295 replies to this topic

[Qwerty]

I think that the Most Dangerous Game idea would work extremely well in a Daniel Craig Bond movie, without all of the humorous elements, of course.

That could definitely make for an interesting sequence.

[quantumofsolace]

There is no tension . It's one stupidity followed by another.

ref to jungle scene

[DaveBond21]

There is no tension . It's one stupidity followed by another.

ref to jungle scene

Don't hold back. Tell us what you really think, quantum.

[Qwerty]

There is no tension . It's one stupidity followed by another.

ref to jungle scene

To each his own.

[DaveBond21]

It seems like a few people remember Octopussy's premiere as being a fun experience too.

[Mr. Blofeld]

The film after the bomb was defused felt like it was unneccessary; I would have cut most of it down to a quick confrontation on the plane back.

[DaveBond21]

I think there are hardly any slow points to this movie. A great fun Bond film. I can't believe it's 25 years since it was released!

[Pierce - Daniel]

The film is merely 'okay'.
Here's why: I like to refer to it as the Moore curse. No one got the balance right with Roger. Hamilton made adventure romps that were fast paced and moved quickly, they were good while they lasted, but only set up the parametres of Moore's Bond. In TSWLM Gilbert really got his finger out. for me this movies is the only Roger Moore Bond that goet the balance perfect. It was light: played on Moore's more comedic personality, frightening: Jaws is truly terrifying in this film, MR destroyed him as a character, Serious: the throughline of the movie, Anya's boyfreind is powerfull and meaningfull and gives Bond and the Bond girl a new dynamic, but most importantly: Gilbert's direction and style is powerfull,the direction is fantastic some of the screencaps are pure art. But after they made the awfully comedic MR, followed by the serious FYEO, only to end up in OP.
First of all, it is fun, and for 120 minutes of it's runtime its enjoyable. But the film is packed with flaws:
-Glen. Bad direction, the worst of the series. Those zoom in and out shots are awfull!
-Octopussy. She is annoying, Adams was fit in TMWTGG but looks fulgy here.
-Moore. He looks exactly like my Grandad in this film, not lying, same fashion sence and everything.
-Awful jokes.The stupid 'people turning there heads like a tennis match' bit. Yuck!!!
The film has not faired well over time. Moore needed better script, TSWLM is still his best archievement, his acting was spot of and the script and action with Gilbert's eye worked fantastic. Glen is mess of man, I truly dislike him.

[Safari Suit]

It's international clown week US Octopussy fans!
http://www.internationalclownweek.org/

[DamnCoffee]

There is no tension .

It was the Moore era.

It's one stupidity followed by another.

It was the Moore era!

[Mr. Blofeld]

It was the Moore era.

Says the Daniel Craig supporter.

It was the Moore era!

Says the Daniel Craig supporter!

[Scottlee]

There is no tension . It's one stupidity followed by another.

ref to jungle scene

I actually think there's quite a bit of tension in that sequence. It's Bond being chased by hunters and animals at the same time, a truly frightening situation. I winced as a kid at the sight of the leeches, spiders, and crocodile. I still do to some extent. I really miss animal dangers in Bond films.

[staveoffzombies]

To me this is the most underrated of all the Bond films. I was watching through it today to confirm my theory, and I found it just as great as ever. Yes, there are the really cornball moments that plagued the Moore films; but there's some great stuff in here as well.

-The plot was twisty turny, and keeps your interest.

-Roger Moore seemed to be having a great time...he was as charming as ever.

-Maud Adams was great...she actually seemed the appropriate age for Moore and made for a memorable character.

-It might just be me...but I found the tension when Moore is trying to get to, and diffuse the bomb to be one of the best moments of tension in the whole Moore canon. The frustration he's going through as everything seems to be stopping him from getting to the bomb was so well done....I felt tense and frustrated along with him.

-And the plane fight was a great bit.

-I also loved the increased screen-time for Q, as well as him getting in on the action at the end.

-Finally, the scene where Bond returns from Octopussy's hideout to find Q with Vijay's dead body is a great moment where the two colleagues avoid sniping at each other to really get down to business after losing their friend...it's a great scene.


So yeah....Octopussy is the Bond film I tend to get the most defensive about...it seems to either get put down or ingored altogether and I think that's a shame. It's my second favorite Moore Bond and my tenth favorite Bond film overall.


Edit: Oh, and the PTS was among the best in the series.

Edited by staveoffzombies, 24 August 2008 - 05:40 AM.

[Mr. Osato]

This is the Bond movie that threw in every "Roger Moore-ism" into the plot (slapstick, some drama, lot's of action) -- & it all worked. In the Summer of 1983 -"Octopussy" was THE movie to see -- and it was fun -- and it more than likely should have been Rog's swan-song. Yet, it was SO popular we were lucky(?)enough to get AVTAK two years later...

Octopussy is a very, very FUN Bond movie.

[Mr. Blofeld]

To me this is the most underrated of all the Bond films. I was watching through it today to confirm my theory, and I found it just as great as ever. Yes, there are the really cornball moments that plagued the Moore films; but there's some great stuff in here as well.

-The plot was twisty turny, and keeps your interest.

-Roger Moore seemed to be having a great time...he was as charming as ever.

-Maud Adams was great...she actually seemed the appropriate age for Moore and made for a memorable character.

-It might just be me...but I found the tension when Moore is trying to get to, and diffuse the bomb to be one of the best moments of tension in the whole Moore canon. The frustration he's going through as everything seems to be stopping him from getting to the bomb was so well done....I felt tense and frustrated along with him.

