42 replies to this topic

[tofu 007]

along with Moonraker, Octopussy is probably my favourite Bond film to watch over and over again... i mean, it never gets boring for me!
a lot of people bash OP.. but honestly, while rewatching most of the Connery Bonds (including FRWL... one of my all time faves), i can't help but fall asleep/get extremely bored!
The tone and pace of some of them, such as Thunderball, and even YOLT just isn't as watchable as Moore's light-hearted humour and outrageous stunts... and I think Octopussy is the best example of that..

most people bash the whole clown/circus thing.. but i think it's great fun and has everything a bond film should have:

-an island populated exclusively by women!
-an amazing teaser sequence.. gotta love that acrostar!
-a group of truly sinister villains... an evil russian, an afghan prince, and even octopussy herself..
-more than a few great henchmen.. Gobinda and that buzz-saw yo yo guy!
-an amazing fight on the top of a speeding train.. who dusn't love those?
-not one.. or two.. but THREE great climax's.. Bond's thrilling race to stop an atomic blast (and they had to stop the bomb at JUST the last second!), the raid on Kamal Khan's palace, and the nail biting fight on top of an airplane.. OP pulls out all the stops..
-OP also has the most Bond moves of them all.. just watching Bond drive the car onto the tracks to catch up with the train.. great fun!
-the look on Moore's face as he slides down the stairway rail in kamal's palace, spots the bulb at the end and shoots it off just before it crushes his crotch... priceless!

so for all of you who despise Octopussy... watch it one more time.. it's thrilling, it's funny, and one hell of a great movie..

[Felix's lighter]

Underrated nothing - it's one of my top five!

For my money, it's not just one of the greatest Bond movies ever - it's one of the best movies ever, period. EON has yet to pack so much entertainment vaule into two-plus hours since, although DAD came close.

[General Koskov]

Definitely up there with LTK, FRWL, and TB. Don't know why so many people used to despise it.

PS. There's a thread entitled 'Octopussy Logic (or lack thereof)' which has the longest dicussion of OP.

PPS. There is a similarly titled one for GF, but people just didn't agree with me about that one!

[zencat]

Absolutely with you on this one, tofu 007! OCTOPUSSY is definitely in my top 5.

People joke about the title (makes it an easy target for the no-nothing-press with their stupid best of lists), but I think most fans really like OP and rate it high. It was a VERY popular Bond in it

[Dr. Yes]

I too really like Octopussy. It's not the best, but it's a lot of fun, if a bit cheesy. But I'm a sucker for cheese (especially in Bond movies). Though along with the slide whistle in TMWTGG, the Tarzan yell has got to go. Two of the most misplaced sound effects in a Bond movie, definitely. Still, though, the locations in OP are great, and it's got some unique sequences, such as the opening with the Acrostar jet, Kamal Khan hunting Bond in India, and the circus.

[Felix's lighter]

The great thing about Octopussy is that they shook up the typical formula just ever so slightly. Most Bond movies blow you away for the first half hour or so and then slowly peter out. Octopussy starts off a little cheesy (almost Moonraker territory) but slowly gets more intense. As soon as Bond says "No more problems" the tone of the movie suddenly goes from Moonraker to For Your Eyes Only. I love the movie; as far as I'm concerned, it out-Raiders Raiders of the Lost Ark.

[License To Kill]

Octopussy is definately in my top 5... Kamal Khan is definately one of the best villians, and Roger's great one-liners are incredible.


~LTK~

[tofu 007]

I agree with you felix, OP definitely has a Raiders of the Lost Ark (even a Temple of Doom)-style to it... even more so than TSWLM, which makes OP a unique Bond film in its own right. The locations are lush and beautiful, combining the look and mystique of Egypt and Africa in one great location, India. Also, Khamal and Octopussy's palaces and great set pieces.
The second half of the movie, taking place mostly in Berlin, reminded me of the grit in FYEO (as stated in an above post), and the thrilling chase to stop the bomb is accompanied by an countdown timer that definitely ups the suspense. Many Bond films hint at the time limit that Bond has to stop a tragedy but OP literally leaves it to the very last second.
Once again i have to mention that the last 40 mins of OP which is pretty much non-stop, outrageous action, is probably my favourite finale of them all, with each villain being disposed of and all loose ends being tied up...
"Oh James!"

[freemo]

Octopussy is one of my favorites too. I don't think it's been mentioned here, but In my opinion, the Bond/Kamal backgammon scene is about the most underrated in the series. Although 'underrated' isn't a term I like to use, implies that people who do like it are more enlightened than people who don't, better saying that it doesn't get the recognition it deserves. The villian coming unstuck by his own cheating, "it's all in the wrist" Bond quotes Kamal. "Double sixes, fancy that" Bond smiles, not even looking down at the dice. "Spend the money quickly Mr Bond", good writing I think. There's an audience, but only Bond, Kamal and Gobinda are in the know. This is my favorite gambling scene in the series (a tie with the Bond/Largo card game in Thunderball), and a terrific Bond/villian confrontation. Can't speak highly enough of it.

