Who is the better super-spy for the age we live in, Ethan Hunt or James Bond?

[Joseph Roland]

Hi everyone....

Bond Twenty-something will be upon us before we know it and, separately, Christopher McQuarrie has been scouting locations for filming Mission Impossible 7 and 8 back-to-back.

And I was thinking, in the era of #MeToo, an era of post-truth politics (and post truth generally), an era that sees people divided (I'm from the UK, we are incredibly polarized here over a certain issue called Brexit), which of these two cinematic super-spies best suits our current era and why?

We might also look at it from another angle, if you'd like: which of these two film franchises best chimes with modern sensibilities?

Please feel free to join in the discussion - I look forward to it!

[YB]

I didn't realise you were UK based, Joseph. Two of us now.

James Bond has always been a favourite of mine, right back to the Dr No days (showing my age!). Although the scenes and plots have had to move with the times one thing I like is the lack of bad language and sex scenes. I know there are sex scenes, but innuendo rather than explicit. I don't have a problem with either sex scenes or bad language but it seems that sometimes films are filled with unnecessary amounts, making them unsuitable for the young (maybe 10-14 year olds?).

[4AMNTN]

Well as far as actual SPY movies go I've never been a Bond Fan - I've only seen the movies thru countless TV "spots". Then I did see the first Mission Impossible but that's it. Val Kilmer did a movie The Saint a re-make I think & I liked it but Val Kilmer is my CRUSH so...The Austin Power movies hmmmmm. The movie SPY with Melissa McCarthy & Jude Law is great HA! And of course The American Assassin .......

[Gismo]

Who is the better super-spy for the age we live in, Ethan Hunt or James Bond?

I didn't realise you were UK based, Joseph. Two of us now.

Actually 3

[Dan M.]

I've really liked that last few MI movies, but I've also enjoyed Daniel Craig's spin on Bond. If forced to choose between just Cruise and Craig, I'd go with Craig, but as far as franchises go, right now I'm liking the MI series more.

[YB]

Actually 3

Sorry, Gis. I had momentarily forgotten that you had moved (back) to Scotland a couple or so years ago

[Joseph Roland]

Thanks for the posts so far, people.
YB, you make an interesting point about the Bond films moving with the times and having less bad language and sex scenes. I wonder, though, in moving with the times, has Bond become less, well, Bond? In the original books, he was a womanizing, hard drinking and sometimes-pill-popping (e.g. amphetamine benzedrine in Moonraker) character. In the recent films, they've taken Bond in the direction of someone who, as played by Daniel Craig, is barely concealing the psychological toll his job is taking on him. That's psychologically more interesting, and gives Craig something to get his acting chops into, but is it really Bond? And there are still some aspects of his relationship with women that would make Roger Moore raise both eyebrows (the scene with Sévérine on her yacht is SKyfall is a bit distasteful given Sévérine's character history). What do you think?
Dan M, I think you make an interesting point, too. As a character, you prefer Bond, but in terms of a film franchise, you prefer M:I. What you can notice about the Bond films is that they emulate whatver the current vogue is. In the early 70s, it was "blaxploitation" and Bond gives Us "Live And Let Die". In the noughties, after the Bourne films, we get Bond films that have the physical punch of the Bourne franchise: much grittier fight scenes, Paul Greengrass-esque camerawork and so on. Given the huge success of M:I Fallout, I wonder if the next installment of Bond will opt for a more playful M:I-esque tone. And, linking back to what YB was saying, it will also be really interesting to see what that phenomenally talented Phoebe Waller-Bridge brings to the party on the next Bond film as she is co-writing the script.
Again, what do people think? Please keep the comments coming!