Fan Verdict - Octopussy

Each month, a different James Bond film is selected for review, rating and discussion by the largest online community of 007 fans - the Keeping The British End Up forums.

Fans rated the following elements of the movie on a 1-10 scale (10 being best): Bond, Babes, Villains, Humour, Sadism, Snobbery, Action, Locations, Gadgets, Music and 'Tilt' - a rating to account for any qualities not captured in the main categories.

Also up for discussion were the 'best bits' of the movie, including: most 'Bondian' moment, funniest scene, best line, best location, best action sequence, best Bond girl and best overall performance.

Octopussy overall score:8.1

 


Above: Cover art for the "Octopussy" score, composed by John Barry...



Most 'Bondian' Moment
Winner: Bond faces off against the killer-twins Mischka and Grischska. With Mischka dead, the remaining killer plans to take his revenge. 007 coldly dispatches with Grischska with the line: "that's for 009".

Funniest Scene
Winner: Bond arives at Q's field office and inspects the Quartermaster's handywork, including a new wrist-based television.
Honourable mentions: With Vijay in the driving seat, 007 wizzes through the busy Udiapur streets.

  Rating Results
Category Average Score
Action
9.1
Bond
8.8
Music
8.6
Babes
8.4
Locations
8.3
Humour
8.1
Villains
7.8
Sadism
7.8
Gadgets
7.7
Snobbery
6.6
Overall
8.1

Best Line
Winner: "And it doesn't matter a damn to you I suppose that thousands of innocent people will be killed in that accident of yours"
Honourable mentions: "You must be joking! 007 on an island populated exclusively by women? We won't see him till dawn!"

Best Location
Winner: Udiapur, India.
Honourable mentions: East Berlin

Best Action Sequence
Winner: James Bond follows the circus party as they journey through Europe and into East Berlin. When Khan gets wind of Bond's presence, he sends the killer twins Mischka & Grischska and Gobinda after the secret agent. Jumping from carrage roof to carrage roof, Bond evades his attackers.

Best Bond Girl
Winner: Maud Adams as Octopussy.

Best Overall Performance
Winner: Roger Moore as James Bond.
Honourable mentions: Steven Berkoff as General Orlov.


What The Fans Said
Below are selected quotes from reviews by Keeping The British End Up members. Click here to read all the reviews in their entirety.

"Extra marks for brilliant stunts, interesting allies, sets and personal enjoyment." -- FieldsMan

"Octopussy had the standard 80's formula of going against the Communists, while Sean did a time warp back to 1965. In the end, Roger won the battle. Moore successfully blends seriousness with humor in Octopussy. Moore's avenging Mishchka and Grishchka for murdering 009 while finding humor in the India street fight and the jungle chase. " -- Dr. Karim Largo

"The highlight of the film is Roger Moore who charms with his suave swagger, stuns with his dramatic turns, and makes us laugh with his animated facial expressions and gold-laced delivery of the witty dialogue in one of his most confident and cool Bond performances." -- S. Christensen

"Maud Adams who was stunning in her earlier Bond incarnation as the The Man With The Golden Gun's doomed Andrea Anders, presents a more mature femme fatale, but with a heart of gold, as the titular Octopussy. Adams plays the role with style, urgency and grace. She is a wonderful foil for Moore's more mature Bond and is quite believable in her role as Circus Impresario, international smuggler and guru to wayward young women." -- timmer

"Moore seems confident with the material he is given and delivers some excellent dialogue in a straight faced approach, in particular when he is conversing with the maniacal General Orlov aboard the carriage housing the bomb. Moore always manages to inject some great humour and overall fun in his Bond films and Octopussy is no exception. Whilst the costume is a little dubious, it seems perfectly acceptable that Bond would adopt a clown disguise to stop a bomb from exploding in a circus and killing thousands of innocent people." -- James Clark

"The race against time/bomb explosion in the 2nd half is one of the most exciting 2nd halves to any Bond film" -- Prince Kamal Khan

"'Octopussy' has the mood just about right - serious, but occasionally silly as well. Only once does it go over the edge - when 007 releases a Tarzan scream in the Indian jungle." -- Bondfan06

"Louis Jourdan is simply delightful as the truly evil Prince Kamal Khan, the exiled Afghan prince who will do anything in which to succeed. He's a real low life, but plays the part so well. I love the way Bond continually taunts and beats Khan throughout the movie, yet not once does Khan get irate or lose his temper." -- benny

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