James Bond is one of the longest-running, most successful, and most loved film franchises of all time. Since 1962, James Bond has delighted audiences around the world with his exotic missions, high octane action set pieces, and memorable and menacing villains. However, Bond isn't always the only hero in the story. Bond's MI6 colleagues, such as M and Q, often play very important roles in the plot.
The most recent two Ms, Dame Judi Dench, and Ralph Fiennes, have been more involved in the plotline than any other M, allowing us to understand their characters for more than any other versions of M. This article will list 5 reasons why Dame Judi Dench was the best M and 5 why it's Ralph Fiennes.
Judi: Character Development Over Films
Judi Dench's M was the first to be given a central role in a movie. Prior to Judi Dench's run as M, the MI6 boss would normally just be used to explain the mission to James Bond at the beginning of the movie, before Bond visits Q for the movie's new gadgets.
However, with Judi Dench's M, we get character development over several movies. In Goldeneye, Dench's first film, we see her as an inexperienced M who doesn't trust Bond, yet this changes across the movies, with the character growing to trust Bond and form a friendship with him.
Ralph: M Origin Story
Ralph Fiennes' M was the first M to be given an origin story of sorts. In Skyfall, we see the character before he becomes M, allowing us to see how the character became M for the first time on screen. This allowed us to see the character in the field for the first time, as he helped to fight against Raoul Silva's forces and protect Judi Dench's M.
This backstory allows us to instantly attach ourselves to the new M, showing that he is a character who can be trusted and isn't afraid to get involved if necessary.
Judi: Survived The Bond Reboot
Perhaps one of the biggest testaments to Judi Dench's M is that she managed to survive the Bond reboot, with the character appearing in both the Brosnan films and the Craig movies. What makes this so important is that she was the only character to survive the James Bond reboot.
The fact that Judi Dench's M was the only character to survive the Bond reboot shows just how respected she was in the role of M, both by the producers and by fans.
Ralph: Heroic Past
One of the most interesting character elements of Ralph Fiennes' M is that he was a field agent during the troubles in Ireland, which eventually led to Ralph Fiennes' M being captured by the IRA and held for some time. It was almost certainly this imprisonment that caused M to become cold and distant.
While the character may be cold and distant, however, the fact that M has participated in so much fieldwork and even been captured by the IRA makes him a highly respectable and tough M.
Judi: More Impact On A Movie Than Any Other M
One of the most unique features of Judi Dench's run as M is that the character was given far more of a central role than any other M. In Skyfall in particular, M was central to the plot, with the character being the motivation behind Raoul Silva's attacks on MI6 and its agents.
Additionally, as a result of this movie, Judi Dench's M was the first version of the character to be given an on-screen death. Other versions of the character had simply retired between movies, yet Judi Dench was given the chance to portray an ending to her character.
Ralph: A More Intimidating, Colder M
While Judi Dench's M was certainly intimidating in her own way, Ralph Fiennes M is intimidating in a far more classic way. Perhaps due to his field agent past, Fiennes' M is very aloof and far less talkative than Judi Dench's M was, making him a colder and more distant character.
This brings the character closer to the classic M portrayals, as M barely spoke to Bond during the pre-Judi Dench era. However, this may change after No Time To Die is released.
Judi: Longest Running M
In addition to being the only character to survive the Bond reboot and the only M to get a plotline crafter around her, Judi Dench's M is also the longest-serving M in James Bond movie history, with the character starring in seven bond films from 1995 with Goldeneye to 2012 with Skyfall.
This shows just how popular the character was among fans and producers of the James Bond series, as well as how well Judi Dench portrayed the character.
Ralph: Mirrors Bond
One of the most interesting aspects of Ralph Fiennes' M is the fact that he used to be a field agent, with the character showing his combat expertise in the movies. Fiennes' combat-heavy past, as well as his sarcastic personality, makes him a mirror of Bond.
Ralph Fiennes M is very Bond-like, both in his demeanor and in his personality. This is very unique to the M character, as the previous Ms have always appeared to be far more 'desk-based' than Bond, drawing a hard distinction between Bond and M.
Judi: Mother Relationship With Bond
One of the best things about Judi Dench's M is the relationship she built with James Bond, particularly in the Daniel Craig era. We see the characters grow close to each other throughout their time together, with the relationship being described by many as a mother/son relationship.
In Skyfall, in particular, we see this, with Dench's M bringing out a softer side to Bond that we've, perhaps, only seen in Casino Royale with Eva Green's Vesper Lynd.
Ralph: More Action Orientated M
Ralph Fiennes gives us a far more action-orientated M than we've seen before, with the character showing this in Skyfall during his skirmish with Raoul Silva's men and in Spectre when M confronts C. Ralph Fiennes' M is clearly a very different version to Judi Dench's version of the character.
Ralph Fiennes' M is an M who is clearly not afraid to take matters into his own hands and get involved in the action if it's required of him.