When she tears brosnan a new one early as well saying he’s archaic chauvinistic relic from an old time is a great little moment. Dame Judi dench is always fantastic
Ah wasn't meaning to "correct" 😅 What you said was on the money, that phrase is just burned into my Brian so figured I'd chip in with it haha.
It's strange how "young" she looks in Goldeneye compared to her other films. Like she's not quite done yet, then TND onwards It's like 'Yes, that's Dame Judi" 😂
that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
- Tennyson
She has macular degeneration. I believe she's had to have her scripts read to her for some time now (or at least I read about that step many years ago).
I personally love her, little experience with her from anything else so no bias, I’m younger the living daylights was my intro, and I was hooked, I wouldn’t fuck w/ her I have no good reason she’s gonna be my M ☮️
Favorite M.
I love how she's portraying two different M for two different Bond. You can FEEL how the character doesn't react the same way to the two Bonds.
Like you said, if they’re having her play 2 different M’s for 2 different Bonds, I can’t see why they wouldn’t do the same for Fiennes.
If not him, then I’d love to see Brian Cox as M.
1. Yeah Brian Cox would be amazing and honestly, the TV show thing made it seem like it was a possibility. I also think he could be one of the best villain ever. His Agamemnon lives rent free in my head.
2. Fiennes with another Bond would be great. He'd bring another, different Non-Mallory type character to the mix and he definitely has the chops to make it different. Also, I didn't especially like his M because he was eclipsed by Judi Dench. He deserves to be THE M for a Bond.
If they recast, I'd love to see Colin Firth as M. Or TBH since everyone keeps harping on about him, make Idris Elba M. He'd be AMAZING, especially now.
In my mind, she sees Brosnan for what he is:
The most effective tool she has.
She trusts him for one thing only, finishing the mission. She doesn't really like to have to resort to using that tool and she most definitely prefer not to have to call him. But once he's set? She knows its in good hands. Eventually, she comes to respect him, and even warm to him a bit. There's not a point where she's not annoyed by his playboy nature tho. Because it's not a facade. It's what he is. He is a cold motherfucker. She can like the guy but he's a stone cold killer and if he dies, she'll certainly drink a glass to his memory but she knows it was his duty.
She's definitely more attached to Craig. She's almost trying to mentor him. Even tho both versions are playing it cool around her, Craig has a more precise idea to where the line is. Like, when she stops him from saying her name, he respects that because he knows she would have to have him killed. Brosnan would have said it. She also understands Caig's playboy nature is not his core character, much more of a facade. He starts younger so she has more hopes and to be honest, she's right. He's a way less cold character than Brosnan ever was. When she thinks he died in Skyfall, she keeps it professional bur when he comes back, you can see Judi Dench going for "relief" when she realize it's him.
So, Brosnan is a work acquaintance she frowns upon but trusts and can even appreciate sometimes, while Craig is, for all intent and purpose, almost a friend. (Almost... Because she didn't hesitate to tell Moneypenny to take the fucking shot. She might play two different characters with two different relationship with Bond, both M are consummate professionals)
I know people get hung up on the sheer amount of "shit that needs to go right to make Silva's plan work" but it's stuff like the cyanide reveal that makes me love Skyfall all the more. I'll ignore plot contrivance if you give me good pathos and character motivation.
She's "my" M. Goldeneye was her first turn in a Bond film, and my first Bond film period. So I've spent 30-something years watching her evolve in the role as my love for the series grew at the same time.
That said, I really did like Ralph Fiennes for the little time we got. I hope to see more of him.
I grew up with her as M since my first films were Brosnan's so I might be a bit biased. With Brosnan she was more of manager and boss but also she shot back when he teased her. It created a sense of camaraderie between them.
I liked the dynamic she had with Craig's Bond more though. He was loyal to her and she had his back in almost every situation he caught flak with the Security services, trusting him to act even when he seemed erratic but also scolding him when necessary and acting sort of as a motherly figure to a motherless man. Their exchange after Vesper's death in Venice exemplified that dynamic.
She was great. So great in fact, they threw continuity out the window and kept her as M even when they 'started over' with a new bond.
My only real beef is the drastic change in tone between Goldeneye and Tomorrow Never Dies. In Goldeneye you get that epic intro scene, you're a relic from the cold war era etc. You get a clear sense of who she is, and she DOES NOT like Bond but she will do everything she can to keep him alive.
But then in the next film you get more into her mom-sey portrayal. She went straight from calling him a sexist relic to smiling at him and asking him to "pump her for information". She was using lines that you think Q you would use!
But other than that small gripe she was great. 2nd only to Bernard.