[DLibrasnow]

Originally posted by tofu 007
along with Moonraker, Octopussy is probably my favourite Bond film to watch over and over again... i mean, it never gets boring for me!
a lot of people bash OP.. but honestly, while rewatching most of the Connery Bonds (including FRWL... one of my all time faves), i can't help but fall asleep/get extremely bored!
The tone and pace of some of them, such as Thunderball, and even YOLT just isn't as watchable as Moore's light-hearted humour and outrageous stunts... and I think Octopussy is the best example of that..

most people bash the whole clown/circus thing.. but i think it's great fun and has everything a bond film should have:

-an island populated exclusively by women!
-an amazing teaser sequence.. gotta love that acrostar!
-a group of truly sinister villains... an evil russian, an afghan prince, and even octopussy herself..
-more than a few great henchmen.. Gobinda and that buzz-saw yo yo guy!
-an amazing fight on the top of a speeding train.. who dusn't love those?
-not one.. or two.. but THREE great climax's.. Bond's thrilling race to stop an atomic blast (and they had to stop the bomb at JUST the last second!), the raid on Kamal Khan's palace, and the nail biting fight on top of an airplane.. OP pulls out all the stops..
-OP also has the most Bond moves of them all.. just watching Bond drive the car onto the tracks to catch up with the train.. great fun!
-the look on Moore's face as he slides down the stairway rail in kamal's palace, spots the bulb at the end and shoots it off just before it crushes his crotch... priceless!

so for all of you who despise Octopussy... watch it one more time.. it's thrilling, it's funny, and one hell of a great movie..

I agree with you about the early Connery movies. TB in particular seems very long, drawn out and tired. I think the main problem is that chaotic, too long and just damn confusing underwater fight scene. I know that it's almost taboo to knock TB, but it doesn't show any of the whiz that made its predecessor GF such an enjoyable romp.
As for OP, well, I liked it a lot when I first saw it at the theater all those years before and for a long time it was in my top 5 lists of Bond movies. But, for me at least, it hasn't aged gracefully. It;s still better than LTK, MR, TMWTGG and DAF, but ir's not one DVD that I immediately pull out on a lazy Sunday afternoon...
Still, it has some truly fun moments....and who cannot love Maud Adams..

[mccartney007]

Underrated? I, personally, think Octopussy is HIGHLY overrated! I've discussed why before...

[Double-Oh-Zero]

Yes, Octopussy is one of the most underrrated Bond films of the series. If anyone read the Premiere issue with the James Bond special in it, they rated OP as one of the worst ones, giving it a C or D. Actually, it was one of my first Bond films, after I saw it on 15 Days of 007 one weekend. I definitely wouldn't rate it as the lowest, in fact I rate it higher than the likes of FYEO and AVTAK. The film is one of the fun ones, and I have fond memories of being in awe of the Acrostar jet sequence, the scenes with 009 and the chase through the streets of India. All of the things Freemo said about the gambling sequence is spot-on, except maybe for the part about it being the best-GE's or TB are actually my favourites. Nevertheless, it was one of the funniest and most effectve gambling sequence, and Gobinda crushing the dice immediately reminded me of GF with Oddjob crushing the golf ball. The scenes in the auction house were also very inventive and suspenseful, and I remember laughing when Bond is bluntly asked the question: "Have you gone mad?" On that note, I also think the comedy is at it's best: Veejay's "Don't worry, this is a company car," Q's "007 on an island poulated exclusively by women? We won't see him 'till dawn" and Gobinda's "Out there?!" Oh, laughs aplenty. Despite the Tarzan yell and Bond's clown makeup, Octopussy delivers.

[zencat]

How much you wanna bet that the person who complied that Premiere list never even watched OP. That magazine is the worst. In my list of movie magazines, I give Premiere a D-.

[Loomis]

I think OCTOPUSSY is one of the worst Bond films ever. I much prefer MOONRAKER, and possibly even A VIEW TO A KILL.

I also think that THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN is the most underrated Moore film. How people can call it stupid while admiring OCTOPUSSY is beyond me. For my money, THE SPY WHO LOVED ME is the most overrated of all the Bonds.

The embarrassments of OCTOPUSSY are legion: an elderly, leering Moore tromboning the zoom lens of a video camera into a woman's cleavage (yes, folks, this is supposed to be the sophisticated James Bond 007, one of the coolest men in the world); Bond making his escape as Indian peasants scrabble for the banknotes he has thrown at them; Bond telling an Indian that the money he has received should be enough to keep him in curry for a few weeks; comedy fakirs on beds of nails; a snake charmer playing the James Bond Theme on his flute; Steven Berkoff giving perhaps the hammiest performance in the history of the series; Bond in a clown suit and gorilla costume; and some full-on Benny Hill antics with Q being molested by Octopussy's girls in a hot air balloon with a Union Jack design.

However, it seems that OCTOPUSSY gets a pretty good press on the whole. Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide gives it an astonishingly generous ***1/2 rating, which no Bond film has since matched (LICENCE TO KILL and GOLDENEYE come closest, with *** each). Maltin's other ***1/2 Bonds (no Bond movie is rated ****, the maximum) are: DR. NO, FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, GOLDFINGER, ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER and THE SPY WHO LOVED ME.

