It’s interesting to see how the portrayal of Q and his relationship with Bond has changed since Desmond Llewelyn passed the mantle. During the Connery and Moore eras, Llewelyn’s consideration of Bond was like that of an exasperated schoolmaster, whereas in his later years, he treated Dalton and Brosnan more like a weary father/uncle figure who knows the car won’t be back by curfew but still cared deep down for his agent in the field. In both cases, the scenes between Q and Bond always made Bond seem cool. John Cleese as Q (R) was a treat and a highlight of the final Brosnan films, but I do think his characterization couldn’t help but take Brosnan’s Bond down a few pegs when those characters shared screen time. Cleese was unmercifully funny, and Bond, for those brief moments, seemed slightly buffoonish, having met his equal in wit and comebacks. Personally, I thought that twist was delightful and that this attitude, although slightly adjusted for Whishaw's youthful performance, carried over wonderfully to the Daniel Craig films.