Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)

Good movie but grossly overrated

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Back in the swinging sixties Austin Powers is the spy no woman can resist; he is also the arch-nemesis of the fiendish Doctor Evil. After Dr Evil's plot to kill Powers fails he has himself cryogenically frozen and launched into orbit. Knowing Evil will one day return Powers is also frozen until he is needed again. In the 90s Dr Evil returns so Powers is thawed out. They both discover that the world has changed significantly while they were away. Dr Evil's organisation is now a major legitimate corporation but he is still determined to hold the world to ransom. Powers has to discover that the era of free love has long gone and he is no longer God's gift to women. As Dr Evil sets his dastardly plans into motion Austen and his assistant Vanessa Kensington work to stop him.Sometimes spoof films are just embarrassing but thankfully this is lots of fun. It plays with the tropes of the genre in a delightful way. We have Dr Evil planning elaborate easy to escape methods for killing Powers while his son recommends just shooting him in the head and making a demand for what he thinks is a significant amount of money but which is trivial by the '90s. There are plenty of laughs to be had as the spy genre, and James Bond in particular, are delightfully spoofed. Some of the gags are a little but crude, but not overly so, and others are more clever; most notably when after two henchmen are killed we are shown how they are real people with family and friends rather than nobodies to be dispatched with a witty aside. Mike Myers impresses in the dual roles of Austin Powers and Dr Evil, Elizabeth Hurley is suitably sexy as Vanessa and Robert Wagner is fun as he plays Number Two in a relatively straight way. Seth Green is also good as Dr Evil's son. There are plenty of well-known faces, including Carrie Fisher, Christian Slater and Rob Lowe, in cameo roles. Overall I'd recommend this to anybody wanting a bit of a laugh; especially if you are a fan of the spy genre.

"The details of my life are quite inconsequential. Very well, where do I begin? My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with a low grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a 15 year old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink, he would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts for being lazy, the sort of general malaise that only the genus possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical, summers in Rangoon, Luge lessons. In the spring we would make meat helmets, when I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds, pretty standard really. At the age of 12 I received my first scribe, and at the age of 14 a Zoroastrian named Vilma, ritualistically shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum, its breathtaking, I suggest you try it." - Dr. Evil^ Just one of the reasons why this film is the greatest comedy of all time.

Way back when Mike Myers didn't rely on a certain green ogre for a salary, he starred in three hugely successful Austin Powers movies, affectionate spoofs of the '60s spy genre, the first of which saw the titular 'International Man of Mystery' (Myers) and his nemesis Dr. Evil (also played by Myers) being thawed out in 1997 after thirty years in cryonic suspension. Continuing where they left off in 1967, Dr. Evil plots to hold the world to ransom, while Powers teams up with a sexy new sidekick, Vanessa Kensington (Elizabeth Hurley), to try and defeat him.Written by Myers, and directed by Jay Roach, Austin Powers delivers a barrage of visual buffoonery, bawdy innuendo, toilet humour, and general lunacy, most of which hits the mark, with lots of cool cameos from the likes of Christian Slater, Carrie Fisher, Will Ferrell, Tom Arnold, and Rob Lowe, to name just a few. Even if madcap humour isn't your thing, it would take a joyless soul not to laugh at at least some of the craziness on display (I defy anyone to keep a straight face during the scene that takes place in a toilet stall!). Myers' groovy schtick would become even funnier in subsequent sequels; it's no wonder that he is currently planning to revive his flagging career with a fourth film in the series.7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for Hurley in that silver quasi-futuristic mini-dress.

Austin Powers has the rare distinction of being a spoof film that is also original. Mike Myers stars as Groovy British spy Austin Powers. Who is cryogenically frozen in 1969 to do battle with the evil Blofeld Lookalike Dr.Evil (Also Myers). Austin is thawed out in 1997 to a very different world where Swingers are all but extinct. He is partnered up with the daughter of his original partner Vanessa Kensington (Elizabeth Hurley) to do battle with Dr.Evil and his hilarious Minions like Number 2 (Robert Wagner) and Frau Farbissina.Perfect film for James Bond fans; packed with lots of references to James Bond and the Spy Genre whilst also being able to be original. It has lots of quotable quotes like "Groovy". It also features parodies of Iconic James Bond scenes and great 60's costumes and locations. Great film and would highly recommend it- 10/10