-And the plane fight was a great bit.

-I also loved the increased screen-time for Q, as well as him getting in on the action at the end.

-Finally, the scene where Bond returns from Octopussy's hideout to find Q with Vijay's dead body is a great moment where the two colleagues avoid sniping at each other to really get down to business after losing their friend...it's a great scene.


So yeah....Octopussy is the Bond film I tend to get the most defensive about...it seems to either get put down or ingored altogether and I think that's a shame. It's my second favorite Moore Bond and my tenth favorite Bond film overall.


Edit: Oh, and the PTS was among the best in the series.

Oh, and it's also a Goldfinger rehash.

[Safari Suit]

Not really.

[Mr. Blofeld]

Not really.

Yes, really; they dovetail quite nicely into each other, right down to the finale which takes place on an airplane.

[Safari Suit]

Fair enough. But frankly, I think there is a reason why the YOLT/TSWLM/MR/TND link, and the Goldfinger/AVTAK debt is always noted and the Dr. No/YOLT connection and so forth I've only ever read on this site. I'm not saying the connections aren't there, but it's much the same as you could say all of the films are the same. Octopussy is just too different from Goldfinger in plot, tone and pacing for me to see it as a rehash.

[Turn]

Not really.

Yes, really; they dovetail quite nicely into each other, right down to the finale which takes place on an airplane.

DAD's finale is also on a plane, Bond drives a gadget-rigged Aston Martin, fights a bizarre Korean henchman, etc. I wouldn't exactly call it a GF rehash, though and more than I would with OP. There are too many similiarities in all the films to label some more than others in that way.

[Janus Assassin]

With me being the air force, i love the part with the base, when he is getting chased by the SP's. i kinda can relate to that. makes them look like fools though, especially when he kicks the one in the crotch.

[PrinceKamalKhan]

I like it, bust at the same time I hate some elements in it. It's important to include funny parts, but that doesn't mean they should be ridiculous.

The plot in it's self is well written and pretty serious, and maybe the best of the Roger Moore's films. But I do think it's a shame they departed to far from the tone of For Your Eyes Only. I don't like the over top PTS and the final conclusion, and some of the silly parts in India.

Since Moore was still in the role, I'm glad they returned some more of the comedic elements that played to his strengths. It wouldn't have worked with Dalton but with Moore it was great. And I do agree that OP does feature the best plot of the Moore films.

At the same time I just adore the gambling scene and the bit in Germany. I was actually surprised they managed to make the bomb sequence so intense when Moore is actually dressed up as a clown.

Indeed the second 1/2 of OP plays like a Tom Clancy thriller. Very exciting. It's why OP is my 2nd favorite 1980s Bond film with TLD being 1st. In retrospect, it's too bad Moore didn't end his Bond career with OP but I wouldn't have wanted Dalton to start with AVTAK. At least, not without a major rewrite of AVTAK's script.

[HildebrandRarity]

Let's say my grandma, a huge Roger Moore fan God bless her soul, and I saw Octopussy on opening weekend. Fond memories but not the fondest in terms of Bond opening weekends.

If you take the 'tennis match comedy' and Tarzan 'yell' out of the Udaipur street and jungle chases respectively, and edit the post bomb diffusion sequences, then I think you have a better film.

You can't, however, do anything about Roger's age and noticable pre-surgery facial features. He looked better in AVTAK.

[DaveBond21]

And the plane fight was a great bit.

-I also loved the increased screen-time for Q, as well as him getting in on the action at the end.

-Finally, the scene where Bond returns from Octopussy's hideout to find Q with Vijay's dead body is a great moment where the two colleagues avoid sniping at each other to really get down to business after losing their friend...it's a great scene.

Good points. These are scenes that Octopussy's detractors often forget about, as well as the stalking of a clown (009).

[coco1997]

You can't, however, do anything about Roger's age and noticable pre-surgery facial features. He looked better in AVTAK.

I strongly disagree. Many on here have noted that Moore is stuck with a perpetual look of surprise on his face in "AVTAK", the result of a rather obvious facelift. I'd rather Roger look naturally old than artificially young.

[DaveBond21]

You can't, however, do anything about Roger's age and noticable pre-surgery facial features. He looked better in AVTAK.

I strongly disagree. Many on here have noted that Moore is stuck with a perpetual look of surprise on his face in "AVTAK", the result of a rather obvious facelift. I'd rather Roger look naturally old than artificially young.

I think he looks too orange in AVTAK.

[sharpshooter]

Octopussy has really grown on me. Before I didn't really give it that much attention and was overly critical. Now I just take it for what it is, an enjoyable two and a bit hours of escapism. Count me in as a fan!

[DaveBond21]

Octopussy has really grown on me. Before I didn't really give it that much attention and was overly critical. Now I just take it for what it is, an enjoyable two and a bit hours of escapism. Count me in as a fan!

That is cool. I like it when people grow to like certain Bond movies.

[Mister E]

I liked Octopussy better now then when I first watched it. I find it to be good but flawed film and I think Roger Moore gave his best preformance as Bond.

[Judo chop]

-Glen. Bad direction, the worst of the series. Those zoom in and out shots are awfull!

Yeah, they really are. Camerawork on a level so parochial that Mel Brooks wouldn’t even dare.

[dodge]

The film grew on me too--to the extent that I had to have it removed. I've been fine for three years now and plan to keep that way by avoiding the absolute nadir of Glen.