Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) User Reviews

Destined to become a classic!

[Xophianic · 8/10 · 12 February 2000]

When I first saw this movie advertised, I had no interest whatsoever in seeing it. I was a Mike Myers fan, but AUSTIN POWERS: INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY looked like the stupidest and least creative movie of the year. But after hearing of a few of the hilarious scenes of the movie, I decided to test my faith in Myers and give it a try. It turned out to be one of the funniest movies I'd seen in a long time.

The swinging hipster from the 60's, Austin Powers (Mike Myers), puts himself in deep freeze for thirty years to pursue his archenemy, Dr. Evil (Mike Myers). He is thawed out in the 90's when Dr. Evil finally reappears and plans to drill a missile to the center of the earth and destroy the planet core, and then the world. Austin Powers, with the help of his true love Vanessa Kensington (Elizabeth Hurley), must find a way to stop Dr. Evil and shag Vanessa. But Dr. Evil has some very dangerous customers working for him, such as Number Two (Robert Wagner), Frau Farbissina (Mindy Sterling), Mustafa (Will Ferrell) and his son Scott Evil (Seth Green) who thinks his father should just kill Austin rather than make a complicated plan to get rid of him.

The plot of this movie is a big spoof of movies such as the JAMES BOND films, so it's not expected to be anything but funny, which it certainly is. Don't listen to people who say this is for middle-school kids, people of all ages can enjoy this movie. It should also be said that Dr. Evil is a terrific character because, in addition to being very funny, is the stereotype spy-movie bad guy.

The acting in this movie is pretty good. Mike Myers plays both Austin Power and Dr. Evil, two very different characters, very well. Elizabeth Hurley does a very good job as Austin's girlfriend. Both Seth Green, who I think has a long, successful career ahead of him, and Mindy Sterling are very funny. Robert Wagner and Michael York, two Hollywood veterans, do good jobs with the small parts they have. Will Farrell is underplayed in this movie, but it very funny in the scene he is in. The Fembots, by the way, are terrific.

This movie is destined to become a movie classic, and "Yeah baby!" will be a catch phrase that will be remembered years from now. Austin Power and Dr. Evil are both stereotype symbols of past movies. Basically, these two guys are symbols of American film, at least for that particular genre. Don't expect much out of this movie except for a good laugh and a good time and you won't be disappointed.

The Finest Spoof...

[Coxer99 · 8/10 · 15 March 1999]

In this hilarious spoof of 60's spy flicks, a swinging secret agent is thawed out of his cryogenic state in order to combat his old nemesis. The laughs never stop as Myers entertains in two pivotal roles. Hurley is sexy as Austin's partner and love interest. Robert Wagner finds ways to make fun of his "It Takes a Thief" character and is very entertaining in the process. A quickly paced film that generates constant laughs with each viewing. A sequel is soon to be released...Yeah, baby!

"They're always after me lucky charms."

[droog-56936 · 8/10 · 27 October 2019]

Mike Myers brings his absurdist brand of funny to the secret agent genre. At his peak Myers delivered a highly stylized form of comedy in an Airplane sense that holds up even today. This is his peak.

Raunchy humor,but a fun spoof

[SmileysWorld · 7/10 · 8 July 2002]

Aside from it's overwhelmingly raunchy humor,I consider this to be a great spoof of the spy genre and 60's culture.Mike Myers has created yet two more endearing characters in Powers and his nemisis,Dr.Evil.When certain characters inspire imitation (and who hasn't at least heard imitations of these two,or perhaps even Robert Wagner's character, Number 2 and others),then you have done something right.This movie is good for it's amusing characters and good story line,but again I think it would have worked without so much vulgar humor.Worth a look.

Yeah Baby,.Groovy

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 15 December 2009]

When he made Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery Mike Myers aspired to comic greatness, the kind we had not seen on the screen since Peter Sellers. Only Sellers and Alec Guinness could create so many believable characters in the same film and make them work the way Myers does with Austin Powers and his perennial nemesis Doctor Evil.

Hard to believe, but back in the swinging London of the Sixties, the British kids really did dress like Austin Powers. The key to Powers character is that whether he's in the Sixties or the Nineties, he's still an overgrown kid.

