OP has actually climbed 6 places on your ranking but your review does not reflect that. May be others are still to be ranked on your new system .... Like that you have a lot of films from the 60s and 70s in your top 13
It's higher at the moment because I have not got round to seeing them all again - I am doing this in order of release.
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
I am typing this up on the balcony over an early Bondian breakfast of green figs, yogurt and coffee, very black
and yet no mention of anything Fleming in your review. Property of a Lady ring a bell? Auction scene? Why don't you like the blackgammon scene? It's basically taken from the Moonraker novel. How bout Roger doing a fine job of summarizing the Octopussy short story?
Yet another fine Roger Moore film being totally underappreciated...
The backgammon game between Khan and the other Englishman was so obviously rigged with fake dice and he kept playing! I know a fool and his money are soon parted but really this was beyond comprehension, and presumably Khan was switching dice constantly (which we don't see) otherwise he would be throwing double 6 every time. The setup is the same as the golf game in GF with Khan cheating and Gobinda crushing the dice instead of Oddjob crushing the golf ball in his hand. Any similarity between Gobinda being a strong adversary and Oddjob are entirely coincidental.
These boards show lots of different opinions - you see things you like I see things I don't, that's life, everyone who posts has my respect even if I don't agree with them.
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
- PTS, obviously. It's amazing!
- Introduction to plot, 009 chase is well done.
- Sotheby's, Property of a Lady, Egg - all great.
- Orlov and communist meeting - "Czechoslovakia!"
- Backgammon, tempt with egg.
- Chase on tuk-tuk.
- Q scene - the watch-camera-clevage is hilarious.
- Roger sneaking around to listen in on the conversation.
- Chemistry with Octopussy.
- Train sequence.
- "That's for 009" scene.
- "On your feet general" acting between Orlov/Bond is fantastic.
- Clown suit diffuse of bomb is tense. The craziness of the clown suit is extremely well matched by the urgency played perfectly by Moore.
- Kamal is one of the great villains.
- Orlov is a great villain too.
- Plane sequence is awesome.
- It's an adventure from start to finish, a really fun ride.
- Moore is older, but still looks very good, moves well too.
- Older BG and Bond work well together.
- Bevy of beautiful woman throughout the film.
- Moneypenny and Smallbone scene - calls out the fact Lois Maxwell is looking too old for the role.
- 80's Cold War plot that's less about domination and more about skirmishes that a few hopeful cling-on to.
- Non-green-screen car shot with M and Bond in Berlin.
Cons:
- Plot is a little hard to follow, and is easily missed because of more simple elements of the plot i.e. bomb, escaping etc. I still find it hard to follow after all these viewings. Yep, I get that Khan is
- Q and Bond in balloon feels unnecessary.
- Title song is one of the worst in the series.
- Maurice Binder seems to suffer from writer's block, the titles are odd, and unoriginal.
- Barry's soundtrack is great, and I love the theme, but it doesn't add as much atmosphere to the film as some of his other work because it feels as if the film is a little void of his soundtrack at times.
- Tarzan.
BluRay:
Octopussy to me was never a dirty or bad looking film, so the BluRay version is just HD more than anything else. Looks great!
Overall:
It's a fun ride, a true adventure in the style of Indiana Jones almost. It sucks you in right at the start with a great PTS and there's great action throughout. There's a very good balance of humour and seriousness too - which capatalises on Roger's skill to portray this without feeling out of place. Everyone else throws in some classic Bond performances too - Khan, henchman, Q, M etc.
I know there's a lot of debate about Bond in a clown suit, but for me, it's one of the best things about the movie. Roger plays this scene with total conviction and seriousness that you really do take the clown seriously.
A very well done, 80's cold-war, adventure-ride Bond film that still holds up as a great time.
- Maurice Binder seems to suffer from writer's block, the titles are odd, and unoriginal.
As far as I know, Binder had strict order to incorporate the 007 gun logo to make sure that everybody sees, that Octopussy is the official Bond and not NSNA -{
President of the 'Misty Eyes Club'.
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
- Moneypenny and Smallbone scene - calls out the fact Lois Maxwell is looking too old for the role.
I'm not sure that was really fair considering Roger Moore was also looking too old for the role, yet the young secretary still seems smitten with him. Also, I am not a fan of the cleavage camera zoom. To me that is rude, sexual harassment at the workplace.
