User reviews

Coming in at unlucky number 13 in the James Bond series, Octopussy is at the scrag end of Roger Moore's incarnation, when it had begun to look like 007 might require liver tablets just to make it out of bed in the morning.

Among other embarrassments, it features Moore disguised as a circus clown, sliding down a banister like Inspector Clouseau and informing an Indian accomplice as he hands him a wad of winnings, "That should keep you in curry for a few weeks." There's the issue of that awful title too, though admittedly that was Fleming's doing. One to pass quickly over.

A slow, overlong and boring rip-off of the infinitely better "Goldfinger", with Moore at 55 now looking quite ridiculously old to be playing Bond (who is, of course, only supposed to be in his late thirties). After a boring song over the opening credits, "All Time High" (definitely the worst song by far in any Bond movie) we have flat direction and ridiculous moments like the infamous Tarzan yell and the clown suit. Steven Berkoff's bad Russian accent is very annoying and the two women are the oldest and least attractive Bond girls. Moore really should not have been playing Bond at his age, a younger and better actor like Timothy Dalton or Michael Jayston was needed. The only good thing about the film is the Indian location. "Octopussy" might have made more money than "Never Say Never Again" but the latter was by far the better film.

I have loved all things Bond since devouring the books in the fifties causing my being late for school (a school previously attended by Roger Moore his father being a local policeman)I adore Moore as a person and as an institution on the world stage but never as James Bond. Lewis Gilbert and he have a lot to answer for by introducing Magnificent 7 music and camel rides etc leading eventually to Beach Boys music during periods of potential excitement. By the time of Octopussy Sean was returning in the rogue production Never Say Never Again so Brocolli threw everything bar the kitchen sink into the 13th official Bond. The cartoon villains and one line end of the pier humour grated on me with Bond now a tired male model bed hopping around the world with even the music appearing as a form of caricature.The stark realism of the wonderful Daniel Craig was unimagineable then ( Moore running up a crane?) but Roger in Post Office ads was'nt. Roger definitely appealed more to the female audience but i think took the humour too far. Poor film and in my view Casino Royale (2006) was the 4th Bond film after Connery's first three.

The point at which the 007 franchise finally reached rock bottom. Just appalling.

Octopussy (1983) is the thirteenth movie in the James Bond series and the sixth entry with Roger Moore as the title character. Unfortunately, this movie was a steaming pile of dog poop.

Positives for Octopussy (1983): Roger Moore is still good as James Bond. If you like your movies to be extra goofy, then this one will work for you. That's all I've got to say for the positives.

Negatives for Octopussy (1983): First off, the movie's title is baffling enough to tell you what you're going to watch. It feels like the movie is in competition with Roger Moore to see which is older and more played out. At this point, Moore's age is way too obvious and I don't understand why the producers keep giving him more movies than any other Bond actor. The movie wants you to believe that he is still cool, but he looks way too old to be cool. Maud Adams was a lame Bong Girl as Octopussy, yes that is the name given to a character in these movies. Louis Jourdan as Kamal Khan was a boring villain. And finally, the movie is way too goofy with its tone whether you're talking about all the clowns that are here or James Bond swinging on vines and doing the Tarzan scream.

Overall, Octopussy (1983) is about as baffling of a movie like its name and it pains me that producers didn't stop after this movie, but thankfully there is only one Roger Moore movie left for me to suffer through.

The absurdity of this film reaches its peak with a Tarzan yell. "That should keep you in curry for a while"? Really? Commanding a tiger to sit? And why are the troops guarding Bond wearing parachutes when they're MPs? In case they fall into a ditch?

You had the budget to create a quality film, as the story isn't as flawed as previous entries, yet you chose an overly silly and campy approach. In all my reviews of Roger Moore's era as Bond, I can tolerate silliness, but there's a limit.

John Glen stands out as the worst director to ever helm a Bond film. His commentary track reveals that many of the bad ideas originated directly from him. While he excelled at directing stunts, storytelling was not his forte. And they allowed him to direct three more films?

The clown disguise was the final straw. The true clowns here are those responsible for this film.