The film is like the old Batman TV series where the Gotham City Police Department is good enough at dealing with ordinary criminals. But when exotic types like the Joker or the Penguin threaten the law and order of Gotham City, Commissioner Gordon reaches for the Batphone and Adam West and Burt Ward start doing their thing in tights.

Powers is on the verge of nabbing Doctor Evil back in the day when the doctor takes off in a rocketship and cryogenically freezes himself. It's also some rocketship if I do say so. Not to be outdone, British Intelligence cryogenically freezes Austin Powers because he's the only man capable of dealing with Evil in their service.

Both men have to adapt to a culture shock. Doctor Evil has mixed feelings about the test tube baby son he fathered in Seth Green. As for Powers, he's not quite fathoming the fact that his Emma Peel like partner Mimi Rogers from back in the day has a daughter in Elizabeth Hurley doing her bit in the family spy business.

Michael York as the M character and Powers boss and Robert Wagner as Number 2 in the Evil Empire both look like they're having a really good time hamming up their parts. There's also a nice unbilled part by Tom Arnold as a cowboy in the men's room with Powers when one of the Evil assassins tries to get him.

A lot of good laughs in this first Austin Powers film, I do so hope Mike Myers does make still another one.

Dirty, funny spoof if you're in the mood

[bob the moo · 3 July 2002]

In the 1960's Austin Powers is one of the UK's best secret agents. He works as an international playboy who also fights international terrorists. However when Dr Evil tries fails to kill him, Dr Evil escapes into space where he is frozen until a time when he can return. Austin Powers also freezes himself to be defrosted later. In the late 90's Dr Evil returns to wreck havoc on the world and only a defrosted Powers can stop him – if he can adapt to the new world order. Mike Myers is very much an acquired taste but he did seem to hit it big with this series of films. The original film set the tone with not very basic jokes but certainly plenty of crude ones. The main film is split between a fish out of water film, with Austin trying to come to terms with the 90's, and also a James Bond spoof with Dr Evil as a more frustrated Bond baddie (complete with cat and bald head). The fish out of water stuff works well as Austin is a funny swinger and the 60's stuff is cool, however the best bits for me all relate to Dr Evil – whether it be his relationship with his son or the asides where the see the consequences of the death of his henchmen. The spoof on Bond movies gets the best laughs from me. Myers is good in both roles and clearly has fun with both. Hurley is OK but a bit wooden as Vanessa while Robert Wagner is good as number one. Michael York (whoooooo?) is good as control and there are some good cameos – Rob Lowe is funny but I still don't understand why the whole Christian Slater bit was put in the final cut?! Overall it may be rude and slightly crude in places but there's still plenty to enjoy. It's 90 minutes long but it's very funny and rushes by. You may not remember much of the plot but at least you go away chuckling.

Throw me a fricking bone

[Calicodreamin · 7/10 · 11 July 2021]

One of the great 90s spoof comedies. The vibe is just right, the jokes are almost over the top but manage to land just right. Mike Myers is hilarious and amazing at playing both Austin and Dr. Evil.

Here's A Fast-Moving 90 Minutes

[ccthemovieman-1 · 9/10 · 6 October 2006]

Austin Powers: Man of Mystery I'm embarrassed to admit this one-and-a-half hours of hedonistic humor was so enjoyable, but it was, and the two sequels weren't bad, either, but not as good as this one.

This is stupid; this is corny; it has way too many sexual innuendos, particularly for the millions of teens who saw this film.....but it is undeniably funny. It's also extremely colorful and the '60s clothing is a hoot to see once again (yeah, I remember it well.) This is the like the TV-program "Laugh-In," but with a dumb story.

I have no complaints looking at Elizabeth Hurley ("Vanessa Kensington") and Michael Myers ("Austin Powers"), with his crooked teeth, stupid grin and ridiculous sayings made me laugh. This is a very fast-moving film, a spoof of James Bond and a spoof of the crazy '60s.

The 90 minutes go by quickly.

Shagadelic baby, yeah

[reddiemurf81 · 7/10 · 10 February 2021]

Can't believe it took over 20 yrs to completely watch the A.P. trilogy from beginning to end,, but all I can say is that it's GROOVY Baby!! Lol,, no. It's great comedy. I love it. And will watch until I can quote every line.

