Back in 1983, James Bond icons Sean Connery and Roger Moore went head-to-head with competing 007 adventures. Fans of the James Bond movies will be familiar with the Thunderball lawsuit, where screenwriter Kevin McClory sued author Ian Fleming for using material they developed for an unmade 007 movie for one of his novels.
Since said script introduced key elements like Blofeld and SPECTRE, it made matters quite complicated. As a result of the court case, McClory was brought on to produce 1965’s Thunderball, and was given the option to remake it a decade later. The studio had ᴀssumed (quite incorrectly) the series would have run its course by then.
Long story short, after more legal wrangling, McClory produced the unofficial Bond movie Never Say Never Again. The biggest coup McClory managed to pull off was convincing Sean Connery to return for the first time since 1971.
Of course, producers EON weren’t taking this lying down, and despite the fact James Brolin was all but cast as the new 007, they brought back Moore for what would be his sixth (and penultimate) entry. The result was that Moore’s Octopussy and Never Say Never Again faced off at the box office in 1983.
Sean Connery’s Never Say Never Again Released Only Months After Roger Moore’s Octopussy
Octopussy arrived in June 1983, and nabbed a tidy $187 million, which would be over $671 mil when adjusted for inflation (via The Numbers). Coming out months before Connery’s 007 return proved a smart move, though the film itself received mixed reviews and isn’t considered one of Moore’s best outings.
There was a lot of hype surrounding Never Say Never Again, partly due to its unofficial nature and Connery’s comeback. The film debuted on October 7, 1983, and despite also being met with mixed notices, it went on to earn a very respectable $160 million (or $574 million in 2025 money).
The тιтle Never Say Never Again was suggested by Sean Connery’s wife Micheline, based on his previous comment that he would “never” return to Bond following Diamonds are Forever.
So in the 1983 “Battle of the Bonds,” Moore came out on top, with Octopussy taking home nearly $30 million more than its rival. Despite the press hyping it up, the “battle” was a damp squib. Moore and Connery were friends in real life and were rather gentlemanly about the whole thing, while neither film was particularly impressive.
1983 Was A Bad Year For Bond Movies
On paper, 1983 was shaping up to be an amazing year for the Bond series. In reality, audiences were greeted with two movies that had great turns by their leading men and were enjoyable time-wasters – but were also creaky and out of step.
Octopussy has terrific setpieces like an extended train scene and some quality quips, but it drags on too long and has some of the least menacing villains of the franchise. Moore’s age was also showing, and the film’s reliance on silly gags gets tiresome.
Never Say Never Again is hampered by not being able to use series trademarks (the Bond theme, the gun barrel, etc) and copypasting Thunderball’s plot. There are a couple of fun sequences, but it strangely lacks the scale and glamour of a typical EON Bond entry.
Neither film is the nadir of the James Bond series, it should be noted. Compared to the likes of Die Another Day or A View to a Kill, these 1983 films are fun watches. It’s just a shame that after so much anticipation, both Octopussy and Never Say Never Again never rise above being average.
Never Say Never Again Vs. Octopussy: Which Is Worse?
Never Say Never Again has some plus points in its corner. Unlike the Moore movies, Never… actually makes Connery’s age a feature of the story, and it becomes something of an Old Man Bond story. Connery himself is fully engaged, and it has a genuinely compelling villain in Klaus Maria Brandauer’s Largo.
Still, it’s lacking that Bondseries X factor. It’s trying to recapture the feel and mood of a typical 007 adventure, but can’t get there. For all its goofiness (such as Moore dressing up as a clown or having a crocodile-shaped submarine),Octopussystill feels a part of the franchise.
So if there needs to be a ranking of the 1983 Bond rivals, Octopussy would come out on top. The action is better, the jokes (when they work) are wittier, and it’s got that touch of elegance Never Say Never Again is lacking.
Despite McClory trying to mount a direct sequel dubbed S*P*E*C*T*R*E, Connery was so burned by Never Say Never Again’s messy production that he said “never” again and quit for good. He did, however, voice 007 for the 2005 video game adaptation of From Russia With Love.
Moore returned one final time for A View to a Kill, which was highly criticized at the time for the star (who was 58) appearing too old to pull off the role. Moore agreed with that note, bowing out of the series soon after and opening the door for Timothy Dalton to enter as his replacement.
Neither critics nor fans would look to Never Say Never Again or Octopussy as franchise highlights, but both are still entertaining. They’re perfectly pleasant ways to waste an afternoon, and both display why Moore and Connery were so iconic as James Bond.
Source: The Numbers
