Video: Nikita Has Company When It Comes to Butt-Kicking Ladies

Alice, played by Milla Jovovich, in 'Resident Evil'

Once upon a time, when you heard the words 'Resident Evil,' you thought of the video game franchise that brought virus-infected zombies into the comfort of your own living room. Nowadays, though, when you hear 'Resident Evil,' you think just one thing: Milla Jovovich. That's because, over the course of the three (soon to be four) 'Resident Evil' films, Jovovich has turned her character, Alice, into a standard-bearer for modern action heroines thanks to her signature torn red dress and her equally-memorable skill with a pair of six-guns. It's no stretch to say that at this point, Alice is the movie world's resident ass-kicker.



Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver, in 'Alien'

The standard by which all film and television women of action are judged, Sigourney Weaver's portrayal of Ellen Ripley in the four 'Alien' films is the stuff of Hollywood legend. Ripley has so many iconic moments through the series that it's hard to narrow it down to just one moment, but for us, her epic throwdown with the queen beastie at the end of 'Aliens' is one for the record books. Shrugging into a giant mechanical exoskeleton, Ripley duked it out with the living embodiment of evil in a girl fight unequaled in cinema. But as scary as the alien queen was, could there ever have been any doubt who would come out on top? Ripley is forever the baddest of the bad mamas. Watch Sigourney Weaver talk about her legendary character below.



Sarah Connor, played by Linda Hamilton, in 'Terminator'

This is a tale of two Sarah Connors. No, we don't mean the two hapless victims of the same name who were snuffed out in 'Terminator' by the killer robot from the future. Instead, we're talking about the difference between Linda Hamilton's spunky but still skitterish Connor in the first film and the nail-chewing, iron-hard lioness she became in 'Terminator 2.' From the first moments we saw the new, feral Connor and her rippling muscles in 'T2,' we knew we were seeing a new kind of movie hero: the vengeful sci-fi action mom. And that's something even a robot fears.



Beatrix Kiddo, played by Uma Thurman, in 'Kill Bill'

Ever since they first worked together on 'Pulp Fiction,' Uma Thurman and Quentin Tarantino had talked about collaborating on a different kind of action hero. The result? Beatrix Kiddo, better known as "The Bride," one of cinema's most deadly assassins, who learned too late that there are consequences for breaking the heart of a murdering bastard. Luckily for us, one of those consequences was an unparalleled revenge tale, as Beatrix took on on all comers, sometimes 88 at a time, in her unstoppable quest to kill Bill. And in the process, Thurman and Tarantino delivered one of the most iconic femme fatales in pop culture history.



Hit Girl, played by Chloe Moretz, in 'Kick-Ass'

In some ways, she's a terrifying vision of every adult's worst nightmare: a conscienceless, heartless child killer with a hand grenade where her sense of compassion should be. But this pint-sized, foul-mouthed instrument of vengeance is also an icon for a new generation of expectation smashing girls who will use every weapon in their arsenal, up to and including rocket launchers, to smash through that glass ceiling. As action heroes go, Hit Girl may strain the definition of hero, but she certainly has no shortage of action in either her moves or her blisteringly R-rated vocabulary. Watch out world, because you're looking at your future right here.



Princess Leia, played by Carrie Fisher, in 'Star Wars'

From the first moment that Princess Leia appeared on screen, shooting her blaster at the stormtroopers commandeering her diplomatic mission, she was an icon of feminine power. No matter what situation she found herself in -- jailed on the Death Star, enslaved by Jabba the Hutt, surrounded by irritating tribal Muppets on Endor -- she never lost her cool, often providing the level-headed direction her hot-headed male companions needed in order to get the job done. And while the others had powers and gimmicks, like the force or the fastest spaceship in the galaxy, Leia survived on wits and gumption alone. Making her, in many ways, the true hero of the 'Star Wars' franchise.



