Review of Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

Introduction

An obvious Bond spoof, despite one or two attempts to distance the film from such claims, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery was one of those films that passed me by at the cinema. So I decided that it was about time that I got round to watching it to see what all the fuss was about.

Video

A very good anamorphic 2.35:1 transfer is on show here, bringing those garish sixties colour schemes and costumes to life. Hardly any grain or artefacting make this one very good looking disc.

Audio

A very good DD5.1 audio track, with plenty of music tracks from those swinging sixties, including one which is probably more famous through its use in a football advertising campaign.

Add to that a few more modern tracks, including a rare outing from early nineties one hit wonders "The Divinyls", and you have a good sounding DVD.

Features

Lots of extras to get stuck into. First and foremost, you get a commentary by Mike Myers and director Jay Roach. However, for reasons which will become clear later, I wasn`t compelled to listen to this.

There are also alternative endings, plus other deleted scenes (less that the R1 version, but that`s because those scenes that are missing were restored to the R2 version of the film in the first place).

You can also find biographies, the original trailer and a special "cameo menu" so you can pick out brief cameos from many of the film`s guest stars. A feature packed disc indeed.

Conclusion

Great picture, good sound, loads of extras. But it seems to me to be a case of presentation over content.

I`m afraid that this film was one of the worst films that I`ve seen in years. Yes, there are some great gags littered around the script, but there`s so much dross in between. Did this really come from the same Mike Myers involved in Wayne`s World and So I Married an Axe Murderer?

Liz Hurley was unbelievably wooden, and made an episode of Neighbours look good. I can`t believe she got other parts after people saw her in this. Unless of course they just wanted someone who looks good...

Sure, there`s been some homework done here - some of the Bond type moments are spot on, and Bond fans will easily spot the references, but it`s still a very hit-and-miss affair overall.

If you`ve already seen this film and enjoyed it, then the disc itself comes highly recommended. If you`ve not seen the film - don`t believe the hype, as it may not be all it`s cracked up to be...

One final note is that this film was originally released with a price tag of £24.99 - please don`t pay that even if you are a fan. Hopefully it`s now down to a more sensible price.