Octopussy

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Oliver J Critics Consensus: “Octopussy” offers Roger Moore’s signature charm and some memorable set pieces, but a convoluted plot and uneven tone keep it from standing out as a strong entry in the Bond franchise. Review: Roger Moore returns as James Bond in Octopussy, a film that blends circus intrigue, Cold War schemes, and international smuggling. While Moore’s effortless charisma remains a highlight, the story struggles under a sprawling, often confusing plot that jumps between jewel smuggling, a nuclear threat, and exotic locales. Director John Glen delivers some impressive action sequences, including a train chase and the climactic showdown involving a circus performance, but the film often leans too heavily on spectacle over substance. Maud Adams’ Octopussy is charming but underdeveloped, and the humor sometimes undercuts the tension rather than enhancing it. Verdict: Octopussy entertains in brief bursts with its stunts and Moore’s likable Bond, but an overstuffed story and uneven execution make it one of the franchise’s more forgettable adventures. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 10/28/25 Full Review Jacob B Not the best entry amongst Roger Moore-era Bond films compared to For Your Eyes Only and The Spy Who Loved Me but still miles better than The Man with the Golden Gun, Moonraker and Live and Let Die. Not to mention Sean Connery's unofficial return to his iconic role the same year as this film, the divisive Never Say Never Again, which I actually quite liked (it was certainly a much better send-off for Connery's Bond than Diamonds are Forever was, anyway). I don't think Octopussy is THAT tonally indecisive. It's certainly trying to keep things restrained, even if it doesn't quite have the edge of FYEO. It's just that the sillier aspects are more blatant here. Though admittedly, the plot does feel a bit more convoluted than it probably should've been. Guess that 009 cosplayed as a clown on a daily basis, for nobody to immediately think about searching the circus for clues. Roger Moore still delivers a good performance, he has good chemistry with Maud Adams (helped by the fact that they're actually meant to be shipped this time around unlike in The Man with the Golden Gun), the action sequences, most notable among them a train set piece, are fun and the theme song is one that you'll enjoy hearing while it lasts but isn't the most memorable in the franchise's discography. That henchman with the chainsaw yo-yo was also memorable but sadly defeated early on and I guess I should address the elephant in the room: 007 dressed up as a clown. While certainly an...interesting visual out of context, I do think Moore sells it in the actual film as Bond nears the end of his rope as he desperately tries to avert tragedy, to the point of having the fuzz hot on his tail prior to this. The whole set-up is enough for me to want to make jokes about 007 turning into a GTA gamer. James being inside an animatronic crocodile and later on, in a gorilla costume were a bit much, on the other hand. As for how blatant those silly elements could get? Well, the one-liners are basically dad jokes now, Bond makes a Tarzan yell when he's trying to escape from the bad guys, a random fakir is only mildly annoyed by the dead man on his "bed" and a guard emphasises that 007 is wearing a red shirt in a way that suggests he has a certain bone to pick with the Star Trek franchise. The island full of women didn't bother me all that much. Sure, it invites unfavourable comparisons to Wonder Woman and is somewhat at odds with the attempts to have a more realistic atmosphere but when one of the films from this era sends our hero into space and has this actor's first film's premise be "James Bond in a campy blaxploitation film", this comes off as tame in comparison. Either that or I'm just a very open-minded individual. Their action sequence does come off as over-the-top, however, with these scantily clad women fending off armed guards with circus tricks. To think this film came out the same year as Return of the Jedi, which also had trained henchmen have their asses handed to them by characters who lack their advanced firepower. Yeah, Octopussy is a bit of a mess. It's watchable, doesn't do anything offensively bad, is better paced than Live and Let Die and the one with Christopher Lee and does have its really good moments but it also doesn't do anything that hasn't been done better elsewhere in 007's filmography. At the very least, the producers should've quit while they were ahead when it came to Roger Moore since this film is generally considered to be a much better send-off for him than A View to a Kill was, where he had simply become too old to be convincing anymore. They got what they wanted out of this film (the last laugh over Sean Connery's non-canon comeback). *sigh* People really can get greedy sometimes. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/19/25 Full Review thiago s Filme bacaninha para mais ou menos, o roteiro é mais ou menos, as cenas são bacaninhas, a história é mais ou menos, o elenco é mais ou menos, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são mais ou menos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, as cenas de ação salvaram o filme, mas a cena do avião até que ficou bacaninha, e nesse filme teve mais diálogos do que cenas de ação. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 07/21/25 Full Review Tagen K An amazing action movie and possibly the best James Bond movie in the series. I’m not sure what the critics are on because it’s great and I wish I watched it sooner. I stayed away from it because of the reviews because normally they’re right, but here they weren’t, it’s a must watch for action movie fans. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/14/25 Full Review Mary S Filled with cliches about Indians/Sikhs/tiger hunts etc. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 06/25/25 Full Review James P The Bond film that should of starred James Brolin. Moore was starting to look old, tired, craggy and out of breathe. Breathtaking opening sequence and Maud Adams is hot! Poor choice of villains not menacing enough for me. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/18/25 Full Review Read all reviews

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