matty_b
Posts: 12897
Joined: 19/10/2005
From: Outpost 31 calling McMurtle.
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My review from www.hollywoodbitchslap.com
Like Sean Connery, Roger Moore should have quit as Bond after his fifth film. 'For Your Eyes Only' was his finest performance as Bond, and its melancholic atmosphere would have been an ideal way to bow out. Instead he carried on and carried on the inconsistent trend that his Bond films had. One would be great, the next sucked, the next great, the next not so great etc. 'For Your Eyes Only' was great so guess what? 'Octopussy' was yet another backwards step.
After an uninvolving pre-credit sequence, which has the benefit of ending with a fairly nifty stunt we have Rita Coolidge's jazzy ballad over the credits. It's pleasant on the ear, but another in the long line of dull ballads for Roger Moore films.
009 has been found dead in Germany, dressed as a clown and clutching a fake Faberge egg. British Secret Service suspect that the Russians are producing the fakes to fund their operations and assign Bond to find out who's behind the eggs. This takes him to India and into conflict with a mad Russian General, Orlov (Stephen Berkoff), an exiled Afghan prince, Kamal Khan (Louis Jordan) and the mysterious and beautiful Octopussy (Maud Adams).
'For Your Eyes Only' had been the best Roger Moore Bond because it had removed all the annoyances that had so blighted his other films. Gone was the self-mockery, smugness and terrible quips to be replaced by a seriousness of tone and plot. 'Octopussy' would seem to be heading down the same route as the plot is far from silly and positively Connery-esque in its intrigue and twists (the real plot isn't even unveiled until the last 30 minutes).
It's a shame then that director John Glen, lets all the old traits slip back in with a vengeance. 'Octopussy' is at times a very silly film, which is totally at odds with the tone of the plot. When Bond has to slip underwater into a floating palace, does he use a wet-suit like you would assume a secret agent would? No, he dresses up as a crocodile. When he's faced with a snarling tiger he shouts "Sit!" at it. And it does. When he makes an escape through the jungle trees, he swings on a vine accompanied by a Tarzan cry. It's quite fitting that Bond is dressed as a clown towards the climax of the film.
This silliness would be understandable if the plot was as outlandish as 'Moonraker', for example. But it's not, it should be handled with serious and intrigue. However, this is Glen's second mistake, because as well as being silly 'Octopussy' is probably the most boring Bond film yet. For a director who had done such terrific work on the action sequences on 'For Your Eyes Only' there's barely anything to stop you snoozing throughout most of 'Octopussy'. One chase through an Indian market is spoiled by, you guessed it, silly jokes. Assailants are beaten off with a tennis racquet and Moore tosses out several dreadful puns throughout. It's the kind of film where about an hour into it you realise "Jesus, has anything actually happened?!". Yes, there's a great climax on top of a plane but to get to that you have to suffer an interminable romance between Bond and Octopussy.
After his previous sterling work in the last film, Moore undoes all that good work with a juvenile performance. At his age (and he's showing it here) Bond should be a cynical, slightly weary killer (like 'For Your Eyes Only'). Instead Moore again portrays him like a vain playboy. He's surrounded by lacklustre performances too. Maud Adams, who had been so good in 'The Man With The Golden Gun', is bland and does nothing to justify having the film named after her. Instead, the sexier and more interesting Kristina Wayborn is relegated to background eye candy.
'Octopussy' is seriously lacking on the villian front too. Berkoff gives an over the top performance, reminiscent of Peter Sellers as Dr. Strangelove (this isn't a compliment in this instance) and Jordan phones in his performance. Even the tough henchman Gobinda, (Kabir Bedi) is just a dull version of Jaws or Oddjob.
Perhaps the best thing about 'Octopussy' is that it's a very good Q film, Llewelyn's performance being one of his exasperated best. Robert Brown is a dull and anonymous M, however.
As well as having a casually racist tone (Bond gives some rupees to an Indian friend with the cheerful comment "That'll keep you in curries for a few weeks!"), 'Octopussy' has little to offer other than being a standard and totally forgettable Bond. With too little action, the majority of which is dull anyway, it falls back into routine and bad habits throughout. It also has the misfortune to be silly AND boring, which is something no Bond should ever be.
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