With the rise of female superheroes in cinema, it’s easy to forget how women were battling villains without the aid of extraordinary powers. I was raised in the era of Cleopatra Jones, Angela Mao, Michelle Yeoh, Cynthia Rothrock, and Yukari Oshima to name a few. These women used keen intelligence, inventiveness, and sheer determination to outwit to defeat their nemesis without the use of photon beams, telekinesis, or super-human strength. It wasn’t necessary. Martial arts and combat strategy were used to defeat their nemesis.
I’m concerned that we may be sending the wrong message to young girls worldwide, who are growing up during the superhero era. We’re subliminally telling them that you can’t succeed without possessing extraordinary powers. Next is the film “Dark Phoenix,” where the character, a mutant with extraordinary powers, says, “Something has happened to me that I can’t control, and it scares me . . . It feels good!” The national television trailer is titled “Every Hero Has a Dark Side.” Again, what is the message that we’re sending?
It inspired me to create a list of actresses who without the use of special abilities or tapping into a dark side defeated their enemies. A strong moral compass was their strength – right the wrong, defend the week, advocate truth and justice over crime and corruption. Check out the list below.
Angela Mao
Angela Mao (“Lady Whirlwind” and “Lady Kung Fu”) is heralded as the female version of Bruce Lee. She’s a Taiwanese actress and martial artist who appeared in numerous martial arts films in the 1970s for Golden Harvest Productions. This allowed her to star alongside some of Kung-fu cinema’s elite, such as Bruce Lee, Carter Wong, Sammo Hung, and her real-life teacher Hwang In-Shik in which Mao studied Tang Soo Do and Korean Hapkido. See Mao in action by renting her films from DVD Netflix.
Michelle Yeoh
It was a treat to see Yeoh in “Crazy Rich Asians.” It was a non-martial arts role, but Yeoh is an actress and doesn’t need to use her skills to shine.
Malaysian born, Yeoh frequently starred in famous roles in 1990s Hong Kong action films. The beautiful actress’s appeal crossed international waters, where she was a Bond girl in the 1997 James Bond film “Tomorrow Never Dies” and the Chinese martial arts film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” by director Ang Lee. The great part about Yeoh is not a professional martial artist. Her childhood ballet lessons helped her make her fight scenes look convincing. Yeoh learned various fighting skills by working on action film sets. See Yeoh in action by renting her films from DVD Netflix.
Cynthia Rothrock
Cynthia Ann Christine Rothrock is a martial artist and actress. Rothrock holds black belt rankings in seven styles of martial arts. She used to compete in tournaments before becoming an actress. Rothrock was discovered by Golden Harvest in Los Angeles, California. Her first film them, “Yes, Madam,” also starred Michelle Yeoh, and has helped her become one of the few western performers to achieve genuine stardom in the Hong Kong film industry. See Rothrock in action by renting her films from DVD Netflix.
Yukari Oshima
Former Japanese actress and martial artist, Yukari Ōshima, earned prominence in the Hong Kong film industry to gain stardom in the Philippines. Due to Filipinos’ love for Jackie Chan, Oshima his female counterpart. She starred in over 60 Taiwanese, Hong Kong, Filipino, and Chinese films that were released between 1986 and 1999. Oshima trained in Goju Ryu karate with Master Miki, which included mastery of traditional weapons forms. See Oshima in action by renting her films from DVD Netflix.
Gina Carano
Gina Joy Carano is an actress, television personality, fitness model, and a former mixed martial artist. Carano began her training with straight Muay Thai to competitive MMA. She recently played “Angel Dust” in “Deadpool and has a role as Cara Dune in the highly-anticipated Star War’s series “The Mandalorian.” See Carano in action by renting her films from DVD Netflix.
Ronda Rousey
Ronda Jean Rousey is a professional wrestler, actress, author, and former mixed martial artist. She trained in Judoka. Although she is currently signed to WWE and performs on the Raw brand, her passion is to act. She plays Kara in “Furious 7” and Luna in “The Expendables 3.” See Rousey in action by renting her films from DVD Netflix.
Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone is highest-paid Indian actress. In 2018, The Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. for her role in “Chandni Chowk to China,” Padukone learned Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, a method of close combat. See Padukone in action by renting her films from DVD Netflix.
Danai Gurira
Danai “Jekesai” Gurira is an actress and playwright of Zimbabwean descent. She’s best known for her starring roles as Michonne on the AMC horror-drama series “The Walking Dead” and as Okoye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films “Black Panther,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” and “Avengers: Endgame.” Although Gurira isn’t professionally trained in martial arts, she uses kickboxing as exercise. Also, her theater training at NYU taught her how to use swords in combat situations in Shakespearean plays. See Gurira in action by renting her films from DVD Netflix.
Marie Mouroum
Marie Mouroum played the role of one of the Dora Milaje fighters in Marvel’s “Black Panther.” She mainly works as a stunt woman in the industry. Mouroum makes amazing shorts on Instagram, where she is in numerous fight scenes, displaying her action star skills. I would love to see her in starring roles. She’s a good actress, too! Mouroum trained in martial arts at a very young age. Her love for action is one of the reasons she became a stunt woman. See Mouroum in action by renting her films from DVD Netflix.
You can watch the films I recommend with your family or friends (depending on the rating) over a huge bowl of popcorn. Rent them from DVD Netflix via dvd.netflix.com. Add them to your queue today. If you don’t have an account, you can sign-up for a free month. If you decide to keep the membership, pay as little as $7.99 per month to enjoy DVD Netflix’s massive database of blockbusters, documentaries, independent films, and more.
Disclaimer: As a DVD Nation Director, for introducing the DVD Netflix service to you, as well as writing about some awesome movies to rent that can be challenging to find anywhere else, I’m rewarded and always happy to share awesome movies with you. #dvd20 #dvdnation #ad
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