This should have been done years ago!!

[Anonymous_Maxine · 8/10 · 19 August 2002]

In a time when we are almost constantly barraged with goofy spoof films, it's amazing that no one had come out with a spoof of the James Bond films until 1997. Those movies have been coming out and just BEGGING to be spoofed since the early 60s, and Mike Meyers is the one who finally steps forward to do what simply has to be done, and he does a wonderful job at it.

Fans of the James Bond films will have a blast looking for all of the allusions to the old Bond films and trying to determine which Bond film is being spoofed at any given time, but it's important to keep in mind that the film pokes fun at the Bond series in good taste. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is never disrespectful to the films that it makes fun of, which is probably the single most important thing about a spoof film that makes it good. This is why the Scary Movies, as just a couple of examples, were such dismal, hideous failures. They try to be funny by viciously making fun of all kinds of movies, and end up looking stupid because they have such a nonexistent right to do that. You can't make a stupid, stupid movie and make fun of a lot of great movies (and some not so great, admittedly) and try to pretend to be respectable at the end of it all. That's the recipe for a crapfest.

While it's true that a lot of the comedy in the first Austin Powers film is slapstick and obviously contrived, I think it should be a testament to the quality of the film that it is still so funny! We see all of the traditional Bond clichés in this movie, such as the usual one-liners (which are made fun of extensively and with spectacular effect here), the fancy cars, the goofy cockiness, the teeth-grinding theme song, and the occasionally inexplicable popularity with the women (this allusion makes most sense when compared to those Bond films that starred Roger Moore).

The plot involves a rivalry between Dr. Evil, an evil mastermind bent on world domination, and Austin Powers, a mockish caricature of James Bond, bent on stopping Dr. Evil's world domination schemes. Meyers portrays both characters with hilarious skill, making Austin an awkward womanizer with some serious dental problems, and Dr. Evil an evil schemer with a hilarious cutesy side. Neither character really seems like they belong in the role that they serve (as a spy and a doctor of evil), which is where a lot of the comedy comes in. There is also, of course the fact that they both spend most of the movie 30 years in their future, completely out of touch with the new world that they live in.

This is not a movie to be taken seriously, and quite frankly, I can't understand all of these reviews that I've read on the IMDb that are constantly complaining that Austin Powers is so cheesy or so childish. I've heard this same complaint about lots of other movies that are also not meant to be taken seriously, but this one is especially confusing. I trust that all you people complaining about how childish Austin Powers is realize that it is a spoof based on a whole series of movies that are also not meant to be taken seriously, right? I mean, that would be a hell of an oversight to miss that little detail. Austin Powers is one of the most refreshing comedies to come along in years, and it's sad that there are so many people who completely missed the boat on this one just because they pretend that the movie is something that it's not and was never meant to be. It's true that the movie is immensely immature and that it has unfortunately little re-watch value (one of the biggest problems with the film), but the quality of the comedy is unmistakable.

Oh Behave!

[evanston_dad · 7/10 · 30 June 2010]

Mike Myers plays both Austin Powers, as groovy as secret agents get, and Dr. Evil, Powers' arch enemy, in this comedy franchise that spoofs everyone's favorite secret agent, James Bond.

Though all three entries in the series are hit and miss funny, the hits mostly outnumber the misses, and if you think Mike Myers is funny, you'll probably think the films are funny, because they're basically just venues for Myers' trademarked brand of schtick. Though the plots differ nominally, the three separate parts of the trilogy are essentially the same movie with the same jokes just put in different order. But they're good jokes, and it's just as funny watching Myers and company deliver the same punch line for the third time as it was the first.

Grade: B for the whole series

Meta Humor, oh behave.

[ranblackman · 8/10 · 1 June 2019]

Yeah, it's dumb, yeah it's goofy, but it knows it. Almost everyone in this movie is self-aware of the kind of tropes it is making fun of. It drags out its humor, to a degree that is almost irritating, but it works. It works because of the meta-humor, because of the acknowledgment of the insanity. That makes it that much more fun to watch and hilarious. It's pure laughs and clever writing all through.

