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Ranking James Bond Films: #23 – “Octopussy” (1983)
Can we be real? The name of this film stinks.
“A fake Fabergé egg recovered from the body of a fellow agent leads James Bond to uncover a jewel smuggling operation led by the mysterious Octopussy, and a plot to blow up a NATO air base.”
Director: John Glen
Writers: George MacDonald Fraser, Richard Maibaum, Michael G. Wilson, Ian Fleming
Cast: Roger Moore, Maud Adams, Louis Jourdan, Steven Berkoff, Kristina Wayborn, Desmond Llewelyn, Robert Brown
Release Date: June 10, 1983
IMDB
Can we be real? The name of this film stinks. The fact that “Octopussy” is said unironically so many times in the movie makes the experience very…odd. Perhaps some of you are tossing the challenge flag and calling me soft. I’ll stand my ground and take those shots.
The premise of Octopussy is great, but the execution suffers. The film starts with a mysterious clown running through the woods, followed by the establishment of the fake jewelry scandal. Everything up to the auction is good fun, but once the concept of a nuclear device is tossed into the plot, the air in the fun balloon begins to leak.
Watching Octopussy and seeing the compound of beautiful women under the eyes of Octopussy reminds me of Monty Python And The Holy Grail when Sir Galahad enters Castle Anthrax and is flummoxed by the number of nuns interested in him.
Octopussy also returns to the same sort of relations between the United States, Russia, and Great Britain. American entities are in danger, and Bond must save the Red, White, and Blue. The Russians are causing trouble, but in the end, they must keep amicable relations with one another so it’s a handshake and forgotten.
There is one more Roger Moore after Octopussy, and here’s to hoping that the aging 007 can end his run with a bang rather than a whimper.
And again, the title Octopussy is just so bad. How did this word get through the writing room, production, everything?
STANKO RATING: D
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