Film

Octopussy

Name: Octopussy
Genre: Adventure, Action, Thriller
Released: 1983
Cast: Roger Moore, Maud Adams, Louis Jourdan, Kristina Wayborn, Kabir Bedi

A Roger Moore Bond film that trades some spy-craft elegance for genuine adventure and humour. It's lighter than its predecessors but not frivolous, with a plot that zigs where you expect it to zag. If you can settle into its particular wavelength—part caper, part action spectacle—it's tremendously fun and confident in what it wants to be.

TMDb rating

3.2

If you liked this

The Spy Who Loved Me1977

Moore's first Bond, perfecting the balance between suave and playful that makes Octopussy work. Features one of the best henchmen ever (Jaws) and the kind of set-pieces that make you remember why Bond films matter.

But The plot is tissue-thin and the pacing occasionally sluggish. It's all surface, though it's a very handsome surface.

Raiders of the Lost Ark1981

Similar energy—a globe-trotting adventure with real stakes, practical stunts, and a protagonist who's in over his head. Spielberg and Lucas understood that spectacle needs wit to sing.

But It's a different creature entirely: leaner, darker, more operatic. If you want more Bond, this isn't quite that.

For Your Eyes Only1981

Moore's other standout, grounded and genuinely tense where Octopussy is playful. Proof that he could do dramatic weight when the script demanded it. Excellent cold-war paranoia throughout.

But It's notably glummer. The tonal whiplash from Octopussy might be jarring if you're hoping for consistency.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Octopussy

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Thief of Bagdad1940

Both films believe adventure is about visual impossibility made real—the Fabergé egg and the magical devices are the same story, told in different eras. Both trust spectacle over cynicism.

1940 British fantasy-adventure with the same DNA as Octopussy—exotic locations, magical logic, a heist wrapped in spectacle, and absolute confidence that wonder and action belong together. Miraculously inventive on a wartime budget.

But It's slow and utterly of its era. The effects and process shots won't read as seamless; patience is required. Some will find it quaint rather than thrilling.

The Living Daylights1987

Bond transitioning to Timothy Dalton—younger, leaner, classically trained. Takes the spy-craft seriously again without losing the adventure. The Moog cello theme is magnificent.

But It's a corrective, and correctives can feel cold. Some viewers find Dalton too serious; others find Moore too silly. This thread divides people.

Licence to Kill1989

Dalton's second, angrier and more violent. Bond is genuinely vengeful rather than quippy. If Octopussy feels too light, this is the dark answer—same era, opposite temperament.

But It's nasty in ways that feel divorced from what Bond is supposed to be. The anger, while earned, reads as mutation rather than evolution.

The Man with the Golden Gun1974

Moore's predecessor Connery had left; this is Moore finding his footing. Genuinely weird supporting characters, an island lair that feels lived-in, and Christopher Lee as a villain of actual charisma.

But Uneven. The film seems unsure whether it's adventure or comedy, and that uncertainty shows. Moore's still settling in.

From Russia with Love1963

Early Connery, when Bond films hadn't yet become cartoons. It's a genuine spy thriller with intrigue, danger, and a mechanical clarity about how espionage actually works. It's the template.

But Slow by modern standards. The action is restrained, almost antique. If you're used to Octopussy's velocity, this will feel like wading.

Casino Royale2006

Daniel Craig as Bond—older, scarred, human. The action is brutal and grounded. Poker sequences have real tension. Proves Bond can be deadly serious and still work as spectacle.

But It's a philosophical rebuke to everything Octopussy represents. If you love Moore's lightness, this film will feel like a rebuke to your entire evening.

A View to a Kill1985

Moore's swansong, pairing him with Christopher Walken (magnificent) and a plot about Silicon Valley sabotage. The ice-rink sequences and Paris destruction are genuinely spectacular.

But It's where Moore's age starts to show in ways the film doesn't quite address. The action beats sometimes feel uncomfortable, and the pacing drags in the middle.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy2011

Both are about the machinery of deception in the Cold War; one asks what happens when you feel nothing, the other celebrates the pleasure of feeling invincible. They're mirrors.

Gary Oldman as Smiley, the anti-Bond. A cold-war spy film that moves like a dirge and asks what espionage costs. Gorgeous, intricate, obsessive. Proof that spy cinema can be intellectual without being dry.

But It's approximately the opposite of Octopussy's pace. It's a puzzle film that demands attention and rewards silence. If you want to relax, this isn't it.

The Grand Budapest Hotel2014

Both celebrate surface, style, and the pleasure of a perfectly executed plan. Both are fundamentally about people who believe the world should be beautiful and are willing to go to extraordinary lengths to prove it.

Wes Anderson making a heist-adventure-elegance piece. Intricate plotting, gorgeous artifice, a world where aesthetics matter more than logic. It's Octopussy's sensibility reimagined as a clockwork box.

But It's precious in ways that curdle if you're not in the mood. The symmetry can feel suffocating. Some will find it mannered rather than charming.