Countdown: My Top 5 Favorite Movie Heroins

After writing this article, and having to shorten it drastically when compared to the two separate articles featuring my favorite movie heroes and villains, here and here, I came upon the realization that the protagonists in movies are almost always men. This is primarily due to the stereotypical assumption that Hollywood has adopted; that women should be the nurturing type as opposed to the adventurous thrill seeking type that is common of movie heroes. As for myself, I'm not taking sides. I've simply compiled a, (regrettably shortened) list of my favorite movie heroins. So without further adieu, here is the countdown.

5. River Tam: Resilient, powerful and dangerous, the young girl turned experiment known as River Tam was the brain child of a secret government-run institution that's focus was on creating the perfect human weapon. River was the finest consummation of their experimentation.

River became the embodiment of not only physical prowess, but also of mental capabilities, quickly becoming a bona fide psychic. After her older brother Simon sprung her from her "schooling", River joined the crew of the Firefly-class transport ship Serenity.

However, the Galactic Alliance, the government that backed the ambiguous institution, would not let their prized student escape. River was hunted for her knowledge of the Alliance's secrets, soon leading to the events of Miranda wherein River, in an attempt to protect both her brother and her new found allies from Serenity, fought and killed dozens of insane and cannibalistic Reavers in hand to hand combat.

4. Neytiri: The daughter of Eytukan, leader of the Omaticaya Clan, Neytiri was one of countless Nav'I involved in the resurrection against the RDA, a mining conglomerate that had invaded Nav'I soil. Neytiri joined forces and fell in love with Jake Sully, an Avatar formerly working for the RDA, in an attempt to eliminate the RDA's forceful presence on Pandora.

Neytiri introduced Jake to her culture and trained him to become a capable warrior like herself. Through trials and tribulations, Neytiri pulled through, all the while at Jake's side. The duo gathered multiple Nav'I clans and put an end to the RDA's presence on Pandora in one massive battle.

3. Leia Organa: Strong willed and resilient, Princess Leia Organa was the youngest member of the Galactic Senate. She was also a key member of the Rebel Alliance.

The daughter of Anakin Skywalker, now the embodiment of oppression as the Sith Lord Darth Vader, Leia possessed a keen affinity for the Force which manifested itself in her connection with her twin brother Luke.

During the events of the Galactic Civil War, Leia became a hero of the Rebellion and a figurehead of both insurrection and peace. Though her powers of the Force were not tapped into until later in her life, her skills in combat, diplomacy and leadership helped the Rebel Alliance on many occasions such as the Battle of Endor wherein Leia helped to destroy the shield generator for the second Death Star allowing the main Rebel fleet to assault and destroy the Death Star, striking a massive, crippling blow to the Empire.

2. Eowyn: Eowyn, the passionate niece of Theoden, King of the mighty equestrian nation of Rohan. Eowyn was forced into the war for the Ring of power when her uncle Theoden became possessed by Saruman, one of Sauron's greatest enforcers.

Eowyn joined forces with the remnants of the Fellowship of the Ring who freed Theoden from Saruman's wicked grasp. Eowyn proceeded to protect her people from Saruman's forces when she helped to lead them to the fortress of Helm's Deep. Throughout her unreciprocated love with Aragorn, heir to the throne of the Gondor, Eowyn stayed strong, not letting her love of Aragorn intercede with her love for her people. Eowyn later proved herself in combat, when she slew the leader of the Nazgul, the Witch King of Angmar, whom no mortal man was said to be able to slay.

1. Sarah Connor: Before encountering both a time traveling robot assassin and a time traveling soldier, Sarah Connor was a typical young adult of the 80's. That was then. Upon encountering her first Terminator, sent to kill her future child, John Connor, Sarah learned that in the future, a computer called Skynet would use a robotic army to devastate the world in a nuclear war, purging most of the human race in the process. Her son would be the savior of mankind.

Sarah, upon learning the truth from Kyle Reese, a future soldier and the father of her unborn child, attempted to tell the world about her discovery. She was deemed clinically disturbed and was admitted to an insane asylum for a number of years, all the while unable to speak with her son and prepare him for the inevitable apocalypse.

Sarah, with the help of her son and a Terminator altered to protect John, escaped the asylum and lived on to pass on her knowledge of weaponry, military tactics, computer hacking, and the future in general to her son who would go on to save the world from Skynet.

Do you agree? Disagree? Who are your favorite movie heroins? Feel free to comment below.