There's also an episode of The Simpsons, where Homer, introduced to the parents of Lisa's English fiance, is at a loss for what to say about their country, before finally exclaiming something like: "You know what's great about you guys? OCTOPUSSY! I've seen that movie twice!":D

[Felix's lighter]

Is it just me, or were the constant Bond references on The Simpsons a reason behind the Bond films' resurgence in popularity?

I watched the front half of OP yesterday, and even though I said yesterday that the first hour is kind of lame (the "company car" chase, the Tarzan yell), the aforementioned backgammon scene features a lot of good acting. Shows just what a cool cucumber Bond really is, and the reason why so many people actually prefer Moore to Connery (in my case, just ever-so-slightly).

[Jim]

Originally posted by zencat
How much you wanna bet that the person who complied that Premiere list never even watched OP.  

Nothing. God forbid the possibility that (s)he watched the film and thought it was rot.

[DLibrasnow]

Jim.....you do know the 60s are over don't you...

[Loomis]

So are the 80s, where some of us feel OCTOPUSSY should be left in peace.

[zencat]

What DO you like, Loomis?

[Loomis]

Is it a crime not to like OCTOPUSSY?

I wonder what occasions your question, zencat. Since you ask, I like all of the 1960s Bond films, and one or two of the Moore ones, THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN in particular. I also have a fondness for LICENCE TO KILL, and I like the Brosnan outings, especially GOLDENEYE and DIE ANOTHER DAY.

I don't think my tastes are stuck fast in any particular era, and I don't think my posts make me out to be some kind of "I-hate-everything" stirrer or "single issue" poster. I've been unstinting in my praise of DIE ANOTHER DAY, for instance.

[zencat]

Fair enough. Sorry. I was just coming off your Benson slagging post so I was feeling attacked. As long as we both love DAD, all is well in fandom.

[Loomis]

It's cool, zencat. This is why we come here, after all, to have a good chinwag. It's all in fun.

[Jim]

Originally posted by DLibrasnow
Jim.....you do know the 60s are over don't you...

Yes

But thanks for asking!


No, really; thanks!

[Adam]

How could you NOT like Octopussy w/ that clown makeup? A nuclear bomb's about to go off & Bond takes a time-out for hilariousness.

[DLibrasnow]

Isn't it great that we can all agree to disagree...

[Peter]

I just rewatched this the other day, and I still love OP.

Not to restate what everyone here has said, but here are my pros and cons...

PROS

--Moore seems comfortable with the role, he's not to serious, and not too schtick-y, has some great scenes with Magda and Octopussy, and actually seems in danger some times (the hunt, and the circus chase)
--Maud Adams is a very appealling and commanding character. Besides being beautiful, Octopussy seems intelligent and someone Bond would actually have an affair with, (although the fall into bed scene doesn't really make sense)
--Kamal and Gobinda make a scary team. They really have Bond running for his life with every possible jungle creature coming after Bond. Though, of course, the Tarzan yell is not good.
--Magda is also beautiful and oily
--Perfect, self-contained pre-titles (love Toro, Bianca, and the Castro look alike)
--Location, location, location
--Great suspense in both halves of the movie. The Train chase sequence is still my favorite. I don't care what anyone else says, I loved that Bond was in the clown make up. It brought a perfect point to how 009 was dressed when he died and it DID discredit him when he tried to convince the American general about the bomb. Perfect!
--Great score
--Great end scene on Octopussy's barge. I want them to end up together permanently

CONS...

--the market chase is a little too jokey and condescending to the Indians, but we live in more PC times now. ditto the Curry line
--the tarzan yell
--confusing passage of time in the Monsoon Palace
--Does Q have an active branch in every country in the world? And he should not actually be going on missions. (Of course, it's always fun to have Q in the movies, but this would not really happen)
--Octopussy is too easily captured at the attack on Monsoon Palace
--As detailed in that other thread "Lack of Logic in OP" (which I mostly disagree with), what is the story with 009 in the first place. Obviously, Bond is investigating the Faberge egg 009 uncovered. But why do we know NOTHING of what he was doing/investigating?

That said, OP is definately in my top four, beaten only by OHMSS, TSWLM, and GF.

[Jamie007]

I just cant get past the Tarzan yell. And Bond was a total clown. Literally.
Jim

[flares]

The Acrostar jet is fantastic - sooo fast and great noise.

The explosion of the hangar is very spectacular, with the thousands of tiny individual panels on the model all blowing out, better than any CGI!

And what a location.

OP is great!

[Martini]

OP is quite trashy. There are a good poster, Stephen Berkovs "Orlov" is very good, 007 is in the GDR... But the rest is.... trashy... in my opinion.

Trash... but good trash... 007-trash....


A good movie....

[DLibrasnow]

I loved the poster for 'Octopussy"...I like those montage posters the best , which I think is why I prefer the International poster for DAD to the US poster -- although The Living Daylights" poster with just Bond in the gunbarrel and the outline of Kara Milovy in the foreground is also a favorite.