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Cleese vs. Whishaw - Who is your favourite Q's successors?

WalecsWalecs On Her Majesty's Secret Service
edited April 2014 in Actors Posts: 3,157
I know that you all prefer Llewelyn, but who's your favourite Q's successor?

John Cleese or Ben Whishaw?
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Comments

  • JohnBarryFanJohnBarryFan
    Posts: 1,405
    Whislaw's Q is not, after one film, a well-defined character. He's a bit arrogant and quick minded, but we'll learn more about him in future films. However, I didn't care much for John Cleese's Q. He was always more a caricature for me than the real thing.

    I must admit however that Llewelyn's shoes are mighty big to fill.
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 15,125
    Whishlaw, if only because he is not a pale copy of Llewellyn's Q. And I never liked John Cleese as Q to begin with, not his take on it, neither his casting.
  • WillyGaloreWillyGalore
    Posts: 6,396
    Big fan of Cleese but I thought he was miscast as Q. Whishaw did a decent enough job in SF but I will reserve judgement until B24.
  • CraigisnotbondCraigisnotbond
    Posts: 99
    Cleese
  • thelivingroyalethelivingroyale
    edited April 2014 Posts: 12,837
    I have to say Cleese. I'm a big fan of him in general and I thought he was great as Q. Inspired casting and I think it's a shame he didn't do more films. He seemed to love playing Q too, if you watch the mini documentary thing on the Everything Or Nothing game (it's on the menu if you're interested in seeing it), he seems dead enthusiastic and it's a bit sad really because he's on about how he couldn't wait to start work on the next film (which turned out to be CR).

    Wishaw's quite good too though, he's funny and I might end up preferring him in a few films time. What's great is that he's young enough to stay for ages. Neither of them come close to Desmond though. I doubt anyone ever will.
  • StirredNotShakenStirredNotShaken Toronto
    Posts: 2,402
    I love John Cleese. I think he's one of the funniest people to have ever breathed oxygen. But Ikve always thought he was a terrible choice for Q. I think the idea of Cleese as Q is insanely good, but the execution was a dud.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    As much as I love them both in the role, I'm going to have to say Wishaw. Mainly because he reminds me of one of my best friends who acts in a similar way in normal life. :))
  • SaintMarkSaintMark
    Posts: 7,653
    While I perhaps liked Whishaws rendition of Q, I will always enjoy John Cleese in most of his output. The man is a brilliant comic and has given the world so much and has never stopped doing so.

    Outside of the original Q I really do not care all that much, and that goes for Moneypenny as well.
  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    Posts: 5,080
    I'm going to say Wishaw, but only because he isn't a carbon copy of Llewelyn. I don't think I saw enough of Cleese to form a proper judgement, but his part in DAD was alright. In looking forward to see that Wishaw does with Q.
  • OHMSS69OHMSS69
    Posts: 2,341

    Whishaw hands down. Cleese just seemed so out of place. He was nothing like ol' Desmond and he was never meant to be Desmond. That being said, I just like the take on Q that Whislaw brings.
  • FoxRoxFoxRox
    Posts: 12,474
    Whishaw for the originality. Neither come close to Desmond for me though.
  • LicencedToKilt69007LicencedToKilt69007 Belgium, Wallonia
    Posts: 523
    Cleese for his sense of humour. Until now.
    Wishaw wasn't bad but lacked of something IMO but we'll see more in Bond 24 and maybe I'll see my judgment again.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    edited April 2014 Posts: 13,355
    Whishaw. In time, this will become a non-contest I would hope.
  • SoundofthesinnersSoundofthesinners
    Posts: 3,236
    I enjoyed Cleese's take on the character, even if it could never measure up to Llewellyn's, and Whishaw's updated, younger, Q with different skills looks quite good too. However, we'll have to suspend judgment until he gets more time to flesh out the role. It looks good for him in the long run, but you never know.
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    I'm hoping that Ben Wishaw will prove to live up to the Q title, because he came off a bit annoying and know-it-all in SkyFall. Granted, that's probably the idea, but I'm just hoping his take on Q won't make me dislike his inclusion in the series, or even a general dislike for Q altogether; that would be a tragedy! John Cleese was stupid in The World is not Enough, but came around in Die Another Day to be all right, even pretty hilarious at times, especially his gadget scene with Brosnan in the underground base. I'd have to let Cleese take the win- for now, at least.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Definitely Cleese. One of the few good things about TWINE/DAD. When DL was getting a bit long in the tooth in GE, I actually thought Cleese would be a good replacement once Llewellyn would retire.
  • Agent007391Agent007391 Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start
    Posts: 7,854
    Whishaw, definitely. Cleese was just a continuation of what Desmond Llewelyn was doing, as opposed to his own characters. Whishaw, on the other hand, came in and instantly made the role his own, helped, no doubt by this one line:

    "What did you expect, and exploding pen? We don't really go in for that sort of thing anymore."

