There have been very few famous heroines in Hollywood action movies to begin with. Sarah Connor (The Terminator), Ellen Ripley (Alien), Beatrix Kiddo (Kill Bill)… I guess that’s about it.
The main thing here is that the new Sarah is completely stripped of her character. It’s not just the fact that they didn’t bother to hire an actual poster artist; it’s the complete lack of substance.
In the original photo the emphasis is on the behavior of the character, which makes her real. It implies that she has a mind which she uses to make her own decisions. A past, present and future. She has a history: she is scarred, carries a heavy weight on her shoulders, is traumatized. She’s in ‘survivor mode’, super focused, routinely loading the gun while her mind drifts away, planning for what’s coming. She is a small and vulnerable person, but she’s doing everything she can to prevent a war, smoking a cigarette because when you’re on the verge of a mental breakdown and believe the world will end; why not?
She radiates true courage, because courage isn’t about physical strength (even though she clearly trained like crazy); it’s about doing the right thing no matter how scared you are. And she is super scared. To do what she does you’d need lot of focus, while your mind would be going in ten different directions. Which is all visible in the photo.
I’ll admit I’m prejudiced because I saw the movie, but still…
What is the new Sarah Connor doing? Standing? Does she even have a mind? It doesn’t seem to matter, as long as she looks sexy.
But she doesn’t look sexy because we’ve all seen this picture a thousand times. It’s not a character, it’s an object created in Photoshop.
It wouldn’t be fair to compare the actors. While Hamilton is in character here, Emilia Clarke was probably told to 'just stand there and look pretty, we’ll Photoshop the rest’. Which is a shame. There are many talented people working on this new production, but in the end, the ones who ultimately call the shots simply have no idea what they’re doing.
I care about this character and to see it reduced to a hot chick makes me cringe. It’s very off-putting to watch this icon being sexualized. It’s like the poster is telling me to see her as a sexy girl, but I don’t want to see her that way! I want to relate to her; to her personality. I am a woman myself and to be forced to see my favorite film character through the eyes of heterosexual men… I just feel pushed away. Like this film is not meant for me; just 'the boys’ (even though I find it hard to believe they’d still fall for this crap either).
So yeah, this post is kind of personal. I saw The Terminator when I was a little girl and it made a big impact. I loved Sarah. Blockbusters seem to have less and less substance to them and it’s sad. Marketing departments no longer seem connected to what their movies are about and I feel for little girls growing up today. Like the music industry and other media, it’s a bubble, hijacked from the talented by the rich and powerful and about to burst. I hope it will collapse quickly and completely.
discoholicmusic
germansingergirl
prguitarman
