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Octopussy

Octopussy

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Review of the DVD soundtrack
Review: A great film, but where is the 5.1 soundtrack ????

The three films prior to "Octopussy" in this collection ("The Spy Who Loved Me", "Moonraker", and "For Your Eyes Only") all have 5.1 Dolby Digital Sound, and all the subsequent films are presented in this format (5.1), so what happened to "Octopussy" ???

"Octopussy" is presented in Stereo Surround, and as this is one of my favorite bond films, I always feel a bit disappointed every time I watch the film.

In fact 8 of the first 9 DVD Bond film titles are presented in mono from "Dr. No" to "The Man With The Golden Gun" (apart from "Thunderball" in 5.1).

"Octopussy" is a great film, but DVD enthusiasts should be beware that the sound is only in stereo.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Don't Judge A Movie By Its Title
Review: When "Octopussy" first came out in 1983, I didn't want to see this James Bond movie because I thought that the title sounded silly.

I finally rented this movie a few months ago. There is the old saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover." In relation to "Octopussy," this adage can be modified into "Don't judge a movie by its title."

James Bond(Roger Moore) tangles with Kamal Kahn(Louis Jourdan), a wealthy exiled Indian prince who conspires with a fanatical Russian general to trigger World War III.

Despite its silly-sounding title, "Octopussy" is one of the very best James Bond movies and certainly Roger Moore's second best outing as this character. After "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," "Octopussy" is the second most heartfelt Bond movie. "Octopussy" is one of the few James Bond pictures that attempts to humanize this character and the movie actually achieves this noble goal. "Octopussy" also features the most heartwarming of all the James Bond theme songs: "All Time High." The movie is not only very touching but also very exciting. Maud Adams plays the title character. Adams' Octopussy rivals Honor Blackman's ... Galore and Daniela Bianchi's Tatiana Romanova as the greatest Bond woman. Adams is the only actress to play a lead in more than one Bond picture(She previously appeared in the vastly inferior "The Man With The Golden Gun"). The movie also features a hair-raising fight on an airplane.

"Octopussy" should be Roger Moore's very best outing as James Bond but falls short of "The Spy Who Loved Me" for a couple of reasons. In at least one instance, "Octopussy" needlessly resorts to the same poor humor that helped to ruin a number of the Roger Moore-James Bond movies. Louis Jourdan is also a weak villain.

For the most part, "Octopussy" is not only for James Bond fans but just about everyone.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: okay Bond Film
Review: octopussy was good Bond film worth the rented at your video store. Iam a very huge Bond fan i can't wait for the new Bond Film in the series.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: It has lot a lot since it left theaters!
Review: NOt a great movie to own unless you have a wide screen television! It lost a lot of eye poping stunts!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the most underrated Bond films
Review: "James Bond Will Return in Octopussy," read the tag at the end of For Your Eyes Only. Not knowing my Fleming at the time, I remember saying, "Is that a joke?" But by the time Octopussy was released in the summer of 1983, I was a big Bond fan with high expectations for the 13th James Bond film. I'll never forget that, after the movie on the way out of the theater, a young girl spontaneously shouted to anyone within earshot, "Great flick!" Had I been as inebriated as she was, I might have yelled the same thing because I just love Octopussy. In fact, I think it's one of the most underrated Bond films. James Bond Goes to India. And why shouldn't he? It's not often pointed out that Octopussy was as much a reaction to the success of Raiders of the Lost Ark as Moonraker was to the success Star Wars. Some bash these films for this, saying Bond films should always lead and never follow. I say [no]. For me, genre mixing in the James Bond films is not a sin and can result in a gre!at film. Okay, I too cringe at the Tarzan yell and the "Sit-taaa!," but how about that killer pre-titles sequence with the AcroStar mini-jet? It's certainly one of the best pre-titles sequences of the series. And what about the action on the circus train? the Sotheby's auction? the helicopter gliding past the Taj Mahal to a very evocative John Barry score? Bond's backgammon game with Kamal Kahn is definitely one of the better casino face-offs. Magda spiraling off Bond's balcony by her slowly unraveling silk dress is, to quote a recently deceased news baron, "Delicious." And how about that no-nonsense, no-quip, high-speed, balls-to-the walls car chase on the autobahn? Great flick! Then there are the moments of wonderful detail. The hitchhiking Bond getting snubbed by a carload of obnoxious teenagers. Kamal's car not turning over on the first try as he and Globina try to escape their own ticking nuke. Magda's hairdryer interfering with Bond's earpiece gadget. And letÕs not forge!t the woman beating Bond to the pay phone as he rushes to prevent Armageddon. Yes, Connery's Bond would just yank that chatty woman from the phone booth and call in the marines. But Moore's Bond is not powered by his masculinity, he's powered by his Englishness. He could never do something so rude! So instead, he steals her car. I remember that getting a big hand in the theater. And as for Roger Moore; hey, I don't dismiss Roger Moore the way some old thinkers do. I even like Moonraker -- a lot! Octopussy is one of Moore's best performances as Bond. He has that old pro's grace about him that Connery had in Diamonds Are Forever and NSNA. (It's interesting that Moore didn't have this quality in his next film, A View to a Kill. Maybe it's hard to relax around Grace Jones?) So there you go. It was true in the summer of 1983, and it's still true today: Octopussy is a great flick!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: You gotta know when to say when, Roger
Review: Roger Moore was well into his 50's when he made this movie. It is not his fault he outgrew the role well before Timothy Dalton replaced him. Moore was never responsible for casting the films, just for playing his part. However, it is a little discomfitting to see the cultured master spy oglying breasts and leering after women 2/3 his age. This is Moore's sixth Bond movie out of seven, which makes Octopussy pretty much old-hat for Moore. He does a well-enough job with mediocre material.

