Octopussy

The James Bond series is an interesting one that typically starts fairly seriously, gets a bit campy, then gets really campy and then swings back to the ultra serious. Most recently Pierce Brosnan exited as the movies were getting cheesier and Daniel Craig came aboard with a near tangible shift in tone, not even a hint of humor was to be found between the fast paced action sequences.

Roger Moore's tenure as Bond occupies the campier side of this ebb and flow of the series. Though it seems like it would be difficult to top the bizarreness of "Moonraker's" laser space battles and Jaws as the comedic relief, 1983's "Octopussy" does a pretty good job. It may just be because it was weirder all around. Moore was relying on gags and other comedic aspects of his character due to the fact he was 55 years old when the film was made.

After the title sequence the movie goes from circus clowns to stolen fabergé eggs. The villain, Kamel Khan, is an art thief/forger who not very menacing at all. He is selling his fakes, which seems like a possible nod to the much superior Sherlock Holmes villain Professor Moriarty in the "Final Problem" story. Anyhoo, Bond steals the egg at an auction in maybe the worst sleight of hand ever.

A whole bunch of other stuff that doesn't make a whole lot of sense happens, more circus stuff, James Bond in a gorilla suit, an all female island (it was bound to happen in one of the Bond films), and best of all Bond in a Crocodile water craft.

The plot is not really important, this movie is pure enjoyable escapism. It has some action and babes and cheesy lines. Sadly the movies have since shied away from this level of zaniness. These were the movies that other movies were making fun of when they would reference the Bond films. But even though these movies were pretty tongue in cheek you still get the impression that someone thought including a human cannon and the old killer-octopus-on-a-man's-face were good ideas.