Aside from that, I totally am in agreement with your list of PROS. I would also like to add the mercedes on the train tracks as one of my all-time favorite action scenes.
Regarding your list of CONS:
You're not the only one who doesn't like the title song and titles. However, I have always felt "All Time High" was on par with the previous two and a fine 007 song. Also like the laser red octopus on naked ladies. I would put both the song and the titles on my list of PROS.
The union jack balloon is ridiculous, but so is the "final battle" with circus women so I can't say that it's out of place. I get a big smile when Q and Bond come floating in. Love the bit where Q saves the ladies by knocking out the baddie.
The worst scene in OP is when Bond storms into her room and sort of forces himself on her. Plus, Rog looked especially crusty in this very unflattering angle. For such a beautiful, seductive film this is especially jarring.
Okay, now onto the confusing plot. There's a lot about it I still don't quite get, but the one on my mind lately is:
Octopussy herself states that smuggling is "no concern of the British Secret service" Well….what about the diamond smuggling in DAF or smuggling gold in Goldfinger ? But okay, nevermind all that. Octopussy is a standalone film and I will take her word for it.
However, if the jewelry smuggling is no concern, THEN WHY WAS 009 recovering the egg? And why didn't 007 follow up on the Octopussy circus right off the bat instead of heading to India? I would imagine 009 reported at somepoint that he was investigating the circus..plus he was found dead in a clown costume.
My current 10 favorite:
1. GE 2. MR 3. OP 4. TMWTGG 5. TSWLM 6. TND 7. TWINE 8.DN 9. GF 10. AVTAK
Okay, now onto the confusing plot. There's a lot about it I still don't quite get, but the one on my mind lately is:
Octopussy herself states that smuggling is "no concern of the British Secret service" Well….what about the diamond smuggling in DAF or smuggling gold in Goldfinger ? But okay, nevermind all that. Octopussy is a standalone film and I will take her word for it.
However, if the jewelry smuggling is no concern, THEN WHY WAS 009 recovering the egg? And why didn't 007 follow up on the Octopussy circus right off the bat instead of heading to India? I would imagine 009 reported at some point that he was investigating the circus..plus he was found dead in a clown costume.
Well, that is what Octopussy thinks not what Bond thinks. Since Bond was put on the mission to investigate the egg, the dept obviously considered such cases to be important enough .... And we are not told what led 009 to the egg. Presumably, he was investigating the fakes artifacts or something related to it
On Bond going to Ind. At the end of the day, he was investigating the egg which went to Ind. Khan was his major lead
The worst scene in OP is when Bond storms into her room and sort of forces himself on her. Plus, Rog looked especially crusty in this very unflattering angle. For such a beautiful, seductive film this is especially jarring.
Actually I find that Roger's age is less of an issue in this because Maud Adams is a bit older than your typical Bond girl.
I don't mind that scene too much, I think that Roger and Maud act out the scene well. Yeah, it isn't my idea of the perfect scene - but they're both dominant people, I like how Bond takes control.
"Hostile takeovers. Shall we?"
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
This is a tough one for me; second to last on my favourites ranking.
Pros:
The Acrostar Mini Jet (although the PTS overall seems contrived and thin to me)
The bit with the egg swap at the auction
Louis Jourdan's masterful villainy
The baccarat game between Bond and Kamal
Orlov subplot
Maud Adams (redux)
The bomb tension (leaving the clown face---totally applied in ten seconds or so---alone )
That moment on the banister, when Bond shoots away the knob at the bottom before he slides into it )
The final battle outside the plane
Cons:
Err...no need to elucidate. The rest of it.
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Interesting how your bottom 2 Bond films are Glen/Moore films.
"Hostile takeovers. Shall we?"
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
Interesting how your bottom 2 Bond films are Glen/Moore films.
Unfortunately, I was not a fan of the Moore/Glen collaborations---with the exception of FYEO, which stands well above the others in my opinion, despite some issues, and in fact I've never been a particular fan of Glen's. He was better with Dalton, but the bits of humour in those two felt shoehorned in, reflecting (to me) a lack of finesse on the director's part.
