Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Additional Cast
Vanessa Kensington: Elizabeth Hurley
Mrs. Kensington: Mimi Rogers
Mustafa: Will Farrell
Written by: Mike Myers. Directed by: Jay Roach
Released: 1997. My Rating: *****
Plot
Austin Powers, a swinging spy in 1967, is frozen when his arch nemesis Dr. Evil escapes into space. 30 years later, when Evil re-enters the atmosphere, Austin is thawed and begins the delicate process of adjusting to the future and stopping Evil's nefarious plan for world domination.
Basically, it boils down to toilet humor and sexual innuendo of the highest order, pulled off flawlessly by Myers and crew. Powers and his new partner, Vanessa, head to Vegas, while Dr. Evil develops a weapon that will send a nuclear warhead into the center of the planet. Eventually, we meet Dr. Evil's son created in a lab, and they attempt to deal with their problems a number of ways. After Austin and Vanessa are captured, they escape the underground lair and destroy it. But Dr. Evil escapes, insuring evil will live on.
My Thoughts
This was one of the most brilliantly done and innovative comedies of all time. Myers pulls double duty as both the hero and the villian, doing both flawlessly. His supporting crew is great, and even the story is fantastic. There are no dull moments, and some of the sight gags are absolutly priceless. And its smart as well. Not a dumb moment either. I loved this movie, and the other two as well, but we'll get to those.
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Additional Cast
Mini-Me: Verne Troyer
Felicity Shagwell: Heather Graham
Fat Bastard: Mike Myers
Mustafa: Will Farrell
Young Number 2: Rob Lowe
United States President: Tim Robbins
Written by: Mike Myers & Michael McCullers. Directed by: Jay Roach. Released: 1999. My Rating: ****
Plot
The second outing of Myers & Co. includes an opening sequence where Vanessa is a Fembot, then a musical sequence where Austin spends some time naked. The main plot involves Dr. Evil going back in time to 1969 to steal Austin's mojo. Austin follows him and meets Felicity Shagwell, an American CIA agent. They fight to foil Dr. Evil's nefarious plan, which includes a laser on the moon and some way-out space travel.
We also meet a clone of Dr. Evil, the hilarious Mini-Me, the overly large Fat Bastard, and the real origins of Scott. The gags are closer to the disgusting end of the scale, but it is nearly as smart.
My Thoughts
This is just about as good as the original. It carries the same spririt of the original, but ups the ante with a third Mike Myers character and Mini-Me, who became an overnight sensation. It proved that the original movie was no fluke and Myers is a genuine superstar. One of the most original and funny people on the planet. The gross-out humor is elevated to another level, which turned a lot of people off. But, I liked it. Not as good as the first, but one of the few sequels out there that was both original and satisfying.
Austin Powers in Goldmember
Additional Cast
Nigel Powers: Micheal Caine
Mini-Me: Verne Troyer
Foxxy Cleopatra: Beyonce Knowles
Goldmember: Mike Myers
Fat Bastard: Mike Myers
Written by: Mike Myers & Michael McCullers. Directed by: Jay Roach. Released: 2002. My Rating: ****
Plot
The third, and rumored last, installment of the Austin Powers trilogy focusses on the relationship between Austin, Dr. Evil and Nigel Powers, the father. Evil is captured early on, but has Austin's father kidnapped and sent back to 1975 where he is kept by the evil Goldmember. Austin gets meets up with an old flame, Foxxy Cleopatra, and they come back into the present to get back Nigel.
After a series of chases and escapes, and some disagreements, we find out that Austin and Dr. Evil are brothers and Nigel is the father of both of them. They end up working together to stop Goldmember from melting the polar ice caps.
My Thoughts
This one added another Myers character, Goldmember. Now, I got annoyed with that character the first time I saw it, but after a couple of viewings, I came to appreciate the genious of it. He added a lot to it, and the whole movie was pretty good. It added a lot of lore to the series, and threw in the bizarre twist of Evil and Powers being brothers. And Scott Evil becoming so evil that he overshadows his father. Its incredibly good, and the series was pretty damn classic. I loved them all.
