Octopussy Appreciation Thread

ForYourEyesOnlyForYourEyesOnly In the untained cradle of the heavens
in Bond Movies Posts: 1,984
Well, I've preached about how underrated this film is a couple of times, now, but I realized that Octopussy doesn't have its own appreciation thread, sadly. I think it's a pretty damn good film, and I actually appreciate the tonal shifts and the fact that it just suited Moore so well (the only one that suited Moore as well or better would be The Spy Who Loved Me). It's got some great action sequences and stunts, some great scores, some pretty intense moments, and Moore's aging Bond synergizes well with Maud Adams' older Bond girl in Octopussy as well. After rewatching it today, in my opinion, this film might actually be better than FYEO (it's certainly more enjoyable) and is probably second only to TSWLM out of Moore's films.
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Comments

  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    Posts: 2,252
    Thank you. This film is my 2nd favourite behind The Living Daylights. And for the record, FRWL, OHMSS and CR round up my top 5.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    My 2nd favourite Moore film (subjectively) behind TSWLM.

    It's so difficult not to like this film. After seeing SP, I actually wanted to come home and get me a little bit of an OP fix. What makes it so great for me?

    1. fantastic humour expertly delivered by a top form Moore (although there's too much silly stuff here and there as we all know)
    2. great action sequences
    3. absolutely phenomenal pacing. This film is like a rocket from start to finish. It just doesn't let up
    4. realistic Bond 'woman' who works very well opposite Moore
    5. over the top villains (so many great ones here: Khan, Gobinda, Orlov, Mishka, Grishka.......all superb)
    6. great location work
    7. An amazing Barry score. I really think it's some of his best work, although the OST is way too short

    Ultimately, it's a no holds barred, let's have me some fun at the movies, Bond film. One of the most entertaining ones they've made.

    FYEO is objectively better and more Fleminesque, but OP is damn good fun. Period.
  • This thread absolutely needed to happen, I've long considered Octopussy a true gem. It always breaks my heart to see it rated low, I think far too many people write it off as "that one where Bond dresses up as a clown" and don't bother to look further. The plot is unfocused and often confusing and not all the jokes work (tarzan yell), but it's a solid, fun romp with a great cast, fantastic locations, a memorable score and Moore in top form.

    It's the kind of a movie you might initially overlook when going through the Bond series. It doesn't instantly jump at you like Goldfinger, TSWLM or CR, but the more you watch the entire series, the more you appreciate it's existence.
  • JohnHammond73JohnHammond73 Lancashire, UK
    Posts: 4,151
    I really enjoy Octopussy and it currently stands at number 8 in my rankings. A constant top 10 for me and my second favourite from Sir Rog.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    bondjames wrote: »
    My 2nd favourite Moore film (subjectively) behind TSWLM.

    It's so difficult not to like this film. After seeing SP, I actually wanted to come home and get me a little bit of an OP fix. What makes it so great for me?

    1. fantastic humour expertly delivered by a top form Moore (although there's too much silly stuff here and there as we all know)
    2. great action sequences
    3. absolutely phenomenal pacing. This film is like a rocket from start to finish. It just doesn't let up
    4. realistic Bond 'woman' who works very well opposite Moore
    5. over the top villains (so many great ones here: Khan, Gobinda, Orlov, Mishka, Grishka.......all superb)
    6. great location work
    7. An amazing Barry score. I really think it's some of his best work, although the OST is way too short

    Ultimately, it's a no holds barred, let's have me some fun at the movies, Bond film. One of the most entertaining ones they've made.

    FYEO is objectively better and more Fleminesque, but OP is damn good fun. Period.

    Can't really argue with a word you say.

    And I think most of it comes down to being pure vintage Rog on absolutely spectacular form. TSWLM might be the one where he got to grips with role and finally made it his own and MR might be the one where he polished his own personal take on the role close to perfection but this is the one where he truly is imperious and shows nobody does that type of Bond better.

    Starts off with a class PTS and then a killer one liner that only Rog could deliver and then after a playful first hour (death of Vijay excepted) just as you have settled in for the ride and think we're off on a classic Moore romp the action shifts to Germany and suddenly we get, dare I say, the most dramatic and tense climax of the series? To see the usually unflappable Rog for once in a desperate panic trying to convince the general makes you worry that things might actually go horribly wrong here. Rog's best dramatic moment of the series and the best bomb countdown sequence.

    Sheer entertainment and I'm sorry but the 'that'll keep you in curry for a few weeks' line kills me every time.