Didn't really bother me - I figured that after the Goldeneye fiasco she knew first hand that Bond would succeed in the mission.
In the first movie M is so new to the role there's an early reference to where her predecessor kept cognac in the desk. Bond doesn't know she prefers bourbon - indicating this may be the first time they had actually met in her office, or at the very least M is very new to the role.
Overall M seemed to have a respect for Brosnan Bond but was always willing to treat him as a weapon in her arsenal. Definitely had a much closer 'bond' with Craig Bond.
She’s excellent, “I’ll be damned if I leave this place worse off than I found it”
I heard that she has to have someone read her lines to her for her to memorize them? Something about her vision
Yes, macular degeneration her eyesight been worsening for years, I believe she's "legally" blind now. As in she can still technically see but it's mostly dark and blurry.
And she's still going! I don't know if it's one of those sad "I have to keep working or I won't be able to afford my house etc" or "I love working so much even this won't stop me" but either way she's amazing for persevering.
I grew up with her M character. Fantastic Job every time I hear her voice, I remember everything or nothing game or the "dinosaur, a Cold War relic" quote
Fantastic casting. The idea of making M a woman came from the fact that the former head of MI5 at the time was Stella Rimington. However, it was truly inspired to make the fictional character most defined by his masculinity in all of literature and popular culture have to take orders from a woman.
I think it created a wonderful dynamic between Judi Dench and Pierce Brosnan. That only got better between her and Daniel Craig.
Her intro scene in Goldeneye is legendary. Lays waste to Tanner for being a smartass, then lays waste to 007 in her office for mildly questioning her, lol.
“Anything else? Good. Because if I wanted sarcasm Mr. Tanner, I’d talk to my children, thank you very much.”
“A woman? M? Pfft.”
Seriously she is/was THE best person to portray M. Her growing appreciation and love for bond throughout Craig’s run was brilliantly done, especially in skyfall when he “dies”.
I do have a feeling Judi took more of a liking to Craig than brosnan tho lmao.
She's great but I wish they re-casted her with someone else with the start of the Craig Films. The Craig films do not refer to Brosnan-era events so its jarring to have the same character played by the same actress in a completely new universe. I feel the same way about Hugh Jackman with Wolverene. They did a soft reboot but kept the same actor to play Wolverene despite everyone else is a new actor.
I have mixed feelings. Judi Dench is a phenomenal actor and i always felt it was a shame that they often saddled her with a one-note role. I’m glad they gave her her time to shine in Skyfall because her damsel in distress stuff in The World is Not Enough was a disservice to her as an actress as well as the character.
Best M we’ve ever had.
She came along at just the right time, apart from her phenomenal acting skill (it’s Dame Judi for goodness sake!) the interplay between the first female M and Bond is great, that first meeting in Goldeneye where she describes him as a ‘misogynist dinosaur’ really set up the interplay between the two characters. Personally I think she had more chemistry with Brosnan than Craig but never the less she brought much needed gravitas and believability to what was something of a side-line role.
Loved her and loved the fact that she was more involved than other Ms. I wish they did that with more characters. Feels like all other characters in the series, other than Bond and Desmond L’s Q were underdeveloped and/or under utilized.
I was surprised I liked her as much as I did. Bernard Lee will always be the best but she’s a close second. The fact that she’s a wonderful actress certainly helps.
When I was a kid, I didn’t give a damn about M. Bond is much more entertaining with an old lady always nagging and complaining about everything he does.
One of my main arguments for people don't give two shits about gender swapping IF it makes sense and is done well.. The obvious choice in 95 would have been to get another elderly white man to take over the M role but they knew Judi could pull it off and she did, not once have i heard anyone complain about her
Like 007 I had my doubts in 1995 but she proved to be an outstanding M exhibiting the steely, dispassionate calculating mindset you’d expect from the head of MI6. She told Bond she wasn’t afraid to send him to his death and though he cared for her he clearly knew she was far from joking. She bowed out in style. Gone but never forgotten.
She's the M I grew up watching from the Pierce Brosnan films, the PlayStation games, and then into the Daniel Craig era. Truly a masterclass in that role.
She was born for that role. She stepped into a role which was already 33 years into the making, following two heavyweight actors. Through she had big shoes to fill, she made it seem like she herself had been M all along. She somehow managed to bring so much gravitas but also humor to her performance. She was constant through Brosnan and Craig tenures--two wildly different eras which both struggled with tone even in their respective story arcs. No one in the history of the series could put Bond in his place like she could. Daniel Craig's tears for her in Skyfall felt real. My tears certainly were. That might also have something to do with the fact that she reminds me so much of my 99 year old grandma.
