007: Octopussy contra las chicas mortales

Bond again in an electrifying movie that scored a new hit in the action genre . The immortal agent 007 , whose deadly precision , sourness , irony and irresistible attractive is perfectly portrayed by Roger Moore. This time he investigates the killing one his colleagues who appeared dead with a Russian egg Faberge of incalculable price . He undergoes an incredible adventure with spectacular pursuits until a chilling countdown , leading to a possible nuclear holocaust . This time OO7 taking off an elegant villainnamed Kamal Khan (Louis Jourdan) living in India, as Bond tries to stop him but the maniacal nasty wreak all sorts of havoc until Bond steps in and the heinous mastermind schemes to put a nuclear bomb at a circus whose owner is Octopussy (Maud Adams ,the only Bond girl who repeated acting , she previously played ¨The man with the golden gun¨) . Nobody does it better...thirteen times. James Bond's all time action high. Roger Moore. James Bond 007 . Nobody does him better. James Bond's all time high

The film contains excitement, emotion , lots of action , suspense , gorgeous women (a beautiful Kristina Wayborn) and extreme nasties (Jourdan , Steven Berkoff , Kabir Bedi) . The plot tosses in every cliché including the obligatory intervention from MonneyPenny (Lois Maxwell), M (Robert Brown) , and Q (Desmond Llewelyn) . Before essaying the role Bond , Roger Moore honed his suavity in the series as ¨The Saint¨, hence he adds a humorous-tongue-in-cheek dimension to Ian Fleming's famed creation as the connoisseur (women and wine especially) spy hero , starting his role Bond with ¨Live and let die¨. Film displays gimmicks and silly set pieces that usually marred the best Moore outings . In spite of a moving opening sequence and some thrilling scenes along the way the Bond-Moore series is starting to look a little bit tired , just as its main star . John Barry's music is unforgettable ,as always , and including a colorful cinematography by cameraman Alan Hume. An agreeable screenplay and more believable excitement with cliff-hangers situations come to mind ; still, this solid outing isn't a bad Bond and it does star the most sympathetic OO7 . This is one of the more watchable entries based on a short book by Fleming with the same title ¨Octopussy¨ and stars Roger Moore in top form as 007 and adding an assured direction by John Glen .

They didn't know what type of Bond film to make: an overblown action comedy best personified by Moonraker or a down to earth action thriller like they had done in For Your Eyes only, the previous picture. Solution: they gave the audience both! Result: this movie is very uneven. There are some great sequences: the teaser featuring the mini jet, the killing of 009, the auction, the backgammon game and subsequent chase scene, the fight in Octopussy's bedroom and the train sequence all come to mind. But there is just too much misplaced humor in between and the rest of the movie after Bond diffuses the bomb is unnecessary and somewhat silly. Moore really shows his age in this one too, as does Maude Adams. Stephen Berkoff is awful, but Louis Jordan is great. Christina Wayborn deserves top marks as well. While not a bad film, and certainly one of Moore's better outings, this could have been so much better. Some of the best Bond scenes ever are present here, but they are overwhelmed by the shear enormity of it all: the producers just tried to put all of the past elements into this movie to please every Bond fan. So while there is something for everyone and it is entertaining, Octopussy is ultimately a victim of it's own excesses.

This is by far the best of the Roger Moore Bond films in my opinion. I may be prejudiced since "Octopussy" was the first Bond film I saw theatrically, but I absolutely loved it back then and it still holds up today. The plot is a fine blend of the serious stories of the early Connery films and the humorous touches of the Moore era. Add to that a smooth villain in Louis Jourdan, delicious over-the-top counterpoint from Steven Berkoff, a formidable henchman in Kabir Bedi, two exotic Bond girls in Maud Adams and Kristina Wayborn, beautiful location photography in the rich "travelogue" style (did India ever look as good as it does here?) and a great John Barry score and you can't go wrong with it at all. The tense buildup in the bomb countdown which has Bond donning clown makeup at one point is probably one of the most exciting in any Bond film.

Roger Moore hit his peak playing Bond in this film and the proof is how he seems so much better than Sean Connery does in the inferior "Never Say Never Again" that came out that same year. It's a pity that Moore didn't go out with this one, since "A View To A Kill" was so poor by comparison.

By all means rent this, watch it and have fun!

This was where my live for the James Bond franchise began. What a great character to follow for decades to come!

"Octopussy" is really peculiar in the series. Because, for example, we see Bond dressed like a clown or keeping a plaster; there's an exotic and romantic atmosphere -which reminds us of some adventure books (like Emilio Salgari's "Sandokan" and "The count of Monte-Cristo"...) Here 007 has to travel between India and Germany for stopping a catastrophic plan of Soviet General Orlov and Afghan prince Khamal Khan.

With a little more parody than in the previous film "For your eyes only", "Octopussy" continues in the line of more down to earth Bond adventures.

Roger Moore's performance is good as usual, the cast is also remarkable -Louis Jourdan is one of the French actors who built a good Hollywood career, starring in films like Hitchcock's "The Paradine case" and Vincente Minnelli's "Gigi". He's Kamal Khan, a very charming and sophisticated villain -he's the criminal equivalent of Bond. Jourdan brings a special touch of glamour -you see he's an actor of the golden years of Hollywood!

Maud Adams is the only actress who played twice a Bond girl -she was Andrea in "The man with the golden gun".

Steven Berkoff is an established English actor, mainly for theater, but he played also in Stanley Kubrick's "Barry Lyndon".

Kabir Bedi is an Indian actor very popular in the second half of the Seventies -he was "Sandokan" in a famous TV film made by RAI, Italian public TV.

John Glen directs the film with a lot of fun and assures a great show. The film doesn't disappoint.

"Octopussy" is the last great Roger Moore movie as Bond, and maybe the last BIG Bond of the series as well -because it's original, lavish, acrobatic, romantic and pompous.

8,5/10