Sydney Bristow, played by Jennifer Garner, on 'Alias'

As Sydney Bristow on 'Alias,' Jennifer Garner was like the prototypical girl next door -- if the girl next door looked slammin' in a red cocktail dress and heels and could blast agents of evil with a high-powered, exploding shell from a hundred yards all while retaining her inherent sweetness. Yeah, we're not sure what neighborhood you'd need to live in to have this girl next door, but trust us: if we knew, we could single-handedly reverse the real estate slide. Our only wish? That we had another five seasons of Bristow awesomeness to enjoy.



Starbuck , played by Katee Sackhoff, on 'Battlestar Galactica'

Starbuck, as memorably portrayed by Katie Sackhoff on 'Battlestar Galactica,' had as many things going against her as going for her, with both the positive and negative coming from the same place: her own totally-messed-up head. Whether she was being the hottest stick in the fleet, gunning down enemy raiders or being the biggest jerk on the ship, messing up the lives of her friends and loved ones, there was one thing that never changed: she always stayed true to herself. In fact, she was so true to herself that even after she apparently died and was replaced by, um, an angelic clone doppelganger (?), she still remained as idiosyncratic and screwed up as ever. We wouldn't want her any other way.



Lisbeth Salander, played by Noomi Rapace, in 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo'

Here's one of the few characters that could easily appear multiple times on this list all by herself. As the star of Steig Larsson's bestselling novels, Lisbeth Salander has become an icon of both books and movies, thanks to her portrayal by the tough-as-nails Swedish actress Noomi Rapace. And that's not even counting the upcoming American adaptation, which will feature Rooney Mara in the now-iconic role of a self-sufficient and self-possessed hacker who finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery when her computer exploits turn up more information than she bargained for. Salander may not be a typical action hero, but thanks in part to Rapace's unforgettable portrayal, she's provided the world with an anti-hero for the new millennium.



Eowyn, played by Miranda Otto, in 'The Lord of the Rings'

Back before there was Team Edward and Team Jacob, fans of 'Lord of the Rings' were divided with their own debate: were you on Team Arwen or Team Eowyn? Well, Arwen may have won the hand of Aragorn in the end, but it was Eowyn who won the hearts of viewers, because while Arwen stood around in the forest looking forlorn and mopey, Eowyn was out risking her life fighting for what she believed in. Fittingly, it was Eowyn who struck the final, fatal blow on the Wraith King, ending once and for all the threat of the Nazgul and saving the city of Minas Tirith from destruction. Chalk one up for Team Eowyn.



Lara Croft , played by Angelina Jolie, in 'Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'

It's not easy making the jump from video game character to big screen superstar, but then again, Lara Croft has always been excellent at difficult jumps. In this case, though, she also had a secret weapon up her non-existent sleeves: Angelina Jolie, who brought the iconic, pixelated heroine to full-bodied, three-dimensional life in the 'Tomb Raider' films. The ultimate artifact hunter, Croft was as handy with a quip as a pistol, as she helped rewrite the definition of just what a real national treasure is.

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Selene, played by Kate Beckinsale, in 'Underworld'

As we've seen over the course of this list, you don't have to wear a skin-tight leather jumpsuit to be a bad-ass action hero. But as Beckinsale has proven in the 'Underworld' franchise, it sure doesn't hurt either. Whether she's gunning down her fellow vampires or using acrobatic kung-fu moves to subdue rowdy werewolves, Beckinsale's Selene always brings the thunder with smooth panache and an unflappable expression, proving that her character is as timeless as her wardrobe.



Neytiri, played by Zoe Saldana, in 'Avatar'

She's big, she's blue and she's bad-ass: yes, she's Neytiri, the alien warrior princess at the heart of the biggest blockbuster of all time, 'Avatar.' Sure, it's technically her semi-human boy toy Jake who ends up saving Pandora from us jerky humans, but without Neytiri's guidance and support, he never would have discovered where his heart truly belonged. Plus, beyond the power of love, there's also the power of her strong right arm, which she uses to beat some sense into the humans who are trying to mess with her planet. Consider it a lesson learned.

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