Please don't spend money on this.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Octopussy carries on with the serious return to the series, and with Roger Moore playing 007 with the seriousness that was evident in For Your Eyes Only, but the film is not entirely successful. However, there are some good moments. The pre credits scene is one of the most entertaining, with the Acrostar mini jet being chased by the missile, and the scene after the pre titles where 009 is hunted down and killed is quite eerie and very suspenseful. There are some good performances from the supporting cast, with Maud Adams, Louis Jourdan and Vijay Amritraj being standouts.The main problem with Octopussy is that the plot line is far too complex for its own good; the best films are when the story is straightforward and easy to follow, but Octopussy has far too much going on. The story does grow on you, but it's not something you take to straight away.The film does have a few silly moments, especially the Tarzan yell, and the part where Bond disguises himself as a clown to disarm the bomb doesn't work; it would have been more tense if he'd have just gone in as himself.Overall, Octopussy has its good moments, but is let down by an overly complex story.

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.

Directed by John Glen and produced by Albert Broccoli, it has script by Richard Maibaum and George MacDonald Fraser and is the thirteenth film in the franchise. In this film, James Bond investigates the death of another British spy. The trail leads to India, where he allies with Octopussy, a daughter of a former enemy who want to save her own skin. The action takes place in the context of "détente", a policy of appeasement between the USA and the USSR.Personally, I consider this film as one of the worst in the entire franchise. I appreciate the scenery and the exoticism of the scenes in India, where part of the film took place, or the trip train to West Berlin. All these scenes help, in fact, to make this a very nice film. The script is also good: the theft of Soviet artworks, a nuclear attack on West Berlin are strong themes. The great sin of this film are some scenes that ridiculed the main character. Its sad to see James Bond disguised as clown or gorilla, but even that could be understandable depending on the context. But see 007 to panic, start screaming and running from one side to the other in the middle of a circus tent... I wasn't able to recognize Bond, nor understand how Roger Moore allowed his character was the target of that laughingstock!In this film, besides the central cast inherited from the previous films and the continuation of Roger Moore in the role of 007, it participated Maud Adams in the role of Octopussy; Louis Jourdan gave life to the villain, Kamal Khan; Kabir Bedi played Gobinda and Robert Brown assumed the role of M, left vacant by the death of Bernard Lee.

I kind of like this Bond movie, I do. Fresh, but the usual patters is still there, well worked in. And the "Cold War" theme sort of still hanging around in the 007 films, and wasn't to be scrapped quite yet, either. Fascinating (but expected) stunts, and a trip around the world. Got It before? The greatness is in good, well thought casting; among other well performing guys like Louis Jourdan and Kabir Bedi, there's a warm welcome back to a skilled woman named Maud Adams. The whole "Octopussy" part of the movie is a booster when one got a little tired of Russians making evil plans. (Steven Berkoff's performance got him the role in Rambo: First Blood part II ?)The comedy parts is what works best in this movie. Former pro-tennis player Vijay Amritraj and the legend "Q" Desmond Llewelyn are brought along for laughs, as I see it. Not to mention the innumerable inside jokes - as of many Bond movies - that fans still searching for today when re-watching it. Roger Moore got bought back for the 007 act in an almost desperate way from the production team. Exchange the now legendary five round, well worked in actor gentleman obviously wasn't done just like that. Rumors (as usual) in preproduction placed some dudes as potential substitutes, but as it seems today, in vain. (One wish-list guy, Pierce Brosnan, was contracted to a half-ass flashy TV detective show straight throughout the 80's.)I personally think that the situation of today's James Bond movie production have some similarity to the mid 80's. I can imagine people got a slight feeling knowing what to expect when going to the cinemas for the 6th Roger Moore-show. I was in exactly that mood before watching "Spectre" at the local theater last November...