Linda Hamilton’s transformation from frizzy-haired waitress to steel-shouldered mother of the resistance is physically impressive, unusually forward-thinking and also pretty hot, in a niche magazine sort of way. Loken’s Terminatrix was less of a step forward but cemented the series’ laudable stance on featuring women who beat people up.
 
Lesson for McG: That strong women characters bring a depth and intelligence to films that might otherwise be dominated by stiff and conventional male heroes.