I have been enjoying movies since I was a child. I saw several movies for the first time when I was young that I still enjoy. I started to see the James Bond movies during that time. The first Bond movie that I remember seeing entirely is Octopussy.
An MI6 agent is murdered while working undercover in Berlin. The agent has a Faberge egg in his hand when he dies. M assigns James Bond to investigate. James ends up in India where he deals with Kamal Khan, an exiled Afghan prince. Kamal is actually working with General Orlov, a renegade Soviet military man, to smuggle priceless Soviet treasures into the west. A woman named Octopussy is actually in charge of the smuggling ring and unaware of certain plans that Kamal and Orlov have.
Octopussy is the thirteenth James Bond movie and the sixth with Roger Moore as Bond. The title of the movie is pulled from one of Ian Fleming’s short stories featuring Bond. The plot of the movie is original, though one or two characters are pulled from the short story. One sequence is taken from another of Fleming’s short stories.
Like there were in the previous Bond movies, there are several action scenes in Octopussy. James in involved in something in the sequence before the titles, though it is a bit more subdued than similar scenes in other movies. James has a few fights and chases throughout the movie. The action scenes do help to keep the pace moving and keep things interesting. Some of the scenes do drag a bit and seem to run on longer than needed.
There is a little bit of mystery in Octopussy tied to the death of the other agent and everything James in investigating. The mystery helps to keep things interesting even though it could have been stronger. A few scenes have a bit of suspense without making the movie suspenseful overall. Some of what happens is a bit silly, like having a circus mixed up in what is going on and having James dress up like a clown. James has a few lines that are meant to add some humor. Q also adds a touch of humor when he pops up in a few scenes. One of his scenes is in a lab of some kind where new gadgets are being tested.
When Octopussy begins, James is on a mission and helped by a beautiful woman. It isn’t said for sure, but I’m guessing they had been intimate prior to that. Once James is on the mission, it doesn’t take long for him to meet Magda, a beautiful woman working with Kamal. James has no doubts that Kamal is a bad guy, but that doesn’t stop him from jumping into bed with Magda when the opportunity presents itself. Their relationship goes nowhere and is over almost before it begins. When James and Octopussy meet, barely any time passes before they are having sex. There does seem to be a bit more of a connection between them. Octopussy lives on a floating palace with many young, beautiful women who are part of her Octopus gang. Most of the women wear things that cover them, though a few do show off a bit more skin.
Nothing new is added about James in this movie, which isn’t surprising since there are so many previous movies featuring the same character. James is still focused on his work, though he does develop a connection with Octopussy. Roger Moore remains fine in the part, though he is showing his age. This is the first Bond movie to feature a new M after the death of Bernard Lee. Robert Brown is fine in the part, though nothing special. Q and Miss Moneypenny are also back in a few scenes, with Q having slightly more to do.
Octopussy seems a bit more complex than some of the other Bond women have been. She is mixed up in illegal things and works with the villains willingly, but she really isn’t a villain. The men she is mixed up with have kept things from her and manipulated her. She is more independent than some other Bond women have been. Maude Adams handles the part well. She is the only woman to be in two different Bond movies playing different characters. Magda works with Octopussy and Kamal. Magda is seductive and willing to use that to achieve things for Kamal. She is really a flat character. Kristina Wayborn is fine in the part.
Kamal Kahn is a prince from Afghanistan who is exiled. He spends much of his time in India. He is involved in several illegal things. He manages to manipulate Octopussy a bit, though he does underestimate her. He is not a nice guy. He is a decent villain, though he isn’t a memorable as some of the others. Louis Jourdan is fine in the part. Gobinda is Kamal’s bodyguard who will do anything for his boss. He is basically a henchman. He is intimidating looking because he is so tall. General Orlov is a corrupt general from the Soviet Union working with Kamal. He has a plan for his country to take over all of Europe. Vijay is James’s contact in India.
Main Cast
Maude Adams - Octopussy Vijay Amritraj - Vijay Kabir Bedi -Gobinda Steven Berkoff - General Orlov Robert Brown - M Louis Jourdan - Kamal Kahn Desmond Llewelyn - Q Lois Maxwell - Miss Moneypenny Roger Moore - James Bond
John Glen - Director
DVD Information Octopussy has been released in a few different versions on DVD. I have the two disc version that is part of the Ultimate James Bond DVD collection. Most of the extras are on the second disc. There is a commentary with the director and a newly recorded one with Roger Moore. I haven’t listened to either one yet.
Shooting Stunts: Crashing Jeeps & The Aeroplane Crash is focused on two specific stunt sequences. The featurette is actually split into two parts, one for each of the stunts. The director talks a little bit about the movie while a few scenes from the movie are shown. He does talk about the scenes being shown and some of the filming of the stunts is shared. Things didn’t go exactly as planned with the plane crash sequence, but he was still able to make it work. Ken Burns On Set Movie features footage that an actor who had a small part in the movie filmed. He talks some about the making of the movie.
On Location with Peter Lamont has the production designer talking about looking for some of the locations for the movie. He talks about going through the checkpoint into East Berlin and much of the footage shown is of the wall and all the guards around the wall. Some other areas of Berlin are shown as well, but none of the other locations from the movie are included in this. Testing the Limits - The Aerial Team has the director talking about the group that did the stunts involving the plane. Footage of the filming of the sequence as well as test footage for it are shown. The director does talk about the stunt men.
James Brolin Original Screen Tests show the screen tests that Brolin did when it wasn’t clear if Moore was going to return to the part for the movie. Brolin on Bond is also included in this part, and it just has the actor talking about the process of testing for the part of Bond. There are three different scenes that were done for the tests that are shown. Brolin also talks some more about the process and preparing for the tests. James Bond in India - Original 1983 Featurette shows footage from India. Things connected to filming in India are discussed and some of the filming is shared. Some scenes set in India are included as well. The Interactive Guide into the World of Octopussy has icons that will play short clips from the movie.
Inside Octopussy - An Original Documentary is focused on the making of Octopussy. The narrator starts off talking about the Bond series in general before getting to things specifically about this movie. The fact that Sean Connery was going to appear in a rival Bond movie, Never Say Never Again, is mentioned. The cast and crew talk about the movie while footage of different locations and some of the filming is shown. The fact that Roger Moore wasn’t sure he was coming back is mentioned as well as the fact that other actors were tested for the part. Some other casting is discussed. The filming of some important key sequences is talked about and footage of the filming is shown. Some problems were also mentioned, like the issues with the snakes that were used in a few scenes. I really didn’t need to see all those snakes.
Designing Bong - Peter Lamont features different people talking about Peter Lamont and the work he did in the art department for various Bond movies. Lamont also talks about his work and how he got into it and was first hired to work in the art department for Goldfinger with Ken Adam. Footage from the different Bond movies that Lamont worked on is included. He worked in different positions in the art department before becoming the production designer. A few of the other movies that he has worked on are briefly mentioned. The All Time High Music video includes scenes from the movie and new scenes of the singer. There are storyboard sequences for a few scenes and the theatrical trailers are included.
Octopussy has some issues, but I think it is an entertaining Bond movie that is worth watching for fans of the movies.
I would have gone with three and a half stars if I had the option. Since I don’t, I decided to round up to four.
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