Octopussy (1983)

After the last slow James Bond entry in 1981 ("For Your Eyes Only"), it was a pleasant surprise to find out that Agent 007 wasn't dying. Roger Moore in the Bond role in "Octopussy" comes back to life in grand style. This film has all of the trademark aspects of the Bond franchise, and then some. It has a new main playwright since the last outing. Usually there's one specific hair-raising scenario when Bond might fall to his death, become chopped liver, or float off into space. Here, Bond has three harrowing and nail biting escapades. The first is dodging a missile in a special jet plane made for him by Q's shop back at MI6 labs. The second is clinging to the side and then roof of a rail car on a fast moving train. And, the third is holding onto the top of a prop plane as the pilot tries to shake him off. In between these, Bond has some scrapes with assassins, other bad guys and is hunted and has encounters with tigers and crocodiles. This is one fast-paced thriller, and Bond returns to form, winning all of his fights but one. Of course, that one leads to his next escape. Bond gets some new gadgets from Q, besides the compact jet plane that doubles as a car. And, a double plot adds more intrigue and interest. Part of this story involves the Soviet Union, and a rebel general within the Soviet military who has a dastardly plan to cause a nuclear explosion in West Germany. Even though it's a far-out piece of the story, I enjoy the Bond thrillers more when they take place within the aspects of the Cold War. That was a very real time in the lives of people around the world after World War II and until 1990. This film has more unique and hair-raising scenes than usual, to the point that the plot bounces around a great deal. But, it is interesting and keeps one awake and glued to his or her seat. The story is set mostly in India and Germany, which at that time was divided into East and West. In a scene where M sends Bond into East Berlin, Bond goes from the American zone to East Berlin through Checkpoint Charlie. That probably was the most famous and well known of all the Berlin crossings during the Cold War. This film is somewhat different in that it doesn't have a woman agent as a nemesis to Bond. Instead, a network of women have been trained by the daughter of a former Secret Agent in physical skills as well as business and professional fields. Toward the end, Octopussy, played by Maud Adams, leads her ladies in a raid on the evil Kamal. It's a far-fetched battle, but it's a fun spectacle to see how it was staged. Louis Jordan plays Kamal. This is a very enjoyable Bond thriller with lots of action and far-out scenes. It's the best Bond played by Roger Moore, and one of the best of the entire series. Not only does it have trains, planes and automobiles, but it also has boats, horses, elephants, and a hot air balloon toward the end. There's much fun in this film. One very strange thing occurs in the opening scenario. Two armed guards are watching Bond in the back of a moving truck. When a woman agent distracts them, Bond hits releases on their chests and parachutes open and they float out of the truck. These were freefall chutes used in sky diving, not regular Army parachutes. But, even then, no one would ever be wearing a parachute until just before they boarded a plane for a jump. Here are some favorite lines from this film. Bond and an MI6 art expert attend an art auction in London at which an original Faberge egg from the Russian royalty is put on the auction block. Bond, "How much should it fetch?" Jim Fanning, "Oh, 250,000... 300,000 pounds. Anything more would be crazy."When Bond arrives in India, he finds his contact to be snake charmer. Vijay, "This was the wrong cover. I hate snakes." Vijay tells Bond that he plays cricket. Vijay, "As a matter of fact, I've got a part time job as a pro at Kamal's club." James Bond, "What have you learned so far?" Vijay, "Well, my backhand's improving."

Octopussy carries on with the serious return to the series, and with Roger Moore playing 007 with the seriousness that was evident in For Your Eyes Only, but the film is not entirely successful. However, there are some good moments. The pre credits scene is one of the most entertaining, with the Acrostar mini jet being chased by the missile, and the scene after the pre titles where 009 is hunted down and killed is quite eerie and very suspenseful. There are some good performances from the supporting cast, with Maud Adams, Louis Jourdan and Vijay Amritraj being standouts.The main problem with Octopussy is that the plot line is far too complex for its own good; the best films are when the story is straightforward and easy to follow, but Octopussy has far too much going on. The story does grow on you, but it's not something you take to straight away.The film does have a few silly moments, especially the Tarzan yell, and the part where Bond disguises himself as a clown to disarm the bomb doesn't work; it would have been more tense if he'd have just gone in as himself.Overall, Octopussy has its good moments, but is let down by an overly complex story.

Directed by John Glen and produced by Albert Broccoli, it has script by Richard Maibaum and George MacDonald Fraser and is the thirteenth film in the franchise. In this film, James Bond investigates the death of another British spy. The trail leads to India, where he allies with Octopussy, a daughter of a former enemy who want to save her own skin. The action takes place in the context of "détente", a policy of appeasement between the USA and the USSR.Personally, I consider this film as one of the worst in the entire franchise. I appreciate the scenery and the exoticism of the scenes in India, where part of the film took place, or the trip train to West Berlin. All these scenes help, in fact, to make this a very nice film. The script is also good: the theft of Soviet artworks, a nuclear attack on West Berlin are strong themes. The great sin of this film are some scenes that ridiculed the main character. Its sad to see James Bond disguised as clown or gorilla, but even that could be understandable depending on the context. But see 007 to panic, start screaming and running from one side to the other in the middle of a circus tent... I wasn't able to recognize Bond, nor understand how Roger Moore allowed his character was the target of that laughingstock!In this film, besides the central cast inherited from the previous films and the continuation of Roger Moore in the role of 007, it participated Maud Adams in the role of Octopussy; Louis Jourdan gave life to the villain, Kamal Khan; Kabir Bedi played Gobinda and Robert Brown assumed the role of M, left vacant by the death of Bernard Lee.

Octopussy is another Roger Moore Bond dud. Octopussy is about James Bond, following the death of a fellow agent, trying to stop another deadly plot which could start World War III. Widely regarded as one of the lesser Bond films, Octopussy is without a doubt a 2 star Bond movie. It's far from an unwatchable film. A James Bond film always carries an irresistible sense of escapism and this is no different. The location shooting in India is great and there are undeniably a few electrifying set pieces. A set piece on a train is a particular highlight and the film also features more screen time for Q. The theme song is OK. If you're in the right mood you may quite enjoy it and the plot is moderately interesting. It's also refreshing to see a Cold Ware thriller again, but that's part of the problem. Octopussy is an anachronism and can't decide what it wants to be. It has traces of Ian Fleming, with Roger Moore showing grit and the plot involving the Cold War, but it still goes for Moonraker level silliness. Bond dons a gorilla suit, a clown suit and does a Tarzan yell. With its cringe worthy humour and stupidity, these 2 sides of the film don't fit together at all.As for Roger Moore, he's looking far too old for Bond by now. The 2 Bond Girls in the film are both played by terrible actresses while the villain will be forgotten quickly. His henchman, who is a Bond cliché on legs, is wasted and not used enough. It doesn't even feel like a Bond film much of the time and undoes all of the good work done by For Your Eyes Only although the next film, A View to a Kill, undoes it even more. Is this a good film in the end? No. It's a flatly executed affair although still watchable. I don't hate Octopussy as it is fun at times, but it just feels anachronistic and it's clear the filmmakers yearn for the past but can't resist throwing in the stupidity that defines the Roger Moore era. The 6th worst Bond film overall, though probably one of the most enjoyable out of worst Bond films. If you don't notice its flaws too much it'll be a perfectly harmless and acceptable action film which still has those escapist thrills.4/10