Given that some authorities mark 1903's The Great Train Robbery as the first action film, it's evident that the genre has been around for quite a while now. Still, and in spite of early, sadly underappreciated silent stars like Pearl White and Helen Holmes, it was not until the 1970s that action movie heroines truly entered the pop culture conversation.
Foxy Brown — 'Foxy Brown' In the celebrated 1974 blaxploitation film Foxy Brown, a strong vigilante takes a job as a high-class escort to exact revenge on the mobsters who murdered her boyfriend. Leia Organa — 'Star Wars' saga There are a lot of great female characters in the Star Wars universe, but Carrie Fisher's Leia Organa is the first, and a beloved figure in pop culture. In the franchise, Leia undergoes valuable character development and embraces the best version of herself by becoming wiser and attaining leadership skills over time.
Katniss Everdeen — 'The Hunger Games' series Eleven years later, The Hunger Games remains one of the most popular book-to-screen adaptations, with some viewers considering it to be a groundbreaking novel series of the genre that redefined the boundaries of young adult fiction. Written by Suzanne Collins and starring Jennifer Lawrence, this incredible saga isn't expected to be forgotten soon. In fact, a spin-off is coming out on November 17.
Trinity — 'The Matrix' series The Matrix's Trinity is perfectly played by Carrie-Anne Moss. Despite the fact that Keanu Reeves is the central protagonist of the action sci-fi franchise , the franchise's badass heroine is, after all, the force who guides Neo to his salvation and gets the action going in the first film.
In the unforgettable movie, Yeoh's bold and emotional performance as a Chinese immigrant who is swept up in a wild adventure after learning that she must save the world by connecting with parallel universes, earned her an Oscar for Best Actress. From attempting to keep her family together to saving the world, Evelyn is perhaps one of the most memorable heroines of recent times, across all genres.
Being always willing to leap into combat to protect those she cares about isn't the only good quality of this memorable on-screen personality. Having undergone great character development, Neytiri is truly a free-spirited yet determined woman who will go to great lengths to do whatever she believes is right.