    My favourite Rog film and one that is firmly in my top 10 and sometimes top 5.
  • cwl007cwl007 England
    Posts: 611
    I love Octopussy. Tense, fun and great action in equal measure. I think it is Sir Rogers best performance and his advancing years seem to fit well in this film.
    Octopussy is probably the one Bond I have watched the most over the years. Don't really know why, it's not the best one but somehow one of my favourites.
  • Yep this is a no brainer, Octopussy is CRIMINALLY underrated.

    The entire tense buildup from when the bomb is armed all the way from Bond racing against the clock to disarming it is one of the greatest moments in Bond history.

    What always irks me is the constant bashing of Bond dressing up as a clown. How else was he going to get that close to disarm the bomb without being recognised!! Bond trying to convince the general and Octopussy in the tent just adds to the incredibly tense drama.

    Amazing Bond movie.
  • JNOJNO Finland
    Posts: 135
    Octopussy was the first Bond film I saw back in the late eighties and, though I don´t rate it as high as FYEO and TSWLM, it´s still so fun, stylish and enjoyable film.

    Octopussy is pure entertainment. I rate it as the fourth best of Rog´s outings but that doesn´t mean it´s a bad movie. FYEO, TSWLM and LALD are just better. Maybe he was a bit too old in 1983 and I just can´t stand that Tarzan yell.

    Overall a classic and criminally underrated movie. It´s always fun to watch OP and you can watch it so many times. It never gets boring. The humour, locations, action, villains... how can you not like it?

    I´m proud to say that I like OP a lot!
  • Yep this is a no brainer, Octopussy is CRIMINALLY underrated.

    The entire tense buildup from when the bomb is armed all the way from Bond racing against the clock to disarming it is one of the greatest moments in Bond history.

    What always irks me is the constant bashing of Bond dressing up as a clown. How else was he going to get that close to disarm the bomb without being recognised!! Bond trying to convince the general and Octopussy in the tent just adds to the incredibly tense drama.

    Amazing Bond movie.

    I think people bash the fact that he manages to put on a clown costume and perfect makeup when he has only a few minutes until the nuke goes off. If it had been more slapdash, people would be more accepting.

    I also think octopussy is a top tenner and one of Rog's best.
  • ForYourEyesOnlyForYourEyesOnly In the untained cradle of the heavens
    edited November 2015 Posts: 1,984
    Proud to see the love for Octopussy show here. It really is such an entertaining movie, and it's pacing is indeed among the best of all Bond movies. A supremely intense finale and one of those few Bond films where the second half actually improves, if anything.
  • Posts: 6,396
    First Bond I ever saw at the cinema and I still absolutely love it. Brings back so many memories.

    Yes, there are a few bad moments (mostly during the jungle escape) but these few complaints are far outweighed by all the great stuff.

    I can't believe there are people who prefer NSNA to this, when for me, the PTS in OP has more excitement, more drama and more humour than NSNA has in it's entire 2 hours.

    Plus, every single penny is up on the screen.
  • Mi6LisbonBranchMi6LisbonBranch Lisbon, Portugal
    Posts: 243
    I was 9 years old and this was the 1st JB movie i saw at the cinemas.
    WOW. I was hooked for life.
    Still today this is one of my all time favourites.
    Roger Moore is great, Magda was so hot!!, the score from John Barry superb, the India environments were really something, the action always entertaining.. and i just feel that this movie has class, style, glamour (for this i compare it a lot with Thunderball).
    This is my favourite Roger Moore JB movie and is the 5th in my ranking (SP is now ... 4!!)
  • Double sixes, fancy that.

    Sir roger at his best.
  • Mi6LisbonBranchMi6LisbonBranch Lisbon, Portugal
    Posts: 243
    Double sixes, fancy that.

    Sir roger at his best.

    I also love the ... "it goes by hot air!" "oh then you can!!! :))
  • haha yes!
  • jake24jake24 Sitting at your desk, kissing your lover, eating supper with your familyModerator
    Posts: 10,586
    Rewatching recently, I found myself quite enjoying it! It has since gone up in my rankings.
  • OP is a fantastic bond film, one of my favorites. The unfortunate thing is that there are a few very stupid scenes that imo do not reflect the overall mood of the film.
  • Monsieur_AubergineMonsieur_Aubergine Top of the Eiffel Tower with a fly in my soup!
    Posts: 642
    Op was my first Bond film that I owned. Bought for me by my great aunt, sadly departed very soon after.
    I was 7 years old and it was simply amazing. I saw it in juxtaposition to TLD coming out on Vhs and for me Octopussy revealed to me what an amazing ride Bond movies can be.
    OP will always be the movie that taught me the escapism of 007. Purists will always mock this movie and focus on its farcical aspects but just watch RM in the clown scenes and see how he plays the desperation of a man in trouble...he takes bomb disposal down to 0:00 and that is ultimately and ironically, thrilling stuff!!
    "Gracias Carina, I'll see you in Miami"
  • Yep this is a no brainer, Octopussy is CRIMINALLY underrated.

