Roger Moore's back again, after a bit of uncertainty about reclaiming the role, for his sixth turn as the British super-agent. Following in the trajectory of the preceding For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy is far more grounded and human than some of the franchise's more eccentric entries, more focused on technique, cunning and intellect over wild risks, dated special effects and bravado. It's a suspenseful spy movie that doesn't also yearn to be a wacky, winking blockbuster. Apart from one vine-swinging jungle scene, that is, in which producers couldn't help but superimpose an embarrassing stock Tarzan scream.

It's the next step in a slow transition for the Bond films, from the slapstick silliness of the '70s to the grim tone of the '80s, and as such it endures a few growing pains. The more restrained action scenes work very well - a pair of intense chase sequences atop a moving train and mid-flight aircraft, respectively, are excellent - but they're too few and far between, and the requisite story-building chapters are dull, convoluted and drawn-out. Octopussy herself has the makings of a deeply interesting character, an in-betweener with a personal connection to the hero, but Maud Adams is too subdued in the role and doesn't have much chemistry with Moore.

I like where the franchise is headed, appreciate the motivation, but caught myself staring at the clock almost as much as the movie.

With the simultaneous release of the ‘non-official’ Never Say Never Again, the Bond producers felt the need to bring back Roger Moore despite his intentions to leave the franchise.

First things first, Octopussy is not only the worst name for a James Bond film, but the worst name for any film ever made up until 2 Fast 2 Furious was released.

For Your Eyes Only showed glimpses of a fresh start for the series, with new director John Glen at least trying to keep things down to earth. He returns to direct this film.

Octopussy instantly throws hope out the window when a mini plane comes out of a horse’s rear end, serving as Bond’s getaway vehicle. He manages to escape then proceeds to land at a petrol station for fuel.

After that we are treated to a very dreary title song before diving into the plot.

Interestingly enough, the first half hour of Octopussy is an intriguing intro to the film. 009 is murdered with a Fabergé egg in his hand. We trace the owner of the egg back and uncover a smuggling ring, which sends Bond to India.

It’s competently put together and the writing is genuinely witty. The casino scene stands out in particular, as does the scene in the auction house where Bond switches the real egg for a fake.

Then Bond gets in a super-charged auto-rick and things take a nose dive; the film becomes an ugly tapestry of crap special effects, moronic jokes and awful ideas.

To name but a few, there’s a plastic alligator Bond uses as a submarine. There’s a watch that lets you look at boobs. Bond swings from vine to vine at one point and they splice in a Tarzan sound effect. One villain uses a circular saw on a yo-yo as a weapon (why would you want a power tool bouncing back at you?). The list is endless.

It’s stupid and really off putting, since the opening scenes do such a good job of reeling us in.

As with For Your Eyes Only, trying to cram both gritty, realistic story telling and cheesy jokes for the kids in one place just doesn’t work.

It’s safe to say that this hurts the film a lot more that its predecessor. The bad parts are so bad that they remain stuck in our mind and anything even vaguely memorable flies out the window.

None of this is helped by the fact that the plot is far too complicated. It is impossible to follow what is happening. People’s motivations do not match their actions, and no one seems to make any logical moves, including Bond.

The performances aren’t too bad mind you. Moore is an old hand at the Bond game now and he’s always fun to watch even in the worst case scenario. Maud Adams plays Octopussy and is alluring despite having been given a weak part. She gives off the air of faux confidence, it’s clear she’s in deeper than she wants to be despite being in a position of power.

Despite its occasional highlights Octopussy stands as one of the weaker films we have seen thus far. Its slapstick tone doesn’t chime well with Bond’s smooth character, and its convoluted plot is nauseatingly hard to follow.

http://benoliver999.com/film/2015/07/06/octopussy/

James Bond: "You'll need this to play with your asp".

This movie started off pretty strange, and I'm not going to give away too much but the movie opens up with a clown getting chase in the Forrest by some hit men. Is that how you open a James Bond movie, a clown getting chase and then killed?

'Octopussy' in my opinion is way better than 'For your eyes only', because this movie at least has a better and more memorable villain and the movie knows what it is and just goes for it. The action scenes were excellent and fun to watch. The visual effect's to me were just mind blowing, because they is a scene where Bond is hanging on for dear life when he's trying to stop the bad guys in a plane, but the bad guys are spinning the plane around trying to knock him off, and that scene felt so real even my hands got a bit sweating during that scene.