Austin Powers came and shagged us all 7/10

[saadanathan · 7/10 · 28 September 2020]

"Austin Powers" is an amazing movie and a fantastic parody. Among all parodies that have been made after "James Bond". I think Austin Powers is the best, the most funny and creative. Not only did Mike Myers wrote the script for this film but he also portrays both the protagonist and the antagonist, Dr. Evil. Both Powers and Dr. Evil are iconic characters in cinema history and so once this movie came out, till this day they are icons of cinema. The music is funny and gives the film a more jumpy tone. All the colors in the scenes of the 60's match the reality of the 60's in England. The hidden jokes and charismatic look of Austin add a lot to the humor. Overall a must watch movie for all those in favor of parodies, once you've seen this film, you will know what is like to be Shagged.

Asinine, juvenile, dull

[GeoffL · 1/10 · 3 December 1998]

Every now and again, a movie truly surprises me. I am absolutely amazed that someone could make a movie as unfunny as this one; Mike Myers seems to be under the delusion that a lame joke, if repeated enough times, will be funny.This movie is a (heavy-handed) parody of the Bond movies, but that's not enough to save it. Here's a typically deft jab at Bond villains:

"I have an even better idea. I'm going to place him in an easily escapable situation involving an overly elaborate and exotic death"

Tiresome drivel.

A Very FUnNy movie!

[zack2085 · 11 August 1999]

'Austin Powers' is a very hilarious film. I liked Dr. Evil and Mr. Biggelsworth (Dr. Evils freaky hairless cat) the best. They rocked!

The plot is very creative... Austin Powers (a swinging 60's spy that poses as a fashion photographer by day) tries to foil Dr. Evil's (also played by Mike Meyers) plan to make all the volcanoes in the world explode with a nuclear warhead. Vanessa Kensington (Elizabeth Hurley) is his partner that helps him out. They have a great and funny chemistry... and the creative semi-nudity is very funny!

Mike Meyers is truly talented.. rent 'Austin Powers' tonight!

My Rating: 9 out of 10

Neat, blasé comedy which gets the little things right on top of being a fun, energetic experience.

[johnnyboyz · 6/10 · 25 August 2013]

The humour at the centre of Austin Powers revolves around the stupidity of its two predominant characters, that is to say its eponymous hero and scheming chief villain. Neither character possess the requisite cans one needs to make up a six pack and yet in this film's mixed up universe, both of them have attained somewhat of a powerful position and the top of their respective fields. The pair, both of whom are depicted with ample relish by Mike Myers, embody a string of physical western traits often synonymous with fictitious heroes and villains, but with boundaries blurred in regards to their emotional states. In Austin Powers, the idea of the heroic cultural icon (who makes friends easily and exudes patriotism via his sports car decked out in the Union Jack) is cruelly undercut by distorted facial features and rampaging nymphomania. Likewise, his arch nemesis Dr. Evil is hideously hunched, scarred and intent on world domination - yet melts when he realises he possesses offspring. The pair of them are complete idiots, and they go about their business incompetently and badly - Powers just happens to always win because he is slightly less of an idiot.

Jay Roach's 1997 film is an amusing spoof, one which predominantly targets that of the spy thriller; more specifically the James Bond franchise, although Powers himself resembles Michal Caine's Harry Palmer, another lead from a British spy series of the 1960s. It remembers that getting the narrative right in these sorts of things is just as important as sending up as much visual material as possible. The tone and excessive use of the voice-over in something like "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!" are as important to the comedy as anything visually amusing in that film. Likewise with 2009's "Black Dynamite", wherein a narrative regarding the death of the lead's brother and the ridiculously complicated plot to do a governmental drug cover-up was just as crucial in its homage to poorly constructed grindhouse of the 1970s as anything else.