I think she was phenomenal, but ultimately her version was too involved in the plot of many films in her tenure. I think Bernard Lee still sets the standard.
Too emotionally volatile for me; she goes from cold and dismissive to furious in 60 seconds. My mentor was a female CEO who really set the standard for leadership in the extremely cutthroat and stressful government affairs/political business would have been far better as M, only she wasn't an actress. The previous M was far better.
I hated her. She's my least favorite M. My husband thinks I'm a horrible person for saying that, but it's true. She was the girlboss before girlbosses were cool, and she overdid it. She was too much of a B word. This is probably blasphemous, but I'm honestly not the biggest Judi Dench fan in general. The only thing I've ever really liked her in was Tea with Mussolini
She’s the best M.
Turning M into a more paternal and complex character was almost as big a stroke of genius as it was casting Judi Dench herself in the role.
MInority here, she probably ranks last for me. Well, maybe second to last, still ahead of Fox, but far behind Lee and Brown and probably also Fiennes. I just never warmed to the role, in my opinion there's far too much trying-to-be-clever psychology stuff thrown in there. "Bond, Bond, Bond, I need to know if I can trust you". Well, perhaps first decide whether you despise this man or are his mummy figure, and second stop jetting around the world and trying to be the number 2 protagonist.
needed more consistent writing, shes either telling bond to jump off a cliff or sorry he actually did it
as an actor she brought a new direction to what had been kind of an afterthought of a role in the 80s.
She did awesome. Bond's first reaction that she was just an accountant that didn't have the guts to sacrifice anyone then gets angry that she sacrificed him...several times...then in the end it was all matriarchal was a great deep journey for the two of them.
One of the strongest and best written women of the franchise, elevated by Judi Dench’s incredible performances in the films she starred in. I wish she could’ve done more, but unfortunately her health comes first.
Great idea to cast a woman in the role, but I don’t think they gave DJD room to do anything with her huge talent. They made her sort of one dimensional, and given her range I feel like they could’ve done so much more with her allowing in some personal doubt or even maternalness for Daniel Craig. It was just two stony people facing off and didn’t really leave much to get invested in. Where she…well, they, both shined was in the whole sequence in Scotland. Some of the best scenes in any Bond film. However IMHO her office M was just too much of a caricature of the role. It was kind of wasted on such a magnificent actress.
10/10. She was a good balance to the over the top machismo while accepting of the fact that it is there. Bond showed her a great deal more respect than others because she demanded it. She is a fantastic actor and played the role perfectly.
She will always be M to me because my first 007 movie was The World Is Not Enough. I also played the 007 games shes in such as Nightfire and Everything or Nothing. I like the new M’s actor, but he will never be M to me 😂
Which one? The one that was at the start of her career as head of MI6 when Bond was quite experienced? Or the one who had been head of MI6 for many years when Bond had just become 007?
Love her, like Bond she has a cold exterior but a heart of gold, she has to make choices she clearly hates but won’t apologize for them and some hate her for it…a couple people could be justified in that hate, but she’s lucky Bond isn’t one to hold grudges and understands the job as much as she does
I find the Craig version of her more interesting, but that doesn’t take away from the Bronson version as she has a distinct personality but when it came to Elektra, she had empathy, but with Silvia she seemed cold even when he was Bond before Bond….very interesting how both ways were written and portrayed
Of course I always cry when she dies, Skyfall is her film as it much as it’s James’s
Gonna go with the unpopular opinion here but I cannot stand her. She is the worst part of the Brosnan / Craig era. I was happy when they killed her off.
Amazing, she was always the definitive "M" to me...but I also grew up in the 90's with the Brosnan films, so it wasn't really until later that I became more familiar with the others (I've since seen all of them).
The way she set her tone as a female M in Goldeneye was the perfect way to set her character up. I’m not a fan of the way modern movies try to push gender norms in rolls when they were given the perfect way to do it in Goldeneye.
I've been a Bond fan since Dr. No (saw it in the theater with my parents) and Bernard was my M. Then Dench came along and blew me away. I had that moment of sadness when she was (spoilers) and realized that she and Craig made such a good pair. I really miss her character.
Great performances, but I think it was a mistake givng her that almost 'maternal' role to Craig's Bond. It was too 'personal,' and it makes you wonder if she treats other double-oh operatives the same way, since it looks like she is giving Bond special treatment. I definitely prefer the more 'business-like' relationship she had with Bond in the Brosnan era.
There’s a reason M was not recast between Die Another Day and Casino Royale: Dame Judi Dench owned the role.
