Top 7 female protagonists in films

Top 7 female protagonists in films

8th March 2016 Off By Sophie Dishman

To celebrate International Women’s Day today (March 8), we are celebrating the top seven female leads within films. 

7. Hit-Girl from Kick-ass. What’s not to love about Chloe Moritz’ character. She works equally alongside Kickass in both movies. Again, there are some stereotypes thrown into the mix, but she show’s Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s character how to be “kickass.”

6. Elsa from Frozen. Elsa is the modern day animated version of a female protagonist. She wasn’t going to let anything bother her – not least the cold. She showed females that they don’t need a male to make things better. It broke the trend that Disney had wracked up in showing the concept of the Prince and Princess. Her character was a refreshing reminder of women’s independence – subtly of course.

5. Catwoman in Batman Returns. Our favourite cat in a costume. This cat has left many of us feline good! There’s no denying that she was one of the first female superheroes to grace our screen and leave a lasting mark on our minds.

4. Hermione Grainger from the Harry Potter series. Who can forget the witch who put a spell onto our hearts from the early 2000s. Coupling with two of our favourite wizards – of all time – Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, she certain didn’t fade into the background. She held her own throughout the whole series and for that she’s a stellar female lead.


3. Ellen Ripley from Alien. Some of you may not remember Ellen from Alien, but she was the female lead in the action-packed thriller that is Alien. She challenged gender stereotypes at the time of the film and has gained a lot of recognition for it.

2. Lara Croft from Tomb Raider. Lara Croft was another character, adapted from a video game, that gained recognition. It follows Lara as she tries to find ancient artefacts. The female action hero was once again let loose in this classic film.

1. Rey from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The top protagonist had to come from a modern day film – Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Rey gets to pilot the Millennium Falcon, and although there are times where she may fall for Finn (played by John Bodega), she remains in the lead female role throughout and challenges gender stereotypes!