...more than a bit silly compared to its immediate predecessor.
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For me "Octopussy" was the Bond that got away. It was one of the Bond films I least remembered, having seen it only once when it came out in a theater and thereafter only in bits and pieces on TV while channel surfing. Upon seeing the film again, I was surprised how well it held up, at least in its second half, and how much more I liked it the second time around. "Octopussy" didn't impress me nearly as much the second time as "For Your Eyes Only," mind you, because "Octopussy" is far more cartoonish, but both films are worthy Bond entries.
The strong suit of "Octopussy" is its sets, settings, and location shots. It may be the most opulent Bond of the entire series. Filmed primarily in India, the lavish palaces, courtyards, temples, and lagoons are spectacular in the extreme. As a travelogue alone, this Bond release is worth the price of admission for its ravishing scenery. Fortunately, the beauty of its locales partly makes up for the film's fuzzy plot. Set during the last days of the Cold War, it involves a slightly mad Russian general, Orlov (Steven Berkoff), who is secretly trading away Russia's priceless treasures for nuclear weapons in an attempt to start World War III, or something. At the same time, he's dealing with a mysterious female named Octopussy (Maud Adams), who's the head of an international ring of jewel smugglers, and her accomplice, a scoundrel named Kamal Khan (Louis Jourdan). Ms. Adams, as you may recall, is the only actress to play leads in two different Bond films, the first being "The Man With the Golden Gun."
Anyway, the movie gets off to an unusually slow and hokey start via a totally uninvolving pre-title gambit, followed by an equally uninspired title song, "All Time High," sung by Rita Coolidge. Then, for the first thirty minutes of the story we have to endure the scriptwriter's idea of fun and games before the actual plot kicks in and things settle down to good, old-fashioned, tongue-in-cheek intrigue. When things do settle in and the writing is not going for cheap laughs, the story becomes pretty interesting.
Not only are India's scenic wonders lovely to behold, the film also includes more beautiful women than any other Bond entry in the series. Octopussy, you see, commands a bevy of young ladies who operate her gem smuggling ring, and they all live in a floating palace on a lake in India. Never mind that none of the young women, and there are dozens of them, appear to be Indian; we're supposed to overlook that point.
The movie also has more gimmickry in it than most previous Bond films, which may or may not appeal to you. Let's see, for starters there's a wristwatch with a crystal-diode screen for television transmissions, a miniature jet plane, a pen that ejects acid, an ultra-tiny microphone and tracking device, a hot-air balloon emblazoned with the British Union Jack, and a high-powered motor cart.
A decided weakness of the story is its having multiple villains sharing top billing, none of whom are really very villainous. Octopussy may be mysterious but she's in reality a sweetheart. The Russian general may be halfcocked, but he doesn't do a lot of damage and gets taken care of relatively early on. Which leaves us with only the Jourdan heavy, Kamal, as a real culprit, and he's actually rather a wimp. There is a nasty fellow wielding a circular saw blade I quite liked, though. Be that as it may, my recommendation is to forget the good guy vs. bad guys angle in this one and just enjoy the scenery, natural or otherwise. It makes up for a lot of plot holes and character deficiencies.
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[release]5462[/release]