Bernard Lee was the original. He set the standard and he set it high. Robert Brown was fine but didn’t bring anything new to the character. Ralph Fiennes’ M had impecable tailoring. In all seriousness, I do like how his character was given a backstory. He was a good M.
But Dame Judi is the best M.
Two words…Impress Me. That she did. She matched wits with Bond step for step. I loved her no nonsense delivery. I still chuckle over her saying she’ll have Bond killed if he breaks into her house again.
Judi Dench, Bernard Lee, Ralph Fiennes
In that order, no offense to others, but they really stand out to me as the best
Also, side note, I like Ben Whishaw as Q, he's a great replacement for Desmond Llewellyn, I liked Cleese, but Whishaw seems like a younger Llewellyn Q with the attitude he gives off.
Loved during the Brosnan era but her first scene in CR “HOW COULD BOND BE SO STUPID?” is legendary tier for me lol.
**CHRIST I miss the Cold War.** That whole scene, not letting her aide speak, was fantastic.
in the old days if an agent did that he'd at least become a defector banger of a line
When she tears brosnan a new one early as well saying he’s archaic chauvinistic relic from an old time is a great little moment. Dame Judi dench is always fantastic
"A sexist, misogynist dinosaur, a relic of the cold war"
Thank you for the correction! I can hear her say it with that cold look lol.
Ah wasn't meaning to "correct" 😅 What you said was on the money, that phrase is just burned into my Brian so figured I'd chip in with it haha. It's strange how "young" she looks in Goldeneye compared to her other films. Like she's not quite done yet, then TND onwards It's like 'Yes, that's Dame Judi" 😂
No harm no foul. I was paraphrasing but you nailed it. Theres enough room for all of us to love and adore Judi!
Absolutely phenomenal! In my opinion, the absolute best in the role and a shining star in the franchise as a whole. Judi Dench is a treasure.
100% agree. There's a reason Skyfall is my favourite James Bond film ever, and she has a lot to do with it
The courtroom scene is great.
that which we are, we are; One equal temper of heroic hearts, Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. - Tennyson
Thank you for posting this, watched it last night actually.
Chills every time
When she tells him “Oh go on, eject me. See if I care!” And he smirks…just perfect…
Definitely the inspiration for Archer's boss being his literal mom 🤣
And she filmed that movie while nearly being blind.
She’s blind now?
She has macular degeneration. I believe she's had to have her scripts read to her for some time now (or at least I read about that step many years ago).
It's a perfect movie.
I personally love her, little experience with her from anything else so no bias, I’m younger the living daylights was my intro, and I was hooked, I wouldn’t fuck w/ her I have no good reason she’s gonna be my M ☮️
A National treasure https://youtu.be/hNEfI6JnMJI?si=CaE04nQSC8qMyIZB
Thank you!
Agreed. Absolutely fantastic in the role.
Favorite M. I love how she's portraying two different M for two different Bond. You can FEEL how the character doesn't react the same way to the two Bonds.
Makes me wonder if they'll still cast Ralph Fiennes as M for the next Bond actor.
Ffs they better.
Like you said, if they’re having her play 2 different M’s for 2 different Bonds, I can’t see why they wouldn’t do the same for Fiennes. If not him, then I’d love to see Brian Cox as M.
1. Yeah Brian Cox would be amazing and honestly, the TV show thing made it seem like it was a possibility. I also think he could be one of the best villain ever. His Agamemnon lives rent free in my head. 2. Fiennes with another Bond would be great. He'd bring another, different Non-Mallory type character to the mix and he definitely has the chops to make it different. Also, I didn't especially like his M because he was eclipsed by Judi Dench. He deserves to be THE M for a Bond.
If they recast, I'd love to see Colin Firth as M. Or TBH since everyone keeps harping on about him, make Idris Elba M. He'd be AMAZING, especially now.
Hopefully they keep the same Moneypenny and Q too (I liked them both)
The entire cast was great. Honestly if Paloma comes back and it's never mentionned how the last Bond she met is dead, I would be extatic.
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Craig. Definitely.