It isn't a well-kept secret that, at the worst of times, stories in James Bond movies have often been derivative and simplistic. Bond movies are, in spite of their prestigious reputation and huge budgets, often mere B-movies dressed up as A-movies. "Powers" depicts a madman looking to erupt each and every volcano in the world for profitable means, something not too far removed from a Bond villain's idea but here played with the sort of happy, absurd energy often missing from a Bond film out of that fact if they don't play that for grimaces, they're going to look quite silly. The film begins in the 1960s and our resident lead's superiority over all whom attempt to vanquish him is reiterated by Dr. Evil in his conversing with several of the world's lead assassins: a ragtag bunch of Arabs, Latin Americans and paraplegics - none of whom have been so far able to kill Powers. Powers himself is a man introduced to us with his own exuberant song and dance number on a London street; a street so free of anything wrongful or nasty, you'd think they were paved with gold had there not been so many instances of a mid-shot being applied.

After a skirmish at a local nightspot, Evil decides to freeze himself so that he may wreak havoc and chaos in the future; Powers additionally so in order to be able to thwart the man – the plot is essentially "Demolition Man". Social issues arise when both men are thawed in 1997, as life in each of the respective decades for the film's lead is pointed out as being very different. While far from a deeply engaging social critique of attitudes towards sexuality and communication, there is a timely sense of realisation during a montage whereby Powers learns of this newfound decade whereby everything he stood for in the past (speech, attitudes and even finger gestures) have effectively been rendered irrelevant. These scenes might very well be the film's best. On one hand, the film has things the wrong way around: people are far more prone to easy, anonymous sex in the present day when compared to forty years ago, where chaste attitudes were encouraged and people often subscribed to it. Furthermore, the sort of dialogue synonymous with Powers in the 60's would be far better suited to this incumbent climate, where the on-going rape of the English language in the form of abbreviations and acronyms making-do for words is the norm.

Unfortunately, the film pulls its punches on any social scientific study in regards to the streets of London; where marching bands, warm smiles, cars decked out in the national colours and dance numbers have seemingly been replaced by swathes of immigrants that has rendered parts of the city as un-British as possible. The film itself is riddled with childish humour and inert remarks, but so what? Powers acts like a maniac in regards to sexual interaction, but resists taking advantage of women when they're drunk and is visibly nervous, even frightened, when the silhouette of a seductive young woman nude dominates his field of vision. My favourite scenes take place at the card table, wherein Powers loses a hand of blackjack with a five following a mean exchange with a baddie and double takes when he hears Alotta Fagina's name for the first time. The film isn't smart but it's smart enough; it knows its limits and never oversteps the mark, it's colourful and loud but never aggressive. There is a competent madness to "International Man of Mystery" and it's quite hard not to enjoy.

Shagadelic, baby, yeah!

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 8/10 · 28 July 2002]

When I saw "Austin Powers", I was on the floor laughing. This movie has every single memorable line you could possibly imagine. From "Yeah, baby!" to "Riiiiiight", Mike Myers is a genius when it comes to comedy! I think everyone could say that they laughed at least once to this film.

Paroding of the James Bond flicks, Austin Powers is an international spy who is a lady's man. Dr. Evil, is Arch Nemesis, goes into the future of 1997 and now Austin must travel through time to find him. When he gets to 1997, he has a beautiful assistant, Vanessa, who happens to be the daughter of his former flame in the 60's. Vanessa resists Austin's charm and wants to stick to business while Austin is wasting no time to get to his "business" with her. Dr. Evil learns that he has a son, Scott played by Seth Green. When Scott isn't as excited to have Dr. Evil as a father, Dr. Evil tries anything he can to get Scott to love him, including a hilarious scene in a counseling group for father's and son's. But back into action, Austin must find Dr. Evil before he rules the world with his kitty, Mr. Bigglesworth. But can he do that and have Vanessa at the same time?

You'll just have to see! My favorite characters that worked so well together was without a doubt Seth and Mike as Dr. Evil and Scott. They are just beyond hilarious and work so well together. I think a lot of the other Austin Powers fans would agree. There first scene together meeting is just really funny, "Give Daddy a hug! I'm down with the kids, ducka ducka ducka!" "No! Get away from me you psycho!". Classic! Like I said "Austin Powers" is just a great and funny movie that I think you can get into if you're looking for a decent comedy. Come on! We still say "Yeah, baby!" to this very day after all! Let's give Mike some credit here!

