Why are all female leads Mary Sues now? Why can't screenwriters understand character limitations anymore? It's seriously RUINING movies.
I rewatched Alien today and the reason that movie is so compelling is because of the characters and how they are limited in their abilities. Ellen Ripley is a terrific female protagonist and yet the most heroic thing she does in that film is shoot a harpoon. She doesn't even get to use a flamethrower and she never directly engages with the xenomorph until the very end when she shoots it out of the hatch into space. Also, there isn't a SINGLE MOMENT in that movie where I questioned a character's actions and his or her ability to carry out that action. They were all human and grounded.
Now, let's talk about Alien: Covenant. We're going to discard the entire cast except for Katherine Waterston's character because there isn't a single even slightly memorable or interesting character. They try to infuse Danny McBride with a ton of "personality" and yet he still comes across as one-note and uninspired.
Katherine Waterston's character looks weak as fuck, she has no proper set-up to introduce her strength and heroism, and then she's swinging from the ship on a tether literally having fisticuffs with the xenomorph like some superhuman capeshit woman.
Why can't studios understand that you can have a good, strong female protagonist without making her a Mary Sue?
every main character is a mary sue. remember the rocket that exploded on take-off at the end of "Koyaanisqatsi"? total mary sue.
Matthew Morales
The greatest Mary (Gary) Sue of all time. Ridiculous power set and a self insert character for his creator. He's such a Mary Sue that hisshiw isn't even worth watching. You always know how it's going to turn out.
Caleb Hall
Forgot my pic
Connor Richardson
>Mary Sue >going to get alien baby raped by a psychotic synthetic until she begs for more
Uhhh....
Grayson Powell
She didn't have enough character to even be a mary sue.
Carter Cooper
Daniels was pretty bad yeah
Jordan Murphy
I think most of what we're seeing is the result of focus testing/board room creative decision making and ungodly amounts of nepotism. The old guard couldn't keep it up forever and their kids all suck but they have connections so they get to make stuff anyway. Shits too entrenched and these people don't really have any interesting stories to tell.
Jayden Ramirez
But thats the joke of the show
Wyatt Cook
These people don't know what they're talking about. They're literally scrambling to find anything to defend their darling Rey. Context and internal logic be damned.
Ripley's a mary sue too, don't kid yourself, that's the only explanation for her being the sole survivor.
Hudson Lewis
you're a Mary sue, OP
Christian Stewart
Thats the joke, though. Every other character is put through the ringer, literally giving everything they have to come out ahead. Their backstories emphasize their past struggles, but then one punch lad shows up, who's only doing it for fun, and undercuts the entire struggle with a single swing. Tomasin from the vvitch is not a mary sue, and neither is MEW's character in 10 cloverfield lane. Rocky (don't breathe) gets very lucky and just barely escapes that blind guy, and maika monroe in both the guest and it follows can literally do nothing about her pursuer.
Jayden Wright
Why are there no mere mortals who grit their teeth and stand up for themselves without perfect results? Why is it always nine minutes of getting chased and tossed around and stabbed followed by thirty seconds of suddenly being stronger than the big bad or else just lucky somehow and bam, fight won?
Why isn't the heroine ever grappling and scratching with the villain, giving and taking some hits all at once, and pissing herself in complete terror even as she finally manages to slip a blade between their ribs right as she blocks their stab with her other arm?
Is there no room for human struggle past the veneer of a formulaic "satisfying" ending fight?
James Wilson
...
Gabriel Powell
Yes but she is hot for a 37y old.
Nolan Morgan
>Yes but she is hot for a 37y old. >for a 37y old She's nothing special, especially with that haircut. What are 37 year olds supposed to look like?
Austin Edwards
like this
Henry Wilson
k.
Jayden Gutierrez
>now It has been this way since alien actually
Jaxson Flores
its the only way to make women happy with a character