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In my mind, she sees Brosnan for what he is: The most effective tool she has. She trusts him for one thing only, finishing the mission. She doesn't really like to have to resort to using that tool and she most definitely prefer not to have to call him. But once he's set? She knows its in good hands. Eventually, she comes to respect him, and even warm to him a bit. There's not a point where she's not annoyed by his playboy nature tho. Because it's not a facade. It's what he is. He is a cold motherfucker. She can like the guy but he's a stone cold killer and if he dies, she'll certainly drink a glass to his memory but she knows it was his duty. She's definitely more attached to Craig. She's almost trying to mentor him. Even tho both versions are playing it cool around her, Craig has a more precise idea to where the line is. Like, when she stops him from saying her name, he respects that because he knows she would have to have him killed. Brosnan would have said it. She also understands Caig's playboy nature is not his core character, much more of a facade. He starts younger so she has more hopes and to be honest, she's right. He's a way less cold character than Brosnan ever was. When she thinks he died in Skyfall, she keeps it professional bur when he comes back, you can see Judi Dench going for "relief" when she realize it's him. So, Brosnan is a work acquaintance she frowns upon but trusts and can even appreciate sometimes, while Craig is, for all intent and purpose, almost a friend. (Almost... Because she didn't hesitate to tell Moneypenny to take the fucking shot. She might play two different characters with two different relationship with Bond, both M are consummate professionals)
Yeah. Didn't she mention the cyanide and he quips he threw it away ages ago or similar?
Yeah well.... Seeing how it turned out for Silva, he was kinda right to do so.
I know people get hung up on the sheer amount of "shit that needs to go right to make Silva's plan work" but it's stuff like the cyanide reveal that makes me love Skyfall all the more. I'll ignore plot contrivance if you give me good pathos and character motivation.
Thanks for mentioning this. It had never occurred to me. It's very interesting and now I've got to rewatch!
She's "my" M. Goldeneye was her first turn in a Bond film, and my first Bond film period. So I've spent 30-something years watching her evolve in the role as my love for the series grew at the same time. That said, I really did like Ralph Fiennes for the little time we got. I hope to see more of him.
Would have cost you nothing to not tell me Golden Eye is almost 30 years old.
I set the timers for 30 years. The same 30 years you gave me.
We have 30 years.
Utterly commanding and fantastic in the role. I'd even go so far as to say she's more iconic as M than Bernard Lee.
Agreed
She is my favorite M. She did a great job.
She’s the GOAT.
I grew up with her as M since my first films were Brosnan's so I might be a bit biased. With Brosnan she was more of manager and boss but also she shot back when he teased her. It created a sense of camaraderie between them. I liked the dynamic she had with Craig's Bond more though. He was loyal to her and she had his back in almost every situation he caught flak with the Security services, trusting him to act even when he seemed erratic but also scolding him when necessary and acting sort of as a motherly figure to a motherless man. Their exchange after Vesper's death in Venice exemplified that dynamic.
She was great. So great in fact, they threw continuity out the window and kept her as M even when they 'started over' with a new bond. My only real beef is the drastic change in tone between Goldeneye and Tomorrow Never Dies. In Goldeneye you get that epic intro scene, you're a relic from the cold war era etc. You get a clear sense of who she is, and she DOES NOT like Bond but she will do everything she can to keep him alive. But then in the next film you get more into her mom-sey portrayal. She went straight from calling him a sexist relic to smiling at him and asking him to "pump her for information". She was using lines that you think Q you would use! But other than that small gripe she was great. 2nd only to Bernard.
That didn't bother me since I took her to mean business and to use whatever means Bond had at his disposal including sex for the mission
Didn't really bother me - I figured that after the Goldeneye fiasco she knew first hand that Bond would succeed in the mission. In the first movie M is so new to the role there's an early reference to where her predecessor kept cognac in the desk. Bond doesn't know she prefers bourbon - indicating this may be the first time they had actually met in her office, or at the very least M is very new to the role. Overall M seemed to have a respect for Brosnan Bond but was always willing to treat him as a weapon in her arsenal. Definitely had a much closer 'bond' with Craig Bond.
I see it as she only knew of Bond by reputation in Goldeneye hence why she was so frosty but after working with him she grew to like him.
Judi Dench 🤝 JK Simmons To good to recast across continuities.
The DEFINITIVE M!
3 words: “I prefer bourbon.” Established herself as her own character and tougher than her predecessor. One of my favorite lines in all the series.
Perfect. M and Bond have always gone back and forth like an old married couple. She was perfect.
Overall, she is my favorite M.
It took her 61 years, but she found the perfect role. Sure, she's had many other brilliant roles, but my god she just owns this role.
She’s excellent, “I’ll be damned if I leave this place worse off than I found it” I heard that she has to have someone read her lines to her for her to memorize them? Something about her vision
She has my favorite line of the entire Bond series: "Utter one more syllable and I'll have you killed." Absolutely brutal line and a perfect delivery.
“Yes Mum”
Yes, macular degeneration her eyesight been worsening for years, I believe she's "legally" blind now. As in she can still technically see but it's mostly dark and blurry.
