4 Reasons why Imperator Furiosa is the Best Female Character in film since Ellen Ripley

4 Reasons why Imperator Furiosa is the Best Female Character in film since Ellen Ripley

By: Brian Cotnoir

A while back I was discussing with a friend how there is a serious lack of Strong Female Characters in film.  If you ask any person to name one strong female character in film they will usually without hesitation say Ellen Ripley from the “Alien” Franchise, and then they really have to stop and think of any others.  Well recently our prayers have been answered, by director George Miller and we have been given a new, awesome strong female character in his latest film “Mad Max: Fury Road”.  That character’s name is Imperator Furiosa, and she is one the Best, Baddest, and Original characters to come out in a long time. 

1.) Fearless

Furiosa is a fearless fighter.  She takes risks that could mean death if she is caught, and she just plain doesn’t care.  She stands up to the evil tyrannical leader Immortan Joe, and betrays him by stealing one of his big rigs (and helping his wives escape too) in hopes that they can all find a better life far away from his Citadel.  She is not afraid to battle either.  Throughout the film she is pursued by Immortan Joe and his War Boys, hell she even fights Mad Max at one point.  She is a women who is driven (no pun intended) and unafraid to do battle.

2.) Intelligent

Furiosa is also incredibly intelligent and cunning as well.  Not only does her plan of escape start off—relatively—successful, but she also has a slew of calculated moves and back up plans for her mission as well.  From the way she manipulates the other War Boys who are escorting her on the journey to get gas and oil, to the emergency kill switch on her rig, to the way she convinces a rival biker gang to cause a rock slide in the canyon to slow down the ever approaching to her cautious approach to Mad Max.  She doesn’t just openly trust Max upon their first meeting, she actually believes that he is an enemy. It is clear from watching her in the film that she has—practically—thought out every move and decision on this journey.  It is her intelligence and cunningness that ultimately lead to her survival throughout the film.

3.) She’s a Fighter, and not a Damsel

One thing that always pisses me off in Action Movies is when the films story introduces the token female character who is meant to be the counterpart to the Main Male Character, and she spends the whole film showing that she knows how to fight and is a bad a$$, but then somehow forgets all her fighting skills and gets captured by the villain and their henchmen, and has to be rescued by the Main Male Character.  Yeah, Furiosa doesn’t do any of that.  She proves herself as a fighter, and is more than capable of protecting herself.  At no point do she and Max have to rescue each other, if anything they’re just helping each other out.  Also she is NOT just there to serve as a Max’s love interest in the film.  Another great thing about Furiosa is she does not follow your typical Leading Female design.  Furiosa is played by Actress Charlize Theron, who is absolutely gorgeous.  However, she doesn’t exploit her true beauty in this film.  She is not just relegated to being Eye Candy in the film. Her hair is cut short, and her skin is covered sand, dirt, and oil...oh and she’s an amputee too.  This is the second film I’ve seen Charlize Theron in where she seems to go out of her way to make you forget that she is actually really pretty in real life (the other film she did this in was “Monster” which received on Oscar for Best Actress for her role).

4.) She is the True Star of the Film

For a film called “Mad Max: The Fury Road”, their certainly is a lack of Mad Max doing much of anything in the film.  I mean he barely has any lines in the film, but you want to know who does have a lot of lines in the film, and is the primary focus of the film, and kicks a$$ the entire film?  Imperator Furiosa!  She truly is a strong and amazing character, and without a doubt the Best Leading Female I’ve seen in a Film since Ellen Ripley in “Alien”.