This is one of my favorites. I must have watched this 100 times when it was on HBO for the first time. That was before we had video stores, folks.

A

Fun ride.

B+

Probably Roger Moore's best. I love this one and I'd say it is one of the five best Bonds.

A-.

Great up until the point Bond dresses up as a clown. And although the sequence is great to look at, the scene involving Octopussy's gang is a little cheesy. I did like the bit with Bond and Q entering on the balloon, and the part where Moore slides down the banister and shoots part of it off so his balls don't get crushed.

Another scene that I didn't really like was the safari scene. It's just out of place and kind of stupid. That saying though, the film does have a nice finale with the airplane.

B+

Some good scenes, but it doesn't come together as a whole. Moore is far too old in this and the next one. He should have gone out on top with For Your Eyes Only.

I disagree with yoshue on the age issue on this film, he's a good match at this age for Maude Adams, who luckily gets to become another Bond girl (she was one in The Man With the Golden Gun).

Action in the second half doesn't match that of the first half.

Roger Moore's best from what I can remember.

It doesn't work. Everything about this movie is bland and forgettable. The villains, the girls, the action, and when Bond dresses up like a clown (he has mere minutes to diffuse a bomb yet he has time to apply clown makeup to his face) I wanted to hit something. As a matter of fact, most of the finale with the circus and the circus girls made me want to hit something. I did love the moment where Bond slides down the railing in the palace. That's one of those "Bond" moments.

As I mentioned, the action is forgettable and it's mostly due to the decision to have way too many shots of Roger Moore up against a rear projection screen. There's way too much usage of it in this and because of it we never get a real sense that Bond is in any danger. All they needed to do was cut out a few shots here and there and rely mostly on the stunt footage. I think it would've worked to the film's benefit.

I want to applaud the film though for including as many Indian stereotypes into one fight scene as humanly possible. We get...

1. A man walking across barefoot on coals of fire (later Bond throws oil onto the fire subduing three men)
2. Bond borrowing a sword from a sword swallower
3. A man lying on a bed of nails (Bond later throws a bad guy on top of it)
4. A fire juggler - Bond uses one of the torches against a baddie

The scene only needed to be set in front of a call center or an Indian 7-11 and it would've been complete.

Octopussy marked the 13th film in EON James Bond series. It wasn't a lucky number for 007. On the bright side at least Bond didn't go to space.

** (C)

1. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) - ***** (A+)
2. Goldfinger (1964) - ***** (A+)
3. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) - ***** (A+)
4. From Russia with Love (1963) - ****½ (A)
5. Live and Let Die (1973) - ***½ (B+)
6. You Only Live Twice (1967) - *** (B)
7. For Your Eyes Only (1981) - *** (B)
8. Thunderball (1965) - *** (B)
9. Dr. No (1962) - *** (B)
10. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) - **½ (C+)
11. Diamonds are Forever (1971) - **½ (C+)
12. Octopussy (1983) - ** (C)
13. Moonraker (1979) - ** (C)

Why I say Moore is the worst Bond, this, Moonraker, and Man With The Golden Gun are all in the top five worst bond films. This of course has the worst moment in all of the bond films, the Tarzan joke.

The only good thing about this one is the woman who played Octopussy. She's the first real mature bond girl and she's just as sexy as the others.

This was the coveted battle of the Bond's year, and I know Never Say Never again gets a lot of flack, I think it's leagues above all of Moore's films with the exception of Spy Who Loved Me.

D+