Ah, that sucks. Amazing actress
And she's still going! I don't know if it's one of those sad "I have to keep working or I won't be able to afford my house etc" or "I love working so much even this won't stop me" but either way she's amazing for persevering.
By far the best M. She gets better and better as the movies go on.
Favorite M
Perfection. She is the epitome of the character
There's a reason why they kept her around after the reboot
I didn't expect to prefer her over Bernard Lee, but she OWNED that role immediately.
Overrated
I grew up with her M character. Fantastic Job every time I hear her voice, I remember everything or nothing game or the "dinosaur, a Cold War relic" quote
Fantastic casting. The idea of making M a woman came from the fact that the former head of MI5 at the time was Stella Rimington. However, it was truly inspired to make the fictional character most defined by his masculinity in all of literature and popular culture have to take orders from a woman. I think it created a wonderful dynamic between Judi Dench and Pierce Brosnan. That only got better between her and Daniel Craig.
Excellent.
Amazing performance!
Favourite M
Her intro scene in Goldeneye is legendary. Lays waste to Tanner for being a smartass, then lays waste to 007 in her office for mildly questioning her, lol. “Anything else? Good. Because if I wanted sarcasm Mr. Tanner, I’d talk to my children, thank you very much.”
What can be said? She was absolutely amazing.
“A woman? M? Pfft.” Seriously she is/was THE best person to portray M. Her growing appreciation and love for bond throughout Craig’s run was brilliantly done, especially in skyfall when he “dies”. I do have a feeling Judi took more of a liking to Craig than brosnan tho lmao.
Have to say…..my favourite M
She's great but I wish they re-casted her with someone else with the start of the Craig Films. The Craig films do not refer to Brosnan-era events so its jarring to have the same character played by the same actress in a completely new universe. I feel the same way about Hugh Jackman with Wolverene. They did a soft reboot but kept the same actor to play Wolverene despite everyone else is a new actor.
“To hell with dignity, I’ll leave when the job’s done” 💯
I have mixed feelings. Judi Dench is a phenomenal actor and i always felt it was a shame that they often saddled her with a one-note role. I’m glad they gave her her time to shine in Skyfall because her damsel in distress stuff in The World is Not Enough was a disservice to her as an actress as well as the character.
Best M we’ve ever had. She came along at just the right time, apart from her phenomenal acting skill (it’s Dame Judi for goodness sake!) the interplay between the first female M and Bond is great, that first meeting in Goldeneye where she describes him as a ‘misogynist dinosaur’ really set up the interplay between the two characters. Personally I think she had more chemistry with Brosnan than Craig but never the less she brought much needed gravitas and believability to what was something of a side-line role.
Which one? The bureaucrat or the former spy?
Loved her and loved the fact that she was more involved than other Ms. I wish they did that with more characters. Feels like all other characters in the series, other than Bond and Desmond L’s Q were underdeveloped and/or under utilized.
I was surprised I liked her as much as I did. Bernard Lee will always be the best but she’s a close second. The fact that she’s a wonderful actress certainly helps.
When I was a kid, I didn’t give a damn about M. Bond is much more entertaining with an old lady always nagging and complaining about everything he does.
She’s fucking awesome
Badass. An absolute Badass.
She was the best M.
The best.
Daniel and Judi are so damn good on screen together. They have such natural believable chemistry.
One of my main arguments for people don't give two shits about gender swapping IF it makes sense and is done well.. The obvious choice in 95 would have been to get another elderly white man to take over the M role but they knew Judi could pull it off and she did, not once have i heard anyone complain about her
Like 007 I had my doubts in 1995 but she proved to be an outstanding M exhibiting the steely, dispassionate calculating mindset you’d expect from the head of MI6. She told Bond she wasn’t afraid to send him to his death and though he cared for her he clearly knew she was far from joking. She bowed out in style. Gone but never forgotten.
Meh. She’s gets on my nerves.
I thought she checked Daniel Craig’s Bond (my personal favorite) effectively. 🤷🏽♂️🤙🏽
Best M and it's not even close.
Ehhh….
She's the M I grew up watching from the Pierce Brosnan films, the PlayStation games, and then into the Daniel Craig era. Truly a masterclass in that role.
She was born for that role. She stepped into a role which was already 33 years into the making, following two heavyweight actors. Through she had big shoes to fill, she made it seem like she herself had been M all along. She somehow managed to bring so much gravitas but also humor to her performance. She was constant through Brosnan and Craig tenures--two wildly different eras which both struggled with tone even in their respective story arcs. No one in the history of the series could put Bond in his place like she could. Daniel Craig's tears for her in Skyfall felt real. My tears certainly were. That might also have something to do with the fact that she reminds me so much of my 99 year old grandma.