    I'm also incredibly grateful that they didn't have him say "I never joke about my work" to Bond's "You must be joking" line.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,978
    I'll go with Cleese, for now. Once I see how Whishaw is in B24, when he's fully defined and we see more of him, then I may change my answer.
  • ShardlakeShardlake Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 4,043
    Easily Wishaw as much as a comedy legend Cleese is he was completely wrong for Q and it just came across like Basil Fawlty had joined MI6.

    I was impressed with what we saw of Ben, he made the character his own and he showed good chemistry with DC, I look forward to seeing what he does going forward.
  • KerimKerim Istanbul Not Constantinople
    edited April 2014 Posts: 2,629
    Cleese didn't get a fair shot as Q as he was too much of a parody of himself in DAD through no fault of his own. He showed promise in TWINE. If he had gotten to do a proper Q in CR/QOS, I think he would have been viewed more favorably.

    We need to see where Whishaw goes with his Q character.

    I call it a push.
  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    Posts: 5,080
    It's been pretty much 50/50 so far.
  • DoubleOhhSevenDoubleOhhSeven
    Posts: 1,778
    Whishaw by a country mile. He actually played a character as opposed to Cleese simply playing himself. To me his scenes remain some of the most awkward in the Bond series.
  • RogerMoore007RogerMoore007
    Posts: 170
    Whishaw, hands down. Cleese's Q was so uninspired, it seemed like they had just copied and paste from Llewelyn. At least Whishaw's Q is taking an original approach on the character. Whishaw is bringing in his own original elements, without taking out everything there was from the character.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    I like Ben because he has sort of a goofy charm to him. He breaks the Q mold from the very beginning. His quirky shyness then revealing a bit of a youthful sarcastic side, while remaining professional and not becoming too arrogant.
  • barryt007barryt007
    Posts: 19,339
    Whishaw definately,i think he will develop into a very very good Q.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    Cleese, definitely. His R/Q was sarcastic opposed to the irascible nature of Llewellyn, so he wasn't just a copy/paste what went before.
  • pachazopachazo Make Your Choice
    Posts: 7,314
    I'd have to go with Whishaw. I like Cleese outside of Bond but I don't think that he was the right choice to be Llewelyn's successor. It's as if the producers thought that since the audience always enjoyed the humor between Q and Bond then they should put a comedian in the role. Well, it didn't exactly work like that. Cleese felt extremely out of place to me.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,186
    I thought Cleese, who I very much like as an actor, was terrible in TWINE yet fine in DAD. Wishaw has shown potential in SF; we'll see about Bond 24.

    But they're essentially different. Cleese was clearly meant to be Llewellyn 2.0. Whishaw is a rebooted Q, a new character all together.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    Wishaw. Cleese was pastiche and a reminder of how tired and silly things had become. People say Wishaw is a bit arrogant or whatever, I don't really see it myself but he's definitely someone Craig's Bind can banter with without delving into cheap absurdity. Also, I thought the first Q in Dr.No was a bit arrogant; the way he practically chastised Bond's beretta but it's no big deal. I'm glad Wishaw has the role and I hope we get some good things from him. A Llewelyn copycat is not the approach to take and I might add that Llewelyn wasn't that great anyway.
  • barryt007barryt007
    Posts: 19,339
    doubleoego wrote:
    Wishaw. Cleese was pastiche and a reminder of how tired and silly things had become. People say Wishaw is a bit arrogant or whatever, I don't really see it myself but he's definitely someone Craig's Bind can banter with without delving into cheap absurdity. Also, I thought the first Q in Dr.No was a bit arrogant; the way he practically chastised Bond's beretta but it's no big deal. I'm glad Wishaw has the role and I hope we get some good things from him. A Llewelyn copycat is not the approach to take and I might add that Llewelyn wasn't that great anyway.

    Ow !!!!

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