[tps_header][/tps_header]4. An Empowered Female Protagonist.
Let’s just say it: Rey is awesome. So awesome, actually, that I have to divide her ass-kickery into two spots in this Top 10 list.
First off, she don’t need no rescue from no man! Seriously – even Poe Dameron (our aforementioned bad-ass) needs to be rescued by Finn. Kylo Ren takes Rey prisoner, and what happens? She escapes on her own! She resists Ren’s mind-probing, then she uses the Force convince the Stormtrooper guarding her cell to release her – a far-cry from Leia’s rescue from the Death Star in A New Hope. It’s 2015, and we’re putting a spin on Campbell’s hero myth. It doesn’t get any more modern than Finn attempting to pull Rey’s hand to run, and her shooting him a look of, “Dude, I’m helping you… plus I live here!”.
Also: Rey is attractive but not sexualized by the filmmakers, she has terrific piloting and engineering skills and she can hold her own with a lightsaber, which leads to my next list entry…
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