Bond, Bourne or Hunt who's your favorite?

I don't like Mission Impossible or Tom Cruise.

For sheer ass-kicking prowess, it's easily Jason Bourne, though I'd put Daniel Craig's Bond as a close runner-up.

 

Yeah I don’t know what they can do to top what has already been done. I do worry that Cruise will actually kill himself in these movies at some point. They keep upping the ante in each installment. However, I have a lot of respect for Cruise and MacQuarrie for actually taking the time to do the stunts for real; it’s not something like Fast & Furious where it’s all a bunch of CGI silliness.

 

Bourne is not even on the radar for me. It's between Bond and Hunt, with Bond edging out the win.

 

Ten years ago I would have said Bond, but there's something about Tom Cruise doing death defying stunts that feels more exciting than watching Craig angst his way through the role.

 

Bourne, Bond then Hunt...but they are all enjoyable characters.

 

The one that actually has a definable character. James Bond.

 

A fan of all 3 but I'm a die hard Bond fan. The class, sophistication, atmosphere, music (John Barry) the stunts, the women and Connery (his first 4 Bond films cemented Bond's legacy).

That being said, I love watching Bourne work as in when he's doing his thing. I can confidently say that Jason Bourne would absolutely DESTROY Bond and Hunt. Hunt has taken over as the king of stunts and his last few films have been amazing. The last 2 Bond films have sucked and I only acknowledge the first 3 Bourne films.

 

Remember when Matt Damon claimed sexist James Bond was obsolete?

James Bond 25 on the horizon while Jason Bourne 4 was a veritable dud. A film that wounded a franchise obsolete, salted on top with terrible treatment of women.

 

I only acknowledge the first three Bourne movies.

 

I think Jason Bourne is the weakest of the five movies but for me its main flaw is the car chase, which is pure Hollywood overkill.

 

I think it’s just a redundant rehash. Tommy Lee Jones is practically the same character as Brian Cox and they kill Julia Stiles in the exact same way they killed Franka Potente (who left a void that has never been filled).

 

I agree about Marie's death leaving a huge whole in the series, though I can see why they did it. They so drastically changed Marie's character from the books to the movies she would not have logically functioned in that world very long.

 

Jason Bourne is just meh, but I need to go back and rewatch all four soon

 

I have recently rewatched all the Bourne films and they truly do strike me as being a step above anything else in the genre. The weakest of them for me was the last one, Jason Bourne, and that was solely because of the car chase scene they decided to turn into an over-the-top typical Hollywood affair.

That said, if one is an action junkie, then I understand why one of the other two franchises are likely preferred. The individual decision itself strikes me as being akin to the one readers make when they decide if Fleming was a more engaging writer than LeCarre'.

 

Bond as a character and the Mission Impossible movies if we're just going by the last few films. I like the Mission Impossible series from III onward and enjoy Ethan Hunt more with each passing outing. I'd still take Bond overall. Bourne is nowhere close to me. The character is blank and it's basically the same chase for four films. I do enjoy the Bourne Identity novel very much.

 

Well...that is sort of by design in the first couple of movies, don't you think? And as he moved forward I would have to disagree with you. Webb does develop more and more personality as the movies go along. It is much harder to play stoic than to play over the top action.

I do agree about The Bourne Identity novel. I thought all the Ludlum Bourne novels were entertaining.

 

Yes. He's blank because he doesn't remember his past and must unlock the mystery of who he is. It works better in the books for me since there is some internal dialogue even though written in third person that gets inside Bourne's head in ways the movie can't.

I don't expect much personality from Bourne but by having him interact with such few people limits most scenes to him walking, running, chasing. The death of Marie's character also cuts off Bourne from further character development and interaction. So these films consist of Bourne walking, cut to building where Treadstone Ops monitor him, cut back to Bourne walking, cut back to Treadstone Ops watching him. That's why I prefer Bond and the last few MI movies. There's a little more variety, personality, and interaction.

I like many of Ludlum's novels. I read about twenty of them I guess.

 

I wonder if that Treadstone show will be any good. I thought the trailer looked promising, but the first Bourne spinoff (Bourne Legacy) was god-awful. And it's on the USA network, which could go either way. It could be amazing like Mr. Robot or a snoozefest like... all of their other shows.

 

They’re all good but Bond is the original and best.

 

But Bond also has some of the worst films. Die Another Day is worse than MI2, Jason Bourne and Bourne Legacy COMBINED.

 

So is Moonraker. I find that one almost unwatchable.

 

I don't really remember that one much but I do remember it being stupid.

 

That's why IMO Bourne was the most compelling in his first movie. He was a little more vulnerable and mysterious because he was figuring out who he was, plus he had Marie and that dynamic to draw him out a little.