Review of Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

Introduction

If the Cold War was good for anything, it was Spy movies. The secrecy and distrust that existed between East and West following the Second World War proved ripe for writers and moviemakers and we were treated to fantastic gadgets, flamboyant spies and glamorous women in movie franchises like the Matt Helm, Flint and the Man From Uncle Movies. I`m saving a separate sentence for James Bond of course, the superspy who is in a league of his own, especially when it comes to box office. The Sean Connery years walked a fine line between action and self-parody and proved to be magnificent entertainment. Come the seventies and the advent of Roger Moore however and that line was wholeheartedly crossed, with any semblance of realism and grittiness thrown out the window. The gadgets grew ever more ridiculous, and audiences never paused to question the credibility of an agent who introduces himself by name wherever he goes. On second thoughts, that`s the best thing about Bond movies, they are spoofs in themselves requiring little parody as even now they hark back to a period long gone, the swinging sixties. But with Pierce Brosnan`s Bond a little more straight laced, it must have seemed the perfect time for an all out spoof. Enter Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery.

Dr Evil is about to put another fiendish plan for world domination into action, but luckily Austin Powers is on the case and with the aid of the glamorous Mrs Kensington confronts the criminal mastermind in his London lair. Dr Evil escapes in a cryogenic space capsule before he can be apprehended so Austin Powers agrees to be frozen in the event that Evil should return. That was in 1967 and thirty years pass until one day, a mysterious object makes it`s re-entry over the United States. Austin Powers is thawed out and revived to once again lock horns with his arch-nemesis. Aiding in his acclimatisation to the nineties is the glamorous Vanessa Kensington, daughter of the glamorous Mrs Kensington. Unfortunately for Austin, his charm has stayed behind in the sixties.

Video

The picture is presented in a 2.35:1 anamorphic ratio, and in terms of sharpness and vibrant colours it`s more than adequate. This film really lives up to its psychedelic sixties pretensions and its style is visually striking. However there is a significant problem with print damage. Tiny blips and flecks plague the print from beginning to end and it is a curious problem with a relatively recent film.

Audio

Austin Powers gets a DD 5.1 soundtrack and it is a clear and lively track, if nothing special. There are one or two moments of surround flair but this a dialogue-weighted film. However the music is quite good with some great pieces chosen to complement the film, most notably the incomparable Burt Bacharach as well as the wonderful DiVinyls` "I Touch Myself"

Features

This disc is beginning to get a little long in the tooth, and that becomes immediately apparent in the extras available on the disc. 18 months ago, this may have been an impressive selection but now I can`t help feeling that they are a little sparse. Anyhow…

The simple animated menus follow the psychedelic feel of the film and are quite pleasant to look at.

There are filmographies for the cast, which are the usual affair. Also in the Cameos menu you can find filmographies for the stars that peeked in `unannounced` as well as a link to their scene in the movie.

There are three deleted scenes presented in a letterbox format in varying qualities, one of which could use being restored to the film. There are also two alternate endings. The total running time of this footage is approximately eight minutes.

There is the theatrical trailer.

Finally there is an audio commentary provided by Mike Myers and director Jay Roach. They talk about the influences and inspiration for the film and the characters and are quite eloquent about it. This rates as one of the better commentaries.

And that`s your lot.

Conclusion

The first time I saw Austin Powers International Man Of Mystery, I was in tears of laughter all the way through. Last night must have been my fifth or sixth viewing and this time I only found it achingly funny. At the heart of it, Austin Powers is a one-joke movie, if an exceptionally good one and that joke does wear off in time. That is noticeable in the sequels and it`s also noticeable in repeat viewings. While the Spy Who Shagged Me is a worthy sequel and in some ways better, Goldmember was a disappointment for me, and IMOM remains the funniest of the three movies.

The film is a perfect parody of the sixties Bond films with its characters and situations. Dr Evil (extra emphasis on the `l`) and Mr Bigglesworth stand in for Blofeld and his white cat, Frau Farbissina is based on Rosa Klebb, and Random Task fills in for Odd Job. There are wonderful moments of culture shock as Austin Powers tries to come to terms with a world that frowns on promiscuity, and Dr Evil hasn`t quite got his head around inflation.

The cast is excellent, especially Mike Myers who creates two memorable characters in Dr Evil and Austin Powers. I quite like Liz Hurley in this as she makes the ideal Bond girl, looks gorgeous and not more talented than the hero. There`s added value in Robert Wagner as Number 2 and Seth Green is brilliant as Dr Evil`s test tube progeny Scott.

Mike Myers is definitely an acquired taste. I am not that fond of the Wayne`s World movies and despite the more general audience appeal of Austin Powers, you can still see his trademark sense of humour, the slight sense of arrogance that says that if you don`t get the joke there`s something wrong with you, not the movie. Fortunately, the first Austin Powers movie has general appeal, though it doesn`t wander far from the one joke that it does have. (Brief message to Hollywood, "OK We get it, The British have bad teeth! Can we move on now?)

The disc is adequate especially if you pick it up at a bargain price, but the film lacks the replay value of say a Pink Panther movie. The end credits are great though.