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John Cleese as Q/R

BAIN123BAIN123
edited June 2011 in Bond Movies Posts: 11,189
Another character in the Bond series that seems to divide fans. Personally I really liked his introduction even if it was "silly" and I thought he did a great job in DAD. As a major fan of Cleese I believe he added his own very English style to a very English series. What do/did others think?

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Comments

  • boldfingerboldfinger
    Posts: 5,767
    Both he and his contribution to the Bond series are unique and awsome. The couldn´t have been a better casting-choice for the young man groomed by Q.
  • LudsLuds MIA
    Posts: 1,986
    I'd like to see Q come back, but I wouldn't want Cleese in there, I don't think he'd fit. That being said, had the franchise not went a different route with CR, I would have liked him to carry on.
  • thelordflasheartthelordflasheart
    Posts: 1,370
    I really love Cleese but winced at his intro in TWINE - he seemed far too silly and it felt like he was playing "John Cleese". I liked him substantially better in DAD, but the fact that he's such an iconic actor and so well known was a bit distracting for me. I think that for better or worse he fit in with the Brosnan era of trying to what people *thought* was "Bond-y".

    If they bring the character back I think they'd be better by going with a relatively unknown character actor rather than a "star". I think the biggest danger is that the character and even the idea of Q has been so copied by other films and TV shows that if you tried to do a replication of, say, Moore-era Q then it would verge on self-parody. Better to have a gifted actor bring his own take on the character rather than trying to replicate the exasperated, tweed wearing, older "inventor" character.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,356
    I think for the two films he was in, it works well and his character fits. Hey, I even find the scene at the end of The World Is Not Enough good fun as his Q fits right in, very Moonraker in my opinion.

    In Die Another Day he too is good but I'm secretly glad it wasn't Desmond that had to introduce that car.
  • SaintMarkSaintMark
    Posts: 7,653
    Q/R in the person of John Cleese was a great choice, however he has his age against him. I'd prefer a guy that is good for a few movies with little chance of him passing away. X_X

    I wouldn't mind Simon Pegg.
  • imranbecksimranbecks Singapore
    Posts: 984
    Yeah.. Indeed John Cleese has aged since the days of Die Another Day.. Would have loved to see him continue doing Q if only the producers didn't decide to reboot the franchise. But since they rebooted it, John Cleese just wouldn't fit in with the Craig era, due to obvious reasons such as John Cleese's Q is in fact the man groomed in The World Is Not Enough by outgoing Desmond Lwellyn, who ironically, and sadly passed away after filming his last Bond movie... Its as if he knew he won't be around for the next movie (Die Another Day)...
  • dragonskydragonsky
    Posts: 2,491
    i really like Cleese but his character in DAD was bad IMO
  • Agent005Agent005
    Posts: 562
    Problem with John Cleese is that when he shows up on screen, you say, 'Oh, there's John Cleese.'
  • actonsteveactonsteve
    Posts: 1,492
    John Cleese always plays John Cleese playing John Cleese. If he was cast as King Henry VIII he'd play him as Basil Fawlty.

    He was lucky there were other stinkers to take his whiff from away in both those two films.
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    I never liked Cleese as R/Q. He didn't have nearly anything close to Desomnd Llewelyn's Q, and while he's not necessarily supposed to, it would have helped slightly if he did. His performance was rather annoying to me, and the whole time I was thinking to myself, "I wish the old Q would come back." I'm sure Bond thought the same...
  • VirageVirage
    Posts: 1,856
    If we're going on about the actor go here

    http://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/321/q-miss-moneypenny-must-return/p2#Item_47
  • Agent005Agent005
    Posts: 562
    If we're going on about the actor go here

    http://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/321/q-miss-moneypenny-must-return/p2#Item_47
    Not exactly appropriate for the discussion we have going here. This thread is specifically about John Cleese, whereas the link you posted is discussing Q & Moneypenny in future films.
  • VirageVirage
    Posts: 1,856
    If we're going on about the actor go here

    http://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/321/q-miss-moneypenny-must-return/p2#Item_47
    Not exactly appropriate for the discussion we have going here. This thread is specifically about John Cleese, whereas the link you posted is discussing Q & Moneypenny in future films.
    Yes Well READ people are going on about the next Q Actor

  • Agent005Agent005
    Posts: 562
    Fair enough. Almost didn't notice those two or three posts...
  • 001001
    Posts: 1,575
    I thought cleese was terrible in the bond films.
    A lot of blame must go to the scriptwriters.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,723
    Love John Cleese, and he was quite funny in his 2 outings... Problem is, when you see him appear, you say "Ah! John Cleese !" and not "Ah, Q!" when Llewelyn was there.
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    Posts: 11,189
    True but you can probably say the same for a lot of other actors, Sean Connery, Roger Moore and Michael Caine to name 3.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,723
    Well the Bond character is personified by each Bond actor. I don't know about you, but when I see a picture of Bond, I say "Ah! Connery/Moore/Dalton/Brosnan" before saying "Ah! Bond". But IMO, non-Bond fans would say "Ah! Bond" first, so it must be my Bond geekery playing tricks on me...
  • The_ReaperThe_Reaper
    Posts: 1,092
    by outgoing Desmond Lwellyn, who ironically, and sadly passed away after filming his last Bond movie... Its as if he knew he won't be around for the next movie (Die Another Day)...
    He got killed by a drunk driver....
  • kyawsawaungkyawsawaung
    Posts: 94
    Gary Oldman could be the next Q
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,723
    Gary Oldman won't accept a 5 minutes part.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,356
    Gary Oldman is Gary Oldman so therefore no.
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    Posts: 11,189
    Gary oldman is busy being commissioner Gordon so no.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,356
    Gary oldman is busy being commissioner Gordon so no.
    Only until November. ;-)

    Then it's over for good.
  • actonsteveactonsteve
    Posts: 1,492
    This is going to be controversial but if you are going to bring back Q then reboot the character as they did under Dan.

    And give the awesome Matt Smith the role.
  • thelordflasheartthelordflasheart
    Posts: 1,370
    actonsteve - when I first saw a picture of Smith (with longer hair and dressed in black) when he was cast in Doctor Who I described him as looking like a young, emo version of Desmond Llewellyn. It's a shame that his characterization of The Doctor has already been used because I thought it would have worked well as Q - both as an interesting, fun character but also as an updated tribute to Llewellyn.
  • actonsteveactonsteve
    Posts: 1,492
    Can you imagine a technobabble enthused Smith getting overenthusiastic with an exasperated Dan Craig.

    Hes good at comedy too.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    edited July 2016 Posts: 45,489
    I always thought Cleese could be a good choice to take over as Q. Was glad when he was cast. I liked his scenes, and would rather have had him back than Judi Dench.
  • jake24jake24 Sitting at your desk, kissing your lover, eating supper with your familyModerator
    Posts: 10,592
    Casting the role of Q is something that EON have never failed at.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    That s true. They have all worked very well.
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