SimonJack After the last slow James Bond entry in 1981 ("For Your Eyes Only"), it was a pleasant surprise to find out that Agent 007 wasn't dying. Roger Moore in the Bond role in "Octopussy" comes back to life in grand style. This film has all of the trademark aspects of the Bond franchise, and then some. It has a new main playwright since the last outing. Usually there's one specific hair-raising scenario when Bond might fall to his death, become chopped liver, or float off into space. Here, Bond has three harrowing and nail biting escapades. The first is dodging a missile in a special jet plane made for him by Q's shop back at MI6 labs. The second is clinging to the side and then roof of a rail car on a fast moving train. And, the third is holding onto the top of a prop plane as the pilot tries to shake him off. In between these, Bond has some scrapes with assassins, other bad guys and is hunted and has encounters with tigers and crocodiles. This is one fast-paced thriller, and Bond returns to form, winning all of his fights but one. Of course, that one leads to his next escape. Bond gets some new gadgets from Q, besides the compact jet plane that doubles as a car. And, a double plot adds more intrigue and interest. Part of this story involves the Soviet Union, and a rebel general within the Soviet military who has a dastardly plan to cause a nuclear explosion in West Germany. Even though it's a far-out piece of the story, I enjoy the Bond thrillers more when they take place within the aspects of the Cold War. That was a very real time in the lives of people around the world after World War II and until 1990. This film has more unique and hair-raising scenes than usual, to the point that the plot bounces around a great deal. But, it is interesting and keeps one awake and glued to his or her seat. The story is set mostly in India and Germany, which at that time was divided into East and West. In a scene where M sends Bond into East Berlin, Bond goes from the American zone to East Berlin through Checkpoint Charlie. That probably was the most famous and well known of all the Berlin crossings during the Cold War. This film is somewhat different in that it doesn't have a woman agent as a nemesis to Bond. Instead, a network of women have been trained by the daughter of a former Secret Agent in physical skills as well as business and professional fields. Toward the end, Octopussy, played by Maud Adams, leads her ladies in a raid on the evil Kamal. It's a far-fetched battle, but it's a fun spectacle to see how it was staged. Louis Jordan plays Kamal. This is a very enjoyable Bond thriller with lots of action and far-out scenes. It's the best Bond played by Roger Moore, and one of the best of the entire series. Not only does it have trains, planes and automobiles, but it also has boats, horses, elephants, and a hot air balloon toward the end. There's much fun in this film. One very strange thing occurs in the opening scenario. Two armed guards are watching Bond in the back of a moving truck. When a woman agent distracts them, Bond hits releases on their chests and parachutes open and they float out of the truck. These were freefall chutes used in sky diving, not regular Army parachutes. But, even then, no one would ever be wearing a parachute until just before they boarded a plane for a jump. Here are some favorite lines from this film. Bond and an MI6 art expert attend an art auction in London at which an original Faberge egg from the Russian royalty is put on the auction block. Bond, "How much should it fetch?" Jim Fanning, "Oh, 250,000... 300,000 pounds. Anything more would be crazy."When Bond arrives in India, he finds his contact to be snake charmer. Vijay, "This was the wrong cover. I hate snakes." Vijay tells Bond that he plays cricket. Vijay, "As a matter of fact, I've got a part time job as a pro at Kamal's club." James Bond, "What have you learned so far?" Vijay, "Well, my backhand's improving."

mike48128 British agents including Roger Moore in clown make-up? How inane. It mimics and looks like it could have been filmed inside "Circus Circus" in Las Vegas but apparently it was not. Unintentionally funny, especially with an exaggerated "side show", again similar to Circus Circus. There is a cheapness about the whole production. The best part of the movie is the title theme song by John Barry. A nuclear bomb inside a circus cannon? Almost an act of terrorism, unheard of in those days. The only saving grace is two bombastic Bond Girls. People who like this entry must be watching a different movie than me. I guess a provocative title goes a long way? That's one reason that "The Mexican" and "John Carter" were "duds" at the box office.

Parker Lewis I was devastated that the screenwriter decided to despatch Vijay (played by Vijay Amritraj) to a gruesome death. So unfair, as he was a cheerful and loyal sidekick who helped 007 navigate his way through India, which at the time was governed by Indira Gandhi. In real life Vijay Amritraj was a professional tennis player who parlayed his skills into acting, and I would think he's the highest profile Indian to be in a James Bond movie, but I stand to be corrected.Another gruesome death occurred when a bad guy slammed head first into an aquarium and a small octopus suctioned itself on his face. Ouch, big time.Octopussy preceded Slumdog Millionaire by over 20 years, so it's interesting to contrast how two western movies depict India over two decades.

Uriah43 This movie essentially begins with a special agent for MI6 acquiring what appears to be a jeweled egg which had belonged in Russia for over a hundred years. Upon closer examination the egg is discovered to be a fake. At the same time the original Fabrege egg is up for sale in London and "James Bond" (Roger Moore) is sent to investigate whether the death of the special agent is somehow linked with the timing of the auction. His investigation then leads him to India and from there to Berlin with assassins trying to kill him at every turn. Anyway, as luck would have it, this is the first of two James Bond films released in 1983 with the other being "Never Say Never Again" which had Sean Connery reappraising his iconic role in that one. Now, as far as this particular picture is concerned, I especially liked the scenes in India which I thought lent an exotic flavor to the movie. I also thought that Louis Jourdan (as "Kamal Khan") turned in a pretty good performance as one of the main villains. Likewise, even though Maud Adams had played another character in the film "The Man with the Golden Gun", she was definitely a welcome addition as the jewel smuggler known as "Octopussy". However, there were some weak areas in this film as well which seemed to become more noticeable once the set moved to Berlin. Not only did the pace become more chaotic and confused but having Roger Moore dressed in a clown suit just didn't seem quite right to me. It's almost as if the director (John Glen) failed to understand the general criticisms associated with "Moonraker" and repeated the same mistake of his predecessor by going for cheap laughs at the expense of good drama and suspense. Naturally, a little comedy here and there is all well and good. But there is a fine line that separates "James Bond" movies from those of "Matt Helm" and the issue is one of quality. So having James Bond dress up in a gorilla suit or a clown costume just doesn't make sense. But that is just my opinion. In any case, while I certainly don't think this is one of the better James Bond films ever made, it was decent enough and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.