But I concede that Glen has many fans here, which I respect. I will always feel that Dalton's films should have had a different director, though, in order to make a clean break from the past, but Cubby was loyal (to a fault, IMO) to his people, which is why both Moore and Glen were around for as long as they were. Cubby's loyalty is also very admirable, so I'm a bit queasy pointing any fingers of blame at him. It simply wasn't my preferred era of the franchise.
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Interesting how your bottom 2 Bond films are Glen/Moore films.
Unfortunately, I was not a fan of the Moore/Glen collaborations---with the exception of FYEO, which stands well above the others in my opinion, despite some issues, and in fact I've never been a particular fan of Glen's. He was better with Dalton, but the bits of humour in those two felt shoehorned in, reflecting (to me) a lack of finesse on the director's part.
But I concede that Glen has many fans here, which I respect. I will always feel that Dalton's films should have had a different director, though, in order to make a clean break from the past, but Cubby was loyal (to a fault, IMO) to his people, which is why both Moore and Glen were around for as long as they were. Cubby's loyalty is also very admirable, so I'm a bit queasy pointing any fingers of blame at him. It simply wasn't my preferred era of the franchise.
The Glen films weren't the most visually awe inspiring and I get where people's 'workman-like' comments come from, but I found his era to be the most entertaining, and I rate all 5 highly regardless of where I've ranked them. The only sore point is the two non-Barry scores.
TLD is a bit odd, Dalton trying to inject some seriousness to the role while Glen is trying to do the opposite. So I can see why people don't like it, but I like the mix of tone. Although I think it would be a much better film with the right director.
Ind sequences and the mystery surrounding OP gives this movie an unique feel similar to TLD .... the performances by everyone are well measured and so is the score .... It went up in my ranking
Ind sequences and the mystery surrounding OP gives this movie an unique feel similar to TLD .... the performances by everyone are well measured and so is the score .... It went up in my ranking
Octopussy was the absolute bottom of my personal list. I watched it once in the year 2000 and hadn't watched it since. So I decided to give it another try. After watching it, I must say it is no longer my least favorite Bond film! But it really didn't move up very much. Not because it's a bad movie, but rather I just liked almost every other Bond movie more. Anyway, it will leap frog Diamonds Are Forever to at least #23. From there, the bottom of my list consists of (in no particular order) OP, AVTAK, MR and DAF. With DAF being my newest personal least favorite Bond film.
Pros:
-PTS
-Very good plot
-Train Fight
-Beautiful cinematography
-Soundtrack
Cons:
-The campiness (Although, I really didn't mind the clown suit or gorilla costume this time)
-Bond on top of the plane at the end was a little over the top
-Maud
That's it. It was a very enjoyable movie. I'm sure after I rewatch some other films this will maybe move up another spot or two. But compared to the rest of the Bond canon, sadly, I still think this is in the bottom 5 and will stay there.
Watched this recently along with AVTAK and FYEO, no longer my least liked, SPECTRE takes that place now . Though the Whirlwind HCC.10, Argosy plus other RAF aircraft in the PTS really shout, RAF Northolt to me not South America.
Silhouette ManThe last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,845MI6 Agent
Yeah it's the future episode where Lisa gets married to a Hugh Grant type, Homer meets the parents and says "You know what I love about you English...Octopussy. I must've seen that movie...twice?"
Hilarious line for a Bond fan about non-Bond fans )
'Grabbing a woman and planting a forced tongue in her mouth'
This really was a different time. But all the more funny because of it! Loved Roger here, but I often wondered what direction he was given. It must have been like 'Alright Rog, wink, now act serious, do your smile, roll your eyes, act tough...bit all over the place but to be fair to him he could act and it must have been hard actually to play Bond in that era. Hats off to him, hard to imagine any other actr carrying Bond through through those times
Comments
It's higher at the moment because I have not got round to seeing them all again - I am doing this in order of release.
The backgammon game between Khan and the other Englishman was so obviously rigged with fake dice and he kept playing! I know a fool and his money are soon parted but really this was beyond comprehension, and presumably Khan was switching dice constantly (which we don't see) otherwise he would be throwing double 6 every time. The setup is the same as the golf game in GF with Khan cheating and Gobinda crushing the dice instead of Oddjob crushing the golf ball in his hand. Any similarity between Gobinda being a strong adversary and Oddjob are entirely coincidental.
These boards show lots of different opinions - you see things you like I see things I don't, that's life, everyone who posts has my respect even if I don't agree with them.
