Quote from: Samhain13 on May 18, 2022, 01:57:07 AMIt's not mainly because its a female lead.
It's because she looks like a goddamn teenager.
Because she is one. She's an 18 year old young woman. Mortality rates were very different in those days. Especially for women, who could often die during childbirth. People would have to mature at an earlier age in that society, so that they could hunt, etcetera.
Could she be in her mid-twenties? Sure, but she probably wouldn't be at the point of her life, by then, where she's facing this conflict of desire to be a warrior. She'd already be in her assigned station in life.
People younger than 18 are fighting and dying, right now, in Eastern Europe. If you can kill a human being, you can also conceivably kill a Predator, too. So long as it's executed plausibly, that's what matters.
QuoteEvery single Predator Film has lowered the bar for the humans.
Royce and Isabella were arguably far better opponents than Harrigan was. If anything, '
Predator 2' probably represents the lowest quality of human opponents, so far: Random, disorganised gangsters high on drugs, a guy with a sword cane and... Harrigan.
QuoteThe skill level of both the Predators and the Humans has been lowered so far. That now some kid is supposedly going to defeat an alien killing machine with superior technology.
Just like every human character has had to.
Most of their weapons are basically mediaeval/tribal, regardless. Cloaking isn't complete invisibility and neon green blood is a huge exploitable weakness for tracking.
QuoteWorse. The lead isn't going to be an actual skilled warrior...soldier...cop...etc. She simply WANTS to be. A warrior. But she isn't yet. She is a noob even among her people.
That's the point of her character, I believe: She's mostly likely watched warriors, learned their ways and asked elders about techniques, etcetera. She's very probably even used those principles while hunting (or perhaps defending herself and others from dangerous wildlife). She's just not allowed to officially take up the official role of a warrior in their enclosed society.
It's like if you'd used flight simulators all your life, but failed to qualify for the air force because of some trivial medical reason or legal status thing. You'd have the knowledge, just wouldn't be able to be in the actual military. But if a Ukraine-style disaster happened? The shit's hit the fan and maybe those skills you've self-taught yourself finally come in useful.
Which is what I predict will occur here: The tribe will find itself in danger, the warriors go out to kill it and all get slaughtered, leaving her having to use her various skills.
QuoteAlso... the Comanche didn't have female warriors. It's historically insulting.
But that's the point, yes? They're an exception to the rule. Most tribes had female warriors, Comanche did not. Hence, it's historically authentic.
She may even be aware of that dichotomy and feel some resentment because of it, knowing other tribes allowed it. Nothing wrong with that and it adds to her motivation.
QuotePeople loved Ellen Ripley, Leia Organa, Arwen and Lara Croft. There aren't issues women leading a cool thing, provided the casting and character herself serves the actual story, not some dipshit studio execs whims.
We already have a precedent for this: Machiko.
Machiko isn't a warrior, but she has ethnic heritage which reminds her of stories from her youth. She's forged from a corporate executive to a veritable Rambo - and all she has is a simple handgun.
Did we fling up our hands when that happened? No, because it was done well. Machiko is relatable. Like Ripley, she's forced, by circumstances, to take action.
That's what will happen here. Naru is going to be forced into action and she'll have the necessary skills and motivation to do it.
And what happens to all those warriors in her tribe will inform her of the same thing Machiko knew: Let yourself get close and you're dead (no matter who or what you are). Deal with it like a bear, because that's the only way you - and your people - are going to survive.
