Up until this point, I’ve exclusively talked about women in superhero films, but since this blog is about female representation in all types of action movies, I figured it was about time that I talked about Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

When it was revealed that the Star Wars franchise was coming back with a new movie in 2015 after ten years, fans were ecstatic and most looked forward to the monumental step that was being taken: a woman as the lead protagonist role. This character, Rey, has been deemed by many journalists and reviews as “the feminist hero we’ve all been waiting for.” Patricia Karvelas claimed that Rey’s characterization was “the feminist punch-the-air moment we’ve all been desperately waiting for.”

One of Rey’s many strengths is her ability to be great at just about anything. She is an expert fighter, a skilled pilot, and a “natural leader.” All of these traits make her an incredibly powerful character, deserving of respect from her male counterparts. She receives that respect on the basis of her merit rather than anything else, which is incredibly important. However, this characterization received a lot of backlash from some fans, calling her a “Mary Sue,” or a character that lacks any real flaws and is “too perfect,” causing them to be boring instead of heroic. To some extent, they have a point; Rey is able to stand her ground against very highly-trained enemies despite no training and is a phenomenal pilot despite basically no experience or practice (as far as the movie shows). She is an incredible mechanic and profoundly gifted at using the Force.

Fans of Rey contested this notion that she wasn’t a “strong female character” because of her natural talents by explaining that Rey was important representation for women regardless. Journalist Tasha Robinson acknowledged that Rey is “not a model for every female character to aspire to,” since she does lack pretty much any weaknesses, but also made the comparison to popular male characters like Ethan Hunt and Captain America who have similar unrealistic strengths and talents that don’t cause them to be undermined in the same way that Rey is.

Regardless of her characterization, Rey is an important example when speaking about female representation in action films because she is the first woman to be the central protagonist of a Star Wars movie. While Leia was one of the main characters in the original trilogy, the primary focus of the movies rested on Luke. Her growth and plotlines were, for the most part, secondary to his. However, Rey is the central figure in The Force Awakens, second to none.

The Star Wars franchise is beloved by millions of fans around the world, so featuring a female lead made a large impact on representation across the industry. The Force Awakens broke box-office records, becoming the biggest domestic opening weekend gross of $247 million, and went on to make over $2 billion worldwide. It is currently the third highest grossing movie of all time (although it’s opening weekend record has since been beaten by Avengers: Infinity War).

Reaction

Personally, I don’t have any particularly strong feelings towards Rey. I know many people who love her and see her as one of the best portrayals of a powerful female character ever and others that think she’s a boring Mary Sue. She didn’t really stand out to me. I didn’t feel a real connection to her or her story (partly because she was so amazing at everything she tried), but I didn’t feel anything negative towards her either. From what I can tell though, my disinterest in her as a character doesn’t really have anything to do with her characterization and is mainly just a matter of personal preference. However, I do recognize her importance in terms of female representation and because of that, support her role as the lead in the franchise fully.