Now my only problems with the movie is its annoying puns. If you hate or can't stand it when the character's in movies make unfunny puns, then 'Octopussy' isn't the movie for you, because this movie filled with puns like "That's handle" or "There she blows". The movie has a lot of strange, goofy, and weird moments that I kept saying to myself "WTF?" Like James Bond dressed up like a clown to blend in with the circus, and yes I'm saying that right. James Bond is the man who made other men jealous, he also is the man who slept with thousand of women, who saved many lives in his days, and now his dress up like a clown... wow.

Overall rating: 'Octopussy' is a fun 80's action flick, but it does reach the same level as the other good Bond films.

Roger Moore, Indiana Jones, India, Germany, Circuses, Russians, Trains, Time Bombs and Babes

Roger Moore's stint as James Bond lasted a whopping 12 years from 1973 to 1985, which is the longest term for any actor in the Bond role (not including Sean Connery's one-shot unofficial return in 1983’s "Never Say Never Again"). Moore started as Bond when he was 45 years old and ended when he was 57. The seven films he did are as follows:

LIVE AND LET DIE (1973), THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN (1974), THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977), MOONRAKER (1979), FOR YOUR EYES ONLY (1981), OCTOPUSSY (1983) and A VIEW TO A KILL (1985).

All seven were hugely popular at the box office, which explains why they kept making ‘em every two years.

Many Bond fans curiously look down on Moore's stint, no doubt because there was a little too much silly humor in his films but, to me, the Moore entrees are the most consistently entertaining. There's not a dud in the bunch; even the heavily maligned “Moonraker” is phenomenal. The Connery films were more serious, with the exception of “Diamonds are Forever,” and Sean is the quintessential Bond figure because he expertly established the role, but I ENJOY Roger Moore's stint more than any of the others. His movies have the most re-watch merit.

Some argue that by the time of “Octopussy” Moore was too "long in the tooth," but I don't see that. He may have been 54 years-old when “Octopussy” was shot and 56 in “A View to a Kill,” but it didn't matter. Moore ALWAYS looked perfectly convincing as James Bond, whatever his age.

As to the story, is it really necessary to go into detail about the convoluted plot of “Octopussy”? Every Bond film features a main villain and a few accomplices/subordinates who want to cause great havoc; Bond defies death at every turn and runs into numerous beautiful women as he moves from one exotic locale to another trying to figure out the villains' scheme and stop it.

“Octopussy” was filmed on location in India, East Germany & England, with the closing aerial scenes shot in Utah; these settings are fabulous as usual. We also get circuses, clowns, trains, mad Russian militarists and bombs-about-to-explode.

One thing that distinguishes “Octopussy” is that it has more of an Indiana Jones appeal than any other installment, which stands to reason since Indiana Jones was hugely popular at the time (“Raiders of the Lost Ark” came out two years earlier while “The Temple of Doom” came out the year after “Octopussy”).

The "Bond women" featured in “Octopussy” are Sweden's own Maud Adams (who previously appeared in “The Man with the Golden Gun”) and Kristina Wayborn. I personally never found Maud very appealing, but Kristina has an exotic charm, although she needs to gain like 10 pounds. There are numerous other peripheral women in the film like Midge, the short brunette with full hair, and the East Indian beauty that aids Bond during the opening teaser, not to mention several circus babes.

You either like James Bond films or you don't. You either like Roger Moore as James Bond or you don't. Although, their plots will often make your head spin, these movies are nothing deep. You won't derive many nuggets of wisdom. They're essentially mindless adventure flicks highlighted by exotic locales and beautiful women. Their express purpose is to entertain, not enlighten. It's escapist fantasy/adventure, pure and simple.

“The Spy Who Loved Me” is usually cited as the best Moore-era Bond picture, and I agree that it’s a great Bond flick, but “Octopussy” ranks pretty high as well and is arguably the top one. As with most of Moore's Bond films, “Octopussy” throws in goofy humor, but it's basically a serious story. It has a bit of an Indiana Jones flare and features India, Germany, scheming Russian militarists & Afghan princes, gorgeous women, incredible action sequences, circuses, clowns, time bombs and trains galore. What moore could you want in a Bond pic?

The film runs 2 hours, 10 minutes.

GRADE: A

Maybe the last of the great 007 films.
This one has it all. It has a big theatrical beginning with a clown running for his life from two knife throwing twins.
Well, the clown isn't 007, so you know what happens to him.
It's an excellent start for an excellent theatrical story.
The "plot" is a bit strange. There's a sort of jewel that is really hiding something more important, and it involves a kill crazy Russian general and a classic villain played by Jordan.
The wit is great in this one, and Jordan gets to eat up a lot of the lines, as does Moore.
The scenery is great, the women are beautiful, the wit is charming, the action is outstanding. What's not to like?
Well, the story could make a bit more sense, but the theatrics carry this one through.