007 goes to India and then Germany to stop Kamal Khan, an unscrupulous Afgan Prince who is helping a crazy Russian general in his bid to take over the world. This movie is absolutely crowded with "stuff". An all female island, faberge eggs, a jewel heist, an imposing turbaned bodyguard, cheerful sidekicks, backgammon, sheeps' heads, an interminable auction, Q and his gadgets, an octopus, tigers, elephants, alligators, double-0 agents dressed like clowns, a sword swallower, lethal circus knife throwers and the obligatory Moore-era dreadful puns. You get the point. Much ado about very little really. It's little more than a hodge-podge of eye candy and gags. Some action scenes are inspired and exciting. There are action scenes in cars, on a train, and on a plane among others. The Bond women are gorgeous, Q is always fun to watch, India is very well shot, and the plot at least tries to be a little more involving than the standard Bond against the nefarious bad guy. Three stars but just barely. If you like Moore and you want to see him in a really good James Bond film, I suggest Live and Let Die, The Spy Who Loved Me and, especially, For Your Eyes Only.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Average Bond film great soundtrack
Review: This movie was alright but the soundtrack was awesome. "All Time High" is great. Roger Moore who was 53 didn't do a bad performance. I was impressed with the number of villians in this movie greatly directed by John Glen. The most famous scene is the beginning and the scene where Roger Moore is a clown. I recomend it more than A VIEW TO A KILL.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best Bond for a Friday night
Review: After a long week, it is time for a relaxing weekend--and no better way to kick it off by watching this particular Bond film on Friday night.

"Octopussy" is one of the best bonds. It has beautiful on-location scenes in India and Germany. It has an intriguing villian. It has an exceptional plot--better formed than some of the other films. It also has an exciting climax as Bond races to disarm a nuclear bomb and a thrilling last action scene where Bond holds onto an airplane high in the sky! It also has a great song theme, "All Time High" by Rita Coolidge.

I loved it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: OCTOPUSSY DVD
Review: A GREAT BOND FILM. After the rather lackluster "For Your Eyes Only" Roger Moore returns to a more traditional Bond. This one has several interesting henchmen led by the maniacal Kamal Khan. Maud Adams returns from the "Man with the Golden Gun" to play the title character and does a fantastic job of creating an interesting female partner for Bond. Lots of gadgets, stunts and excitment throughout. A definite must for your shopping cart.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Bond's On An Island Of Beautiful Women in "Octopussy"
Review: "Octopussy" is the thirteenth entry of the James Bond series produced by Cubby Broccoli and it marks the sixth appearance of Roger Moore as the British secret agent. John Glen returns to the series to make his second of four directorial efforts in this film. The title of this film is taken from an Ian Fleming short story which is actually told by the title character to James Bond in the film. Only one part of the film, the auction, is based on Fleming's work, in this case the short story "Property of a Lady". The rest of the screenplay was conceived and written by longtime Bond associates, Richard Maibaum and Michael Wilson.

The story begins with the discovery of a fake Fabrege Easter egg in East Berlin. Its genuine counterpart is about to be auctioned off in London and M, head of MI6, is worried that this is part of a Soviet operation to raise hard currency. Bond is assigned to attend the auction and report what he can see. What starts out as a simple assignment quickly becomes more involved. Bond first encounters Kamal Khan, a disposessed Afghan prince and apparent jewelry fence. As Bond follows Kamal back to his home in India, he finds that Kamal is involved with a female jewel smuggler known only as Octopussy. But behind them both is Soviet General Orlov and his plans involve more than just selling off jewels from the state archives. Bond must find out what Orlov is up to and stop him.

The cast of characters in "Octopussy" is as wide and varied as ever seen in a Bond. Bond is opposed not by one but two master villians. Actor Louis Jourdan portrays the smooth but deadly Kamal Khan and Steven Berkoff nearly steals the show as the maniacal General Orlov. Kamal's henchman Golinda, played by Kabir Bedi, is a worthy successor to the likes of Red Grant and Oddjob. David and Tony Meyer nicely round out the villians as the twin killers, Mischa and Grischa. Kristina Wayborn makes good impression as Magda although she comes off as a little stiff in a couple of her earlier scenes. The film's title character is played by Maud Adams, whose performance as the smart but sensuous businesswoman Octopussy is quite excellent. The regular cast of characters are here as well with Robert Brown debuting as "M" and with Lois Maxwell and Desmond Llewelyn reprising their roles of Miss Moneypenny and "Q". Bond's trusty sidekick in India is played by newcomer Vijay Amritraj.

The screenplay to its credit maintains a strong storyline, no mean feat considering the number of characters and the number of fights and chase scenes. The scenes where Bond is racing to prevent the fulfillment of General Orlov's plans are both amusing and suspenseful, worthy of comparison to films like Goldfinger. The final assault of Kamal's palace is a bit weak but the ensuring fight between Gobinda and Bond on the outside of a twin-engine aircraft is first-rate.

The MGM Special Edition DVD of "Octopussy" has, like most of the other DVDs, an excellent widescreen print. The DVD also contains a couple of interesting documentaries, an audio commentary track, and many other goodies. As with any movie presenting in a widescreen format, this DVD is best seen on a large-screen TV.

"Octopussy" is one of those few Bond movies, especially in the Roger Moore's era, that seem to blend all the elements, exotic locations, colorful villians, spectacular physical action, suspenseful plot, into a masterful whole. If not the best of his individual performances, "Octopussy" is certainly the most entertaining of the Roger Moore Bonds. It is a shame that he was persuaded to do another Bond, this effort would have been a great swan song for Roger Moore. This DVD is a must for any Bond fan's collection.


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