Top 10 Epic Movie Moments Where Women Save Men
#10: Giselle Saves Robert
“Enchanted” (2007)
Damsel-in-distress Giselle was dreaming of true love’s kiss when she suddenly found herself pushed into the role of a heroine in her own story. Giselle is constantly finding herself in need of rescuing- whether by Edward from trolls, or by Robert from falling off billboards and poisoned apples. But this fairytale gets flipped and turned upside down when Giselle suddenly becomes the hero and Robert the damsel. When evil Queen Narissa crashes the ball and takes Robert hostage, it’s up to Giselle to save the day. She scales the tower, slays the dragon and catches Robert before he falls to his death. Armed with a sword and a chipmunk, Giselle gives a whole new look to the knight in shining armor trope.
#9: Rose DeWitt Bukater Saves Jack Dawson from Drowning
“Titanic” (1997)
Things couldn’t get worse for Rose and Jack; yes, they’ve just made passionate love to each other, but the passenger liner on which they shared said love has just collided with a massive iceberg. Rose’s fiancé Cal then frames Jack for theft, which leads to his being arrested and handcuffed to a pipe! With the ship sinking fast, Rose isn’t about to let her newly beloved drown, but the situation is getting more dire by the second. With axe in hand, the brave Rose risks her life to enter the master-at-arms’ quickly flooding office. Despite the urgency, Jack insists Rose practice her swinging before she sets him free… the scene may be tense, but with some humor injected in, it’s also unforgettable!
#8: Catwoman Rescues Batman
“The Dark Knight Rises” (2012)
Yes, even the solo vigilante needs help from time to time. While taking on Bane alone in an effort to deactivate a bomb, Batman gets blindsided by ally Miranda Tate. Miranda reveals herself to be none other than Talia al Ghul, daughter of Ra’s al Ghul, the real villain Batman’s looking for. Just as Bane gets ready to deliver the killing blow to Batman, Catwoman arrives with the Batpod at the last minute. She blasts Bane, effectively killing him, saving Batman and proving herself to be a purr-fect heroine when needed. It's a small moment, but one that completely changes the entire ending.
#7: Hit-Girl Saves Kick-Ass & Big Daddy
“Kick-Ass” (2010)
This badass girl knows how to throw down with the best of them, and she hasn’t even hit puberty yet. She comes to Kick-Ass’s rescue, not once but twice, and rescues Big Daddy as well when
main baddie Frank is about to torture and kill both men. Trained on a variety of weapons, Hit-Girl has a knack for coming in out of nowhere with epic timing and taking the bad guys completely by surprise. And to top it all off, she takes down the villains pretty much single handedly. While Kick-Ass and Big Daddy are helplessly tied to chairs awaiting their demise, Hit-Girl literally blindsides her opponents and takes the majority of them down in a one-girl shoot out. Now that's girl power.
#6: Pepper Potts Saves Iron Man
“Iron Man 3” (2013)
Pepper Pots spices things up in the third installment of Iron Man when this mild-mannered lady becomes the real superhero. When she’s kidnapped by Killian, he subjects her to an experimental- and deadly- Extremis treatment. But in a surprising turn of events, Pepper not only survives the treatment but also becomes a superhuman in her own right. Needless to say, she’s royally pissed at her torturer and is looking to settle the score. So when Killian goes to deliver the killing blow to Tony, Pepper intervenes, knocking Killian out of the way. She finishes the job by destroying him with a blaster from part of Stark’s Iron Man armor, saving her hapless Avenger boyfriend.
#5: Neytiri Saves Jake Sully
“Avatar” (2009)
Jake is out of his element when he arrives on Pandora. Without the help of Neytiri, he most certainly would have died a hundred horrible deaths on the deadly planet - but the real moment where he is most vulnerable is when Colonel Quaritch severely injures Jake’s Avatar in battle. Just as he’s about to slit Jake’s throat, Neytiri kills Quaritch with an arrow. But because Jake’s Avatar is seriously hurt, human Jake is forced to evacuate his unit into the toxic Pandora atmosphere, which causes him to suffocate. Lucky for him, Neytiri reaches Jake’s human body just in time to give him the oxygen mask he needs to survive.
#4: Ellen Ripley Rescues the Marines
“Aliens” (1986)
This lady is really out of this world. Ripley’s a hardcore woman who warned everyone about the threat of aliens when she’s rescued from space. When a squad of colonial marines is sent to investigate - against Ripley’s advice - aliens attack them. Because all the men freeze with panic, it’s the woman who has to come to the rescue. When it’s clear Lieutenant Gorman has no idea what to do, Ripley takes control of the vehicle and drives to the marines’ rescue. She waits for as many soldiers as she can before driving away from the rampaging aliens. Believe it or not, sometimes it takes a woman to save the day.
#3: Arwen Rescues Frodo Baggins
“The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” (2001)
Frodo may be the hero of Middle-earth, but Arwen is Frodo’s savior. Without her, Frodo, and consequently Middle-earth, would be doomed. When a Ringwraith stabs the little hobbit, he falls subject to a fate worse than death by slowly becoming a minion of the Witch-king. Were it not for Arwen’s ability to outmaneuver the Nazgul and her impressive spell incantations that wash them away, Frodo would never have survived. But Arwen’s not the only woman to give the Nazgul a hard time. Out on the battlefield, Eowyn protects her uncle from the Witch-king and kills the leader of the wraiths, a feat no man could ever achieve.
#2: Katniss Everdeen Heals Peeta Mellark
“The Hunger Games” (2012)
If ever there was a dude in distress, Peeta is certainly it. While sweet and caring, he’s absolutely useless in a fight, which - unfortunately for him - is what the Hunger Games are all about. It’s Katniss’s survival skills and quick thinking that pull him through the games. When Katniss goes searching for Peeta after a revision in the rules allowing for two victors, she finds him seriously injured and in danger of dying from infection. Tugging on the heartstrings of the viewers and owing to her knowledge of the forest, she’s able to save Peeta. This ultimately saves more than just the day- it allows them both to go on and win the games.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honourable mentions.
Julia Meade Shoots the Bad Guys & Revives Ethan Hunt
“Mission: Impossible III” (2006)
Claire Dearing Lures the T-Rex to Save Owen Grady
“Jurassic World” (2015)
Lucy Moderatz Saves Peter Callaghan from an Oncoming Train
“While You Were Sleeping” (1995)
#1: Leia Organa Saves Han Solo
“Star Wars: Episode VI- Return of the Jedi” (1983)
She’s one of the key driving forces behind the Rebel Alliance and she's found herself in some pretty sticky situations. But Leia's take-charge attitude proves more than once that this princess isn’t as helpless as she seems. When Han Solo is captured and frozen in carbonite after he’s late in paying Jabba the Hutt back, Leia comes to his rescue. Disguised as a bounty hunter and with Chewie as her prisoner, Leia sneaks into Jabba’s Palace and deactivates the carbonite and frees Han in the dead of night. There’s no telling where the Star Wars galaxy would be without its women; another prime example is Rey saving a helpless and panicking Finn from a Rathtar attack in “The Force Awakens”.
