There are hundreds of movies detailing the horny processes teenage boys go through, yet an equivalent female voice is seldom heard and if it is out there, many immediately judge them for being 'sluts.' Diary of a Teenage Girl isn't out to sensationalize Minnie's sex life. Every awkward and embarrassing moment is shown in graphic detail, ensuring that her feelings are never trivialised or glamourised in a derogatory way. Minnie may not be a secret agent or possess super powers, but she is by far one of the most empowering women to emerge from this year's blockbuster season. 1) Furiosa (Mad Max: Fury Road) In a time when audiences dread seeing Spider-Man's origin story for a third time and Fantastic Four kind of sucked...a lot...franchise reboots have become a thing to be feared. Thank god then for Mad Max: Fury Road, George Miller's triumphant return to the franchise he kick started over thirty years ago. Miller took audiences by surprise with Fury Road, creating a relentless post-apocalyptic nightmare that had the adrenaline pumping from the get go. What was most shocking about the film though was exactly how important Charlize Theron's character was to the final product. Furiosa owned Fury Road from the moment she arrived onscreen, immediately stealing the focus away from Tom Hardy's Max and generally kicking ass throughout. Furiosa owned it like no other woman on the silver screen this summer. Not only did she play a pivotal role in fighting off the gangs, but she did it all with relative ease, overcoming a physical disability that could have easily turned her into a pitiable character. Furiosa's capabilities shine in a standout scene halfway through where Max fails to make a long-distance shot and hands the gun over to her instead. Bizarrely, instances like this provoked a number of presumably lobotomized men to argue that Fury Road was promoting a dangerous feminist agenda and that men everywhere should boycott the film. One website called Return of Kings argued that the trailer was duping male viewers with its propaganda, long before the film was actually released, If a character like Furiosa can enrage ignorant morons like these, then the team behind Fury Road obviously did something right. Tell us, what do you think of these ten kick ass women? Did we miss out any other important characters from this years blockbuster season? And when the hell will Black Widow finally receive her own solo movie? Sound off in the comments section below.