- Messages
- 1,812
- Reaction score
- 1,334
- Trophy Points
- 143
James Bond's Octopussy has no fanedit yet. That's about to change! In many ways this is Roger Moore's best outing as 007. Sure, there are a few too many lame jokes, but those are easily trimmed. The ending would've been perfect for Moore to retire (I like A View to A Kill, but Octopussy would have been a great conclusion of the Moore era).
I love that Moore plays his age credibly: he's an experienced and (mostly) mature spy who works with his colleagues and keeps them informed (no lone vigilante). The main Bond girl (beautiful Maud Adams) is age appropriate and Bond shows a genuine interest in her (not the usual "he loves and leaves them").
The sets and scenery are gorgeous (between India and the circus, this Bond film has an unusually rich color palette). The opening sequence is exciting and suitably grande. The villains check all the boxes: out-of-control Russian general with access to a nuke, Khan is played just right to make your skin crawl, the staring henchman never stops (until, of course, the final battle).
So what needs to be edited in this 007 adventure?
- Shift 009's chase to the opening, giving first-time viewers the suspense "is this Bond"?
- Small trims to opening sequence: some shots of jeeps avoiding the mini-plane look more A-Team than 007.
- Cut several lame jokes, including "asp" and "good with figures".
- Trim the tuk-tuk chase to remove the tennis match shots and the pick-up shots where Moore's hair is a distractingly different color brown (that also means cutting the fire-breather, bed of nails, hot coals, sword swallower).
- Minimize shots of assistant's cleavage in Q's lab.
- Trim the jungle chase: cut "sit" at tiger, remove Tarzan yell and swing on vine.
- Trim East Germany: trims for pacing around and on the train. Cut gorilla Bond checking his watch.
- Trim West Germany: cut Bond being denied a car ride a second time.
- Trim final fight at Khan's palace: remove hot-air balloon because it always bugged me that it's so obviously a prop on a set stage (sorry Q, you won't be in this battle), cut wristwatch monitor, trims for pacing and to make the tone more serious.
- Inside airplane: cut Gobinda easily pushing away Octopussy. Let's believe she's still tied up instead of being so easy to overpower.
- Closing scene on the galley: cut the leg joke because it's lame and ruins the moment.
I love that Moore plays his age credibly: he's an experienced and (mostly) mature spy who works with his colleagues and keeps them informed (no lone vigilante). The main Bond girl (beautiful Maud Adams) is age appropriate and Bond shows a genuine interest in her (not the usual "he loves and leaves them").
The sets and scenery are gorgeous (between India and the circus, this Bond film has an unusually rich color palette). The opening sequence is exciting and suitably grande. The villains check all the boxes: out-of-control Russian general with access to a nuke, Khan is played just right to make your skin crawl, the staring henchman never stops (until, of course, the final battle).
So what needs to be edited in this 007 adventure?
- Shift 009's chase to the opening, giving first-time viewers the suspense "is this Bond"?
- Small trims to opening sequence: some shots of jeeps avoiding the mini-plane look more A-Team than 007.
- Cut several lame jokes, including "asp" and "good with figures".
- Trim the tuk-tuk chase to remove the tennis match shots and the pick-up shots where Moore's hair is a distractingly different color brown (that also means cutting the fire-breather, bed of nails, hot coals, sword swallower).
- Minimize shots of assistant's cleavage in Q's lab.
- Trim the jungle chase: cut "sit" at tiger, remove Tarzan yell and swing on vine.
- Trim East Germany: trims for pacing around and on the train. Cut gorilla Bond checking his watch.
- Trim West Germany: cut Bond being denied a car ride a second time.
- Trim final fight at Khan's palace: remove hot-air balloon because it always bugged me that it's so obviously a prop on a set stage (sorry Q, you won't be in this battle), cut wristwatch monitor, trims for pacing and to make the tone more serious.
- Inside airplane: cut Gobinda easily pushing away Octopussy. Let's believe she's still tied up instead of being so easy to overpower.
- Closing scene on the galley: cut the leg joke because it's lame and ruins the moment.
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