OCTOPUSSY - DVD review

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.

Video:
MGM's picture quality is fully up to conveying the film's beauty in a wide, 2.21:1 ratio anamorphic screen size. The colors are somewhat soft, but they show little bleeding or blurring, and they are exceptionally vivid and bright. Soft and bright; I hope that makes sense. This combination doesn't take us far in the way of gritty realism, such as the more-recent Bond outings have tried to achieve, but it's supremely easy on the eyes. I noticed some few instances of minor pixel shimmer, however, especially in closely spaced crisscrossed lines like on the front grille of a Mercedes. Nothing to worry about.

Audio:
The sound is easy on the ears as well, a straight Dolby Stereo Surround with no 5.1 processing. As might be expected, the front channels display a lot of left-to-right signal spread, but there is not much going on in the rear. The whole production is rather laid back in the audiovisual department, particularly compared to things like "GoldenEye" and "Tomorrow Never Dies," with their more muted colors, darker tones, and incredibly well-focused and well-distributed five-channel soundtracks.

Extras:
As far as extras are concerned on this Special 007 Edition, the selection is typical. There are English and Spanish spoken languages and French and Spanish subtitles. There's the expected full-feature audio commentary by the director, John Glen, who had already done "For Your Eyes Only" and would go on to direct "A View To A Kill," "The Living Daylights," and "License To Kill." Then there's the customary behind-the-scenes documentary, "Inside Octopussy," thirty-five minutes long and, as always, narrated by Patrick Macnee. Did you know that one of the producers' biggest worries in 1983 was how to compete with Sean Connery's simultaneous release of his own Bond flick, "Never Say Never Again"? Turned out, there was room for both of them. After that, there's a twenty-one-minute documentary called "Designing Bond--Peter Lamont," self explanatory. A pair of animated storyboard sequences follow, one examining the film's taxi chase, the other Bond's rescuing of Octopussy. Next, expect a music video and get one. Of course, MGM include one of their famous informational booklet inserts. Lastly, there are thirty-six scene selections, three teaser trailers, and one major theatrical trailer.

Parting Shots:
"Octopussy" seems more than a bit silly compared to its immediate predecessor, "For Your Eyes Only," but it more than makes up for its script's lack of gravity in its visual splendor. It may be purchased separately or in a boxed set that also includes "Thunderball," "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," "Live and Let Die," "A View to a Kill," and "Die Another Day."