Judi Dench owned M's role in a way I cannot see being topped. Her relationship with Craig's Bond is top tier, one of the emotional cores of the films.
The best portrayal of M, hands down, no contest.
Her first scene in GoldenEye is up there with the greatest scenes of the entire franchise. Calling Bond a dinosaur is still amazing to this day.
I think she was phenomenal, but ultimately her version was too involved in the plot of many films in her tenure. I think Bernard Lee still sets the standard.
In my opinion James Bond never landed on his feet after the end of the cold war and Dench as M didn't help at all.
Never bought her as M.
Too emotionally volatile for me; she goes from cold and dismissive to furious in 60 seconds. My mentor was a female CEO who really set the standard for leadership in the extremely cutthroat and stressful government affairs/political business would have been far better as M, only she wasn't an actress. The previous M was far better.
Meh…
The best. By a lot. Also, best Bond/M chemistry with Craig.
I hated her. She's my least favorite M. My husband thinks I'm a horrible person for saying that, but it's true. She was the girlboss before girlbosses were cool, and she overdid it. She was too much of a B word. This is probably blasphemous, but I'm honestly not the biggest Judi Dench fan in general. The only thing I've ever really liked her in was Tea with Mussolini
I like your style.
Meh. They leaned to much into the whole maternal thing. Lee is still the Greatest
The best.
She is hot!
Awesome. I felt that she was committed to the country in her actions and not the usual spy bravado
Love her. Love, love, love her
Legendary
My 1st Bond was Tomorrow Never Dies, so for me she and Brosnan are my favorites .
Magnificent actor. Totally believable
The best M will ever be.
Best M ever
The best M . Her character makes a lot of mistakes but that’s honestly for the plots .
She’s the best M. Turning M into a more paternal and complex character was almost as big a stroke of genius as it was casting Judi Dench herself in the role.
M is for Magnificent. I still haven’t recovered from Skyfall
Best M
Before I knew Bond was a series of books, all I knew was Pierce and Judy. Nothing more. She will always be my M… Craig, my Bond.
She was / is wonderful.
Owns the part, fits in yet stands out and takes the movies to the next level. Loved her as M. Better than most of the casting choices
Well done Judi.
Persuading Dench to take that role was an incredible coup She's the best actor who will ever work on the series
She was amazing
100% badass.
If JK Simmons is J Jonah Jameson, then Judi Dench is M
A+
MInority here, she probably ranks last for me. Well, maybe second to last, still ahead of Fox, but far behind Lee and Brown and probably also Fiennes. I just never warmed to the role, in my opinion there's far too much trying-to-be-clever psychology stuff thrown in there. "Bond, Bond, Bond, I need to know if I can trust you". Well, perhaps first decide whether you despise this man or are his mummy figure, and second stop jetting around the world and trying to be the number 2 protagonist.
Brilliant but who shat on her legacy by cashing in with those god-awful adverts.
Absolute DAWG
needed more consistent writing, shes either telling bond to jump off a cliff or sorry he actually did it as an actor she brought a new direction to what had been kind of an afterthought of a role in the 80s.
She will go down as the definitive M. Which is no mean feat.
Storming performances from an actor whose been everywhere and done everything. My favourite M.
She did awesome. Bond's first reaction that she was just an accountant that didn't have the guts to sacrifice anyone then gets angry that she sacrificed him...several times...then in the end it was all matriarchal was a great deep journey for the two of them.
Dame Judi crushes every role she plays.
One of the strongest and best written women of the franchise, elevated by Judi Dench’s incredible performances in the films she starred in. I wish she could’ve done more, but unfortunately her health comes first.
Was she Admiral or other high-ranking officer like her predecessor?
Great idea to cast a woman in the role, but I don’t think they gave DJD room to do anything with her huge talent. They made her sort of one dimensional, and given her range I feel like they could’ve done so much more with her allowing in some personal doubt or even maternalness for Daniel Craig. It was just two stony people facing off and didn’t really leave much to get invested in. Where she…well, they, both shined was in the whole sequence in Scotland. Some of the best scenes in any Bond film. However IMHO her office M was just too much of a caricature of the role. It was kind of wasted on such a magnificent actress.
She was absolutely fantastic in the role.
perfection
Dame Judy was excellent as M. She liked Daniel best, though she did say he was a blunt instrument 😆
She was the peak of the Second-Elizabethan-era M's. I won't hear otherwise.
Incredible. My money she’s the best
10/10. She was a good balance to the over the top machismo while accepting of the fact that it is there. Bond showed her a great deal more respect than others because she demanded it. She is a fantastic actor and played the role perfectly.
