Hot Cyberchicks Kicking Butt
For better or for worse, as early as Metropolis, cyberpunk movies have depicted hot cyberchicks who possess butt-kicking supra-human powers. In many cases, such as in Masume Shirow’s Black Magic M-66, women are completely stereotyped and objectified; yet in other cases, like Trinity in the Matrix, women are depicted as strong but textured characters. This grouping doesn’t distinguish between these two, but instead, lists all movies where hot cyberchicks kicking butt takes place. I’m not making a value judgement here - use this list to find your hottest objectified chicks to drool over, or use it to help you identify what’s wrong with cyberpunk movie making - in either case, I hope this category is a useful resource for you. I also realize that there is a number of “strands” we can pursue with this, such as the development of hot chicks in black shiny stuff kicking butt, or androids kicking butt - I will handle this diversity though essays on the various strands. And like all of my themes categories, I don’t distinguish here between movies and animes (which are very influential in cyberpunk) - you will see both listed.
And yes, I realize I don’t have all cyberchicks listed…yet. I’m still in the process of uploading my reviews. If you have one in mind that you don’t see here, let me know, and I’ll bump it up in priority.
- Aeon Flux
- Aeon Flux (2005)
- Appleseed
- Appleseed (2004)
- Armitage III
- Armitage: Dual Matrix
- Avalon
- Battle Angel
- Black Magic M-66
- Bubblegum Crisis
- Cyborg 2
- Eve of Destruction
- Fifth Element
- Ghost in the Shell
- Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
- Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex
- Heavy Metal
- Matrix
- Matrix Reloaded
- Metropolis
- Metropolis (2001)
- Parasite Dolls
- RoboGeisha
- Strange Days
- Tank Girl
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day
- Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
- Terminatrix
- The Gene Generation
- Tron: Legacy
- Ultraviolet
- Wonderful Days {Sky Blue}
- X-Files: Kill Switch (Episode 11, Season 5)
Comments
January 6, 2007
Switch said:
Nothing is wrong with the Razorgirls (or “hot chicks kicking butt” as you’ve called them on this site”)! I am a femenist, but I completley disagree with the idea that female action heros are “sexist” just becasuse they have tight suits (how easy would it be for Trinity to run around kicking butts in a hoopskirt, I wonder?) and act like “men” (it’s only a body people, come on!) Most cyberpunk is liberating for women. Yah, I think it’s stupid that Ultraviolet and many of the heroines have to be sexy knock outs in skimpy outfits, but as long as the story doesn’t sugest women are weaker than men (which they don’t) then it is not sexist. (Besides, how much would us women enjoy “Indiana Jones” if it weren’t for those manditory shirtless scenes?) Razorgirls are kick ass!
January 16, 2007
SFAM said:
Hi Switch, while I certainly agree that many “Razorgirls” movies (I’ve never heard that term, BTW) are not sexist, some certainly are. If the woman is depicted as strong and multi-dimensional - Trinity for instance, it’s hard to consider them sexist. However, quite a few are rather shallow, and are only there as a male fantasy. Black Magic M-66 comes to mind as an extreme example, for instance.
March 22, 2008
Wintermute said:
beautiful.
A femenist that denies matriarchal discourse!
“Razorgirls” is a reference to Molly from Neuromancer, the original and unashamedly female counter weight to Case’s S.N.A.G.
Yes Switch, i agree with you to a point about the need for a balance, and something the ‘boys’ need to look at, as to say that if the female ‘Razorgirl’s’ in armitage, matrix’s, T3, Metropolis and Aeon Flux were to be tank busters and not the skimpy looking sprites that they are, things would be alot different. Also, SFAM, Trinity is very matronly, and interestingly robotic. The best grey-area in the gender balance in any cyberpunk media has to be Motoko from GiTS and Molly from Gibson’s novels. Both are outwardly masculine, rational, and display qualities attributed to men.
still, i’d have to say that the most sexist thing would have to be the title of the article.
CIAO
June 11, 2008
artgeek707 said:
how could you leave out Re-l Mayer and Quinn from Ergo Proxy. Both are strong, beautiful characters who dominate during conflict scenes
June 21, 2008
Carlultraviolet said:
If they look like Mila Jovovich, Carrie-Ann Moss, Dina Mayer or Michelle Ryan “any time…”
January 2, 2010
Switch said:
Wow, I *vaguely* remember writing that first comment here! (Sigh, high school…I’m guessing I had a lot of caffine before posting that somewhat hysterical-sounding statement…)
All of you made very good points. (Just thought I’d say so, in case anyone ever stumbles upon this blog again, like I just did!) Especially you SFAM. Sometimes it’s definitly sexist, the way female action heroes are potrayed. But a lot of times it is hard to make a judgement call. (For instance, if the whole movie is silly, then how seriously should sexist stereotypes in it be taken? Of course, if it’s silly to the point of being like “Plan 9″, then any sexism just goes down as another reason to laugh at the film’s stupidity).
Yeah, this is definitly not a black-and-white issue. But it makes for some fun discussions, doesn’t it.