Pros:
- PTS, obviously. It's amazing!
- Introduction to plot, 009 chase is well done.
- Sotheby's, Property of a Lady, Egg - all great.
- Orlov and communist meeting - "Czechoslovakia!"
- Backgammon, tempt with egg.
- Chase on tuk-tuk.
- Q scene - the watch-camera-clevage is hilarious.
- Roger sneaking around to listen in on the conversation.
- Chemistry with Octopussy.
- Train sequence.
- "That's for 009" scene.
- "On your feet general" acting between Orlov/Bond is fantastic.
- Clown suit diffuse of bomb is tense. The craziness of the clown suit is extremely well matched by the urgency played perfectly by Moore.
- Kamal is one of the great villains.
- Orlov is a great villain too.
- Plane sequence is awesome.
- It's an adventure from start to finish, a really fun ride.
- Moore is older, but still looks very good, moves well too.
- Older BG and Bond work well together.
- Bevy of beautiful woman throughout the film.
- Moneypenny and Smallbone scene - calls out the fact Lois Maxwell is looking too old for the role.
- 80's Cold War plot that's less about domination and more about skirmishes that a few hopeful cling-on to.
- Non-green-screen car shot with M and Bond in Berlin.
Cons:
- Plot is a little hard to follow, and is easily missed because of more simple elements of the plot i.e. bomb, escaping etc. I still find it hard to follow after all these viewings. Yep, I get that Khan is
- Q and Bond in balloon feels unnecessary.
- Title song is one of the worst in the series.
- Maurice Binder seems to suffer from writer's block, the titles are odd, and unoriginal.
- Barry's soundtrack is great, and I love the theme, but it doesn't add as much atmosphere to the film as some of his other work because it feels as if the film is a little void of his soundtrack at times.
- Tarzan.
BluRay:
Octopussy to me was never a dirty or bad looking film, so the BluRay version is just HD more than anything else. Looks great!
Overall:
It's a fun ride, a true adventure in the style of Indiana Jones almost. It sucks you in right at the start with a great PTS and there's great action throughout. There's a very good balance of humour and seriousness too - which capatalises on Roger's skill to portray this without feeling out of place. Everyone else throws in some classic Bond performances too - Khan, henchman, Q, M etc.
I know there's a lot of debate about Bond in a clown suit, but for me, it's one of the best things about the movie. Roger plays this scene with total conviction and seriousness that you really do take the clown seriously.
A very well done, 80's cold-war, adventure-ride Bond film that still holds up as a great time.
"Better make that two."
As far as I know, Binder had strict order to incorporate the 007 gun logo to make sure that everybody sees, that Octopussy is the official Bond and not NSNA -{
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
I'm not sure that was really fair considering Roger Moore was also looking too old for the role, yet the young secretary still seems smitten with him. Also, I am not a fan of the cleavage camera zoom. To me that is rude, sexual harassment at the workplace.
Aside from that, I totally am in agreement with your list of PROS. I would also like to add the mercedes on the train tracks as one of my all-time favorite action scenes.
Regarding your list of CONS:
You're not the only one who doesn't like the title song and titles. However, I have always felt "All Time High" was on par with the previous two and a fine 007 song. Also like the laser red octopus on naked ladies. I would put both the song and the titles on my list of PROS.
The union jack balloon is ridiculous, but so is the "final battle" with circus women so I can't say that it's out of place. I get a big smile when Q and Bond come floating in. Love the bit where Q saves the ladies by knocking out the baddie.
The worst scene in OP is when Bond storms into her room and sort of forces himself on her. Plus, Rog looked especially crusty in this very unflattering angle. For such a beautiful, seductive film this is especially jarring.
Okay, now onto the confusing plot. There's a lot about it I still don't quite get, but the one on my mind lately is:
Octopussy herself states that smuggling is "no concern of the British Secret service" Well….what about the diamond smuggling in DAF or smuggling gold in Goldfinger ? But okay, nevermind all that. Octopussy is a standalone film and I will take her word for it.
However, if the jewelry smuggling is no concern, THEN WHY WAS 009 recovering the egg? And why didn't 007 follow up on the Octopussy circus right off the bat instead of heading to India? I would imagine 009 reported at somepoint that he was investigating the circus..plus he was found dead in a clown costume.
