It’s Mother’s Day, so as we celebrate our awesome real-life moms, let’s also count down the ten toughest, coolest, most don’t-mess-with-me-est movie matriarchs of all time.

Not many women can resist the charms of Idris Elba. But psycho Idris Elba is another story. Henson's mama bear instincts kick into high gear when Elba's escaped convict invades her home and threatens her family.

She may seem like a cheerful old mama witch, but step back and watch how powerful Molly's magic is when the wicked Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) threatens Molly's daughter, Ginny.

We've seen her play strong women before, but nothing tops her CG role as the mother of a monster, and she's hell-bent on revenge when Beowulf kills her beloved son.

This brilliant police chief can endure a brutal North Dakota winter and solve a baffling kidnapping/murder case – all in her seventh month of pregnancy. Can she watch a man get fed into a wood chipper and not even bat an eye? You betcha.

Armed robbers suddenly break into your house? No need to panic. Not when you have a secret room to hide in – and Foster as your mom.

When this small town schoolteacher is jostled out of her amnesia and made aware of her previous life as a CIA assassin, she employs her killer skills to save her daughter.

The first Terminator almost got Sarah back in 1984, but after buffing up in a mental hospital, this lean-and-mean lady can take on any killer robot. Why? To make sure her son, John, grows up to save humanity. No pressure, kid.

Left at the altar – that is, left for dead at the altar while pregnant – this katana-wielding killer wakes up from a coma and tracks down the scumbags who betrayed her – and who have her now-4-year-old daughter.

All together now: "Get away from her, you b@!#h!" Ripley's inherent maternal instincts rise to the occasion when it's time to protect little orphaned Newt from the big bad Alien Queen.

The (very stretchy) hands-down winner in this category is the world's greatest superhero mom. She can pick up after her three supernaturally gifted kids, save her mega-strong husband and bring down an evil genius. Helen's nothing if not flexible.