    The entire tense buildup from when the bomb is armed all the way from Bond racing against the clock to disarming it is one of the greatest moments in Bond history.

    What always irks me is the constant bashing of Bond dressing up as a clown. How else was he going to get that close to disarm the bomb without being recognised!! Bond trying to convince the general and Octopussy in the tent just adds to the incredibly tense drama.

    Amazing Bond movie.

    I think people bash the fact that he manages to put on a clown costume and perfect makeup when he has only a few minutes until the nuke goes off. If it had been more slapdash, people would be more accepting.

    I also think octopussy is a top tenner and one of Rog's best.

    It's not even that, it's the pure idea of him being in a clown costume, it's often used as a metaphor to describe the entire series at that point. BUT, it works, it works as a scene, it works as a scenario and it works with Roger Moore Bond. Too many people just concentrate on the superficial, especially these days when "goofy" and "lighthearted" are seen as bad things. I suspect things will change over the years.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Clown costume or not, that is a tense scene.....that part of the film is not too goofy at all....on the contrary actually.

    If people want to take pot shots at a portion of this film, it should be at is the entire India street and jungle sequences, which admittedly have too many campy jokes imho.
  • I've got a question. When he runs to the car full of young people who then leaves him alone for some laughs, he makes a gesture with his arms that we call "bras d'honneur" in French. I've never found the English word for it. The translations I found always explain English prefer do some gesture with the fingers :)
  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    edited November 2015 Posts: 5,080
    I've got a question. When he runs to the car full of young people who then leaves him alone for some laughs, he makes a gesture with his arms that we call "bras d'honneur" in French. I've never found the English word for it. The translations I found always explain English prefer do some gesture with the fingers :)

    "Up yours"?

    Irina also does it to Zukovsky in GOLDENEYE.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    I've got a question. When he runs to the car full of young people who then leaves him alone for some laughs, he makes a gesture with his arms that we call "bras d'honneur" in French. I've never found the English word for it. The translations I found always explain English prefer do some gesture with the fingers :)

    "Up yours"?

    Irina also does it to Zukovsky in GOLDENEYE.

    It's called the 'Forearm Jerk'. It essentially does mean 'Up yours'
  • Isn't it the only time Bond lost his cool and got rude with some unknowns (ie : not a goon, henchmen, security guards etc..) ?
  • edited February 2018 Posts: 19,339
    This film is the first Bond flick I ever saw at the cinema (had seen others on TV) in 1983,amongst all the hype of Moore vs Connery going on,so it always has a place in my heart.

    My favourite Moore Bond film,and always will be.
    It sits happily at #8 in my rankings,and is very under-rated I feel.
  • Posts: 6,682
    My favorite Moore as well. Hell, may be my favorite Bond film.
  • BennyBenny In the shadowsAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 14,811
    barryt007 wrote: »
    This film is the first Bond flick I ever saw at the cinema (had seen others on TV) in 1983,among all the hype of Moore vs Connery going on,so it always has a place in my heart.

    My favourite Moore Bond film,and always will be.
    It sits happily at #8 in my rankings,and is very under-rated I feel.

    Octopussy...Octopussy...Octopussy!

    It's an all time high.

  • Posts: 6,682
    Ocktahpuzzi... Ocktahpuzzi...
  • Posts: 19,339
    Benny wrote: »
    barryt007 wrote: »
    This film is the first Bond flick I ever saw at the cinema (had seen others on TV) in 1983,among all the hype of Moore vs Connery going on,so it always has a place in my heart.

    My favourite Moore Bond film,and always will be.
    It sits happily at #8 in my rankings,and is very under-rated I feel.

    Octopussy...Octopussy...Octopussy!

    It's an all time high.

    I didn't think it would take long before Octobenny showed up ! @Benny

  • OnlyManWhoCanOnlyManWhoCan Greater London
    Posts: 202
    I never really liked Octopussy - save for the pre-title plane stunt nothing really stuck with me as a kid. However, once I got the DVD box set I watched it many times in an effort to see what I'm missing but still no joy.

    I then got the Blu Ray box set but still was luke-warm towards it. It was around this time where the James Bonding and James Bond Radio podcasts appeared, both of which are hosted by big fans of OP.

    So I gave the Blu Ray another spin and sadly it starts to glitch halfway through! I send it to 20th Century Fox home entertainment but they send it back with the same problem. Years pass.

    Then, recently, I catch it on TV and end up really enjoying it! I end up buying a new copy of the Blue Ray, which comes with a digital download so I can watch it anywhere.

    It's still not my favourite Bond movie, but it shows how tastes can change over time!
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