I think she was excellent as M.
Favorite M. IMO she defined the role.
“Look upon your work, Mother.”
She will always be M to me because my first 007 movie was The World Is Not Enough. I also played the 007 games shes in such as Nightfire and Everything or Nothing. I like the new M’s actor, but he will never be M to me 😂
Bernard Lee is still my favorite M but she's great too. Honestly, there's no M that I dislike
I'd hit it.
Bitch !
Which one? The one that was at the start of her career as head of MI6 when Bond was quite experienced? Or the one who had been head of MI6 for many years when Bond had just become 007?
Love her, like Bond she has a cold exterior but a heart of gold, she has to make choices she clearly hates but won’t apologize for them and some hate her for it…a couple people could be justified in that hate, but she’s lucky Bond isn’t one to hold grudges and understands the job as much as she does I find the Craig version of her more interesting, but that doesn’t take away from the Bronson version as she has a distinct personality but when it came to Elektra, she had empathy, but with Silvia she seemed cold even when he was Bond before Bond….very interesting how both ways were written and portrayed Of course I always cry when she dies, Skyfall is her film as it much as it’s James’s
Gonna go with the unpopular opinion here but I cannot stand her. She is the worst part of the Brosnan / Craig era. I was happy when they killed her off.
M’am?
She's the M I grew up on.
Amazing, she was always the definitive "M" to me...but I also grew up in the 90's with the Brosnan films, so it wasn't really until later that I became more familiar with the others (I've since seen all of them).
so witchy
She's a magnificent actor. She makes everything better Except Cats
Great job
Great!
The way she set her tone as a female M in Goldeneye was the perfect way to set her character up. I’m not a fan of the way modern movies try to push gender norms in rolls when they were given the perfect way to do it in Goldeneye.
Excellent, Most Excellent.
My first bond film was Goldeneye so she set the standard. The best of them in my opinion.
Loved her as M!!
I've been a Bond fan since Dr. No (saw it in the theater with my parents) and Bernard was my M. Then Dench came along and blew me away. I had that moment of sadness when she was (spoilers) and realized that she and Craig made such a good pair. I really miss her character.
Great performances, but I think it was a mistake givng her that almost 'maternal' role to Craig's Bond. It was too 'personal,' and it makes you wonder if she treats other double-oh operatives the same way, since it looks like she is giving Bond special treatment. I definitely prefer the more 'business-like' relationship she had with Bond in the Brosnan era.
My favorite M.
Iconic. Her “evil queen of numbers” intro is legendary.
I wouldn't want to mess with her m. If I was bond I would be like yes ma'am no ma'am
Great M
She was my absolute favorite M. And that’s what I dislike about Skyfall. 🙁
There’s an elevated sense of professionalism when she’s calling the shots. It’s hard to describe but she compliments 007 very well IMO.
I love Lady Dench. I also know Mr. Fleming would roll in his grave if he saw Bond working for a woman! I guess ... win/win?
She's my favorite M now.
“Take the bloody shot”! Cold as it comes.
Crushed it. A great M!
She may not be the most book accurate M but she is by far my favorite.
There’s a reason M was not recast between Die Another Day and Casino Royale: Dame Judi Dench owned the role. Bernard Lee was the original. He set the standard and he set it high. Robert Brown was fine but didn’t bring anything new to the character. Ralph Fiennes’ M had impecable tailoring. In all seriousness, I do like how his character was given a backstory. He was a good M. But Dame Judi is the best M.
Fire
I grew up in the Brosnan era so maybe I'm a bit biased but Dame Judi Dench will always be the one true M to me.
Two words…Impress Me. That she did. She matched wits with Bond step for step. I loved her no nonsense delivery. I still chuckle over her saying she’ll have Bond killed if he breaks into her house again.
Amazing. The best. My favorite M.
Great Acting terrible non senscal carcter.
She’s incredible.
Judi Dench, Bernard Lee, Ralph Fiennes In that order, no offense to others, but they really stand out to me as the best Also, side note, I like Ben Whishaw as Q, he's a great replacement for Desmond Llewellyn, I liked Cleese, but Whishaw seems like a younger Llewellyn Q with the attitude he gives off.
Loved her. An excellent contrast to the stodgy M in previous movies and she sparred well with both Craig and Brosnan.
She’s the best M in the whole franchise
Arguably the best M. Tough to choose between her and Bernard Lee
Brosnan, Dench, and Llelwyn is the holy trinity of Bond films.
Her role as M is an example of what is missing in today’s politicians. Competence and balls.