Octopussy (1983) Review

 "Mr. Bond is indeed a very rare breed...soon to be made extinct."
-Kamal Khan



When agent 009 (Andy Bradford) turns up dead with a fake Fabergé egg in his hand, James Bond (Roger Moore) is sent to investigate.  He soon finds himself involved with an exiled Afghan prince, a jewelry smuggler, and maniacal Soviet General in a dangerous and deadly plot.


What Works:

Cards on the table, Octopussy is my favorite Bond movie.  I recognize that the movie has what some people would consider faults, but I love every single second of this movie.  It helps that this was one of the very first Bond movies I watched, so nostalgia definitely plays a part.  It will be number 1 in my ranking and always will be.  So, for the record, I will be 100% biased for the entirety of this review.

One thing I love about this movie is the bizarre tone.  Sure, most of the movie is very silly and comedic at times, but there are also a few really dark moments.  Bond treats a nuclear bomb with the seriousness it deserves.  Vijay's (Vijay Amritraj) death is brutal, even if it happens off-screen.  I love the juxtaposition of Bond trying to get people to understand how dire the situation is while dressed as a clown.  Some call it tonal whiplash, but I love it.

We get a lot of fun, goofy, and creative action sequences.  It seemed like the filmmakers had a blast coming up with creative moments for the action.  The fight in the market is awesome, as is the final battle at Kamal's palace.  Even the jungle chase is a lot of fun if you are willing to accept the silliness of it all.

The entire sequence in Germany is one of the best action sequences of the series.  I love fights set on trains and we get a really good one here.  Plus Bond's desperate race to stop the bomb is just fantastic.  It's a really long sequence and it's well paced.  There are lots of different settings and components to the sequence and they all work very well.

The fight between Bond and Gobinda (Kabir Bedi) is another highlight.  Like the skydiving sequence in Moonraker, the stunt team who pulled off a fight on top of a flying plane is both insane and awesome.  Eat your heart out Tom Cruise.

Finally, Octopussy has another elite group of villains.  Gobinda is very memorable and intimidating and the knife-throwing brothers are also very great.  Kamal Kahn is snobbish and sophisticated and I really enjoy Louis Jourdan's performance.  Finally, Steven Berkoff is fantastic as the insane General Orlov.  It's an excellent group of rogues that I love to see Bond square off against.


What Sucks:

I got nothing for you.


Verdict:

I understand why some people aren't so high on Octopussy, but for all the reasons those people don't like this film, I love it.  The tone is fantastic, the villains are top-tier, the action is awesome, and the train sequence is beyond fun.  This is my favorite Bond movie, which I won't apologize for, and it has definitely got it going on.

 10/10: Amazing 

#1. Octopussy

#2. The Spy Who Loved Me

#3. From Russia with Love

#4. Goldfinger

#5. Moonraker

#6. On Her Majesty's Secret Service

#7. Live and Let Die

#8. Dr. No

#9. For Your Eyes Only

#10. Thunderball

#11. You Only Live Twice

#12. The Man with the Golden Gun

#13. Diamonds Are Forever

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