Thirty years ago, the idea of a female action hero was ridiculous. It had been attempted in schlock films, but usually for exploitation purposes and usually in an over-the-top sexist way. There was no attempt at creating a respectable female hero and there was no market for it.

Through the last two decades, not much has changed. Action movies continue to have two types of female characters.

One is “man-woman,” who is usually a stubborn jerk and total badass who kills everything. So basically, she’s a man with boobs. Take Lara Croft, played by Angelina Jolie. She has large breasts and long hair and cries in a couple scenes with the ridiculous side-plot involving her father, but she’s not a woman. She’s a gun-toting, wisecracking hero that’s like every other male action hero and a little too much like a certain whip-cracking archaeologist she could never hope to compare to. God bless Henry Jones Jr.

The second female character you’ll see in an action movie is the whiny girlie-girl who does nothing of use. She may provide some silly humor or be a romantic foil for the male lead, but that’s about it. Think of Bill Paxton’s annoying girlfriend in “Twister” that he ends up leaving for Helen Hunt. She provides amusement with her girly reactions but accomplishes nothing. Then she gets dumped for Helen Hunt. Ouch.

There is an elusive third type, but she’s only succeeded once. She’s feminine and has feminine qualities, but they’re not exploited or mocked. She’s intelligent and strong but not showy. She’s an independent woman who’s obviously more compassionate than the men around her but can get the job done when needed. The only character that meets these criteria, and the only one that’s truly been a step forward for women in male-oriented movies, is Sigourney Weaver’s character of Ellen Ripley in the Alien movies.

The character of Ripley possibly doesn’t get her due, but she is one of the great feminist icons of the 20th century. Ridley Scott (“Aliens”) and James Cameron (“Alien”) probably had no idea what they were doing when they made their movies, outside of making some great action-horror films. But not only did they create one of the most interesting and enduring female characters of all time, they did it in a man’s world and even appealed to men in the process.

In the first “Alien,” Ripley is one of the last survivors of the attack. She survives not by doing everything she can to get out alive, but by doing everything she can to get everyone else out alive. She remains strong-willed but not ridiculous about it. The men around her may be bigger, but she does everything they do and then one-ups them by surviving.

In the sequel, “Aliens,” Ripley gets back into it with the aliens while nurturing her motherly instincts taking care of Newt, a young girl orphaned on an abandoned scientific outpost. As Newt’s caregiver, Ripley manages to stay alive amidst all the carnage while comforting and protecting the young girl. The tender moments when she tries to mother the scared child vividly contrast with the violence around them, but they work. Whereas the “tender” moments in “Tomb Raider” were jarring and ridiculous when compared with the action moments, those here flow seamlessly. You don’t disbelieve this woman for a second, even when she’s in a metal exoskeleton at the end battling an alien queen who also happens to be protecting her young. Their battle is about more than just blowing stuff up, it’s a passionate fight for their young and Ripley is the only one in the movie who could have possibly fought and won it.

Throughout the fight, she’s still Ripley and she’s still a woman. A badass, to be sure, but not in the ham-fisted way that Arnold Schwarzenegger is (God forgive me for such a statement). She’s human, she’s a woman and she not only retains those qualities amidst the carnage but also uses them to survive.

I’m not arguing for a total feminization of action movies or anything, “Alien” and its sequel are still two of the most badass movies you’ll ever see and I dare anyone to argue. I just don’t think Hollywood has even tried. Tripe like “Tomb Raider” will sell, but how many people are going to care about those movies in 10 years? And how often do you see a female action hero get nominated for an Oscar? I do believe it happened in 1986 with a certain Sigourney Weaver in “Aliens.”

I think there are a couple examples that could be argued to fit into this category. Princess Leia in “Star Wars” is a well-rounded female, but she doesn’t get into the action all that much. Sarah Connor in “Terminator 2” walks a fine line between being well-rounded and the “man-woman” type I discussed earlier, but I think she falls into the latter category too often to be a perfect example.

Until such day those female action heroes get their due, we have an outstanding example in this character and one that hopefully can be emulated in movies to come. We’ll just have to wade through the misogynistic crap in the meantime.