63
Metascore
14 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90The New York TimesVincent CanbyThe New York TimesVincent CanbyGeorge MacDonald Fraser, Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson are responsible for the story and screenplay, which was directed by John Glen, who does much better than he did with "For Your Eyes Only." However, the material is markedly better, and the budget seems noticeably larger. Peter Lamont's production design is both extravagant and funny.
- 90Washington PostGary ArnoldWashington PostGary ArnoldOne of the snazziest, wittiest productions in the history of the serial.
- 80Time Out LondonTime Out LondonThis finds Bond on better form than he's been for some time. The action sequences are tighter, the visual gags more inventive, and if the plot is no great shakes, the whole thing is served up with a decent approximation to the old panache.
- 60EmpireIan NathanEmpireIan NathanOne for the die hards. The saving grace here is a knowing sense of humour so lacking in its predecessor, For Your Eyes Only.
- 50ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliThere's a fine line between wit and absurdity, and this particular movie too often falls on the wrong side.
- 50Chicago ReaderDave KehrChicago ReaderDave KehrGlen's willingness to give the action sequences a certain weight and seriousness produces some genuinely exciting moments, yet his work is everywhere undermined by the flatness of the characterizations and the uncertain architecture of the plot. Still, Maud Adams makes a nice impression and Roger Moore has shed some of his smarminess.
- 50Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittDirected by John Glen, who keeps the excitement level high for an hour or so, then lets the show slip into the doldrums.
- 40TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineOCTOPUSSY features the usual array of fine stunt work and special effects, and Adams' appearance marks the first time that a Bond woman was allowed an encore performance, but little is added that departs from the Bond formula.
- 40TimeRichard CorlissTimeRichard CorlissWhen he had started playing this game of Save the Planet—when he was roguish Sean Connery and the world was so much younger—Bond had been a kind of role model for people of a certain class and ambition. Savoir-faire meant the aristocracy of style: which wine to decant, which brand of cigarette to smoke, which automatic weapon to carry under the armpit. Now that he was Roger Moore, 20 years later, Bond had degenerated into a male model, and something of a genial anachronism.