1. GE 2. MR 3. OP 4. TMWTGG 5. TSWLM 6. TND 7. TWINE 8.DN 9. GF 10. AVTAK
Well, that is what Octopussy thinks not what Bond thinks. Since Bond was put on the mission to investigate the egg, the dept obviously considered such cases to be important enough .... And we are not told what led 009 to the egg. Presumably, he was investigating the fakes artifacts or something related to it
On Bond going to Ind. At the end of the day, he was investigating the egg which went to Ind. Khan was his major lead
Actually I find that Roger's age is less of an issue in this because Maud Adams is a bit older than your typical Bond girl.
I don't mind that scene too much, I think that Roger and Maud act out the scene well. Yeah, it isn't my idea of the perfect scene - but they're both dominant people, I like how Bond takes control.
And hey, she bloody loves it!
"Better make that two."
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
I do too. I thought it was the most natural romance of all of Moore's Bond films.
Pros:
The Acrostar Mini Jet (although the PTS overall seems contrived and thin to me)
The bit with the egg swap at the auction
Louis Jourdan's masterful villainy
The baccarat game between Bond and Kamal
Orlov subplot
Maud Adams (redux)
The bomb tension (leaving the clown face---totally applied in ten seconds or so---alone
That moment on the banister, when Bond shoots away the knob at the bottom before he slides into it
The final battle outside the plane
Cons:
Err...no need to elucidate. The rest of it.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Interesting how your bottom 2 Bond films are Glen/Moore films.
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
Unfortunately, I was not a fan of the Moore/Glen collaborations---with the exception of FYEO, which stands well above the others in my opinion, despite some issues, and in fact I've never been a particular fan of Glen's. He was better with Dalton, but the bits of humour in those two felt shoehorned in, reflecting (to me) a lack of finesse on the director's part.
But I concede that Glen has many fans here, which I respect. I will always feel that Dalton's films should have had a different director, though, in order to make a clean break from the past, but Cubby was loyal (to a fault, IMO) to his people, which is why both Moore and Glen were around for as long as they were. Cubby's loyalty is also very admirable, so I'm a bit queasy pointing any fingers of blame at him. It simply wasn't my preferred era of the franchise.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
The Glen films weren't the most visually awe inspiring and I get where people's 'workman-like' comments come from, but I found his era to be the most entertaining, and I rate all 5 highly regardless of where I've ranked them. The only sore point is the two non-Barry scores.
TLD is a bit odd, Dalton trying to inject some seriousness to the role while Glen is trying to do the opposite. So I can see why people don't like it, but I like the mix of tone. Although I think it would be a much better film with the right director.
"I wish you weren't in such a weakened condition....." :x
It certainly is a great Bond film {[]
"Better make that two."
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
Pros:
-PTS
-Very good plot
-Train Fight
-Beautiful cinematography
-Soundtrack
Cons:
-The campiness (Although, I really didn't mind the clown suit or gorilla costume this time)
-Bond on top of the plane at the end was a little over the top
-Maud
That's it. It was a very enjoyable movie. I'm sure after I rewatch some other films this will maybe move up another spot or two. But compared to the rest of the Bond canon, sadly, I still think this is in the bottom 5 and will stay there.
Agree!
Maud Cons, great views, convenient location.
example: "Yeah, I've seen Octopussy. Did that one have Sean Connery?"
1. GE 2. MR 3. OP 4. TMWTGG 5. TSWLM 6. TND 7. TWINE 8.DN 9. GF 10. AVTAK
I thought it was just me. Glad not to be alone. She shoots for icy/mysterious and hits dull square on the nail. Terrible actress.
It must be the title then.
Yeah it's the future episode where Lisa gets married to a Hugh Grant type, Homer meets the parents and says "You know what I love about you English...Octopussy. I must've seen that movie...twice?"
Hilarious line for a Bond fan about non-Bond fans
"Better make that two."
'Zooming in on a pair of tits'
'Grabbing a woman and planting a forced tongue in her mouth'
This really was a different time. But all the more funny because of it! Loved Roger here, but I often wondered what direction he was given. It must have been like 'Alright Rog, wink, now act serious, do your smile, roll your eyes, act tough...bit all over the place but to be fair to him he could act and it must have been hard actually to play Bond in that era. Hats off to him, hard to imagine any other actr carrying Bond through through those times