8/10

A Really Stupid Spoof Movie; Enjoyable

[Zac_La_Porte · 7/10 · 29 April 2022]

This goofy spoof is 100% perfect for giggly audiences who love each of the following: comedies that mock other movies, James Bond, silly potty jokes and hilariously wacky characters. That's pretty much the only answer you'll ever need when deciding whether or not to just have a fun time and watch Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, because it's the kind of comedy that completely flushes all the sophistication out of you.

International Man of Mystery basically centres on a silly spy from the 1960s played by Mike Myers who is defrosted to battle with his bald-headed enemy, Dr. Evil, also enrolled by Mike Myers. Whether or not the performances are good or whether the action-and-adventure is exciting enough is completely invisible. It's simply not the kind of thing you focus on when fembots are shooting bullets out of their breasts.

Myers is absolutely hilarious when he portrays the two characters, both being extremely funny, mind-seducing and worth your time. But you end up forgetting about the acting, plot and the serious things you'd look for in other movies or drama stories. This isn't meant to be serious.

Being a spoof of James Bond, it's obviously best if you've seen the James Bond movies or have seen as many as you can see. That way, you're likely to understand exactly what's being mocked and ridiculed, similar to how the 2000 parody Scary Movie makes fun of Wes Craven's Scream. But to actually laugh, you don't need to be in love with fart jokes or like James Bond; Austin Powers manages to be funny in the most ridiculous ways.

If you liked this review, check out the full review and other reviews at aussieboyreviews.

Very funny

[ronbell-23984 · 9/10 · 21 July 2020]

Still hilarious now. Nothing wrong with this one, great fun movie.

If Sixties Was Nineties...

[Lejink · 7/10 · 31 March 2023]

Mike Myers as the writer and star obviously has fun spoofing his James Bond collection in this amusing comedy. Viewed today, some of the more sexist jokes unsurprisingly don't play well in the here and now, as it becomes clear that when not indulging his 007 fixation, Myers seems to have seen more than a few episodes of the old Benny Hill Show too.

To be fair, you see more of Austin Powers in his underwear than co-star Liz Hurley as his traveling Moneypenny but there's no denying that women are the butt, absolutely no pun intended, of a lot of the jokes here.

I much prefer anyway the non-objectifying gags like when Dr Evil and his underlings start a mad laugh which would normally cut once it was just underway but here stays with the group until it whimpers to a hilarious close.

I also enjoyed the day-glo titles, the Rowan & Martin-type inserts and the specific Bond take-offs with the wonderfully named Random Task and Rosa Klebb lookalike henchmen. Myers is good value as the buck-teethed hero, Hurley is a good foil and it was groovy to see 60's veterans Michael York and Robert Wagner joining in the fun too.

At just 90 minutes in length, the film doesn't overstay its welcome while Myers keeps the joke-count high throughout. While it may not have aged too well in some respects to the extent that it may now be considered a bit of a guilty pleasure over 25 years on, it nevertheless kept me amused and I'd say isn't a film where you only laugh twice (ouch!).

Do I Make You Horny Baby?

[emryse · 7/10 · 8 May 2021]

"Do I Make You Horny Baby?", "Shagadelic!", and "Oh Behave!" are just some of the great catchphrases you'll hear in this film, a hilarious spoof on the spy genre, particularly on James Bond. This film is filled with funny moments and while it did keep me consistently chuckling away there were only a couple moments when I properly laughed.

Even if it didn't keep me consistently laughing this film is still a great watch and part of one of my favourite comedy trilogies ever. Just watch the trailer from the film and you'll pretty much get the idea for what to expect, if you like the look of the trailer then this film will definitely keep you entertained but if you come in expecting to get more from it you'll likely be disappointed. Even if this review has come off as slightly negative I would say this is a great watch and will keep you invested the whole way through.

Doesn't age well...

[say_andy · 4/10 · 18 July 2005]

I'm not sure how, but somehow I managed to miss the Austin Powers craze of the late 90's. I never went to see the flick, and then when it became a pop culture phenomenon, I didn't really feel like seeing it. Heck, since it was around everywhere and everyone thought they had an Austin Powers impersonation, I felt like I'd already seen it by extension. A few years ago, I managed to catch it on a bus trip, but I must've fallen asleep or was too busy talking because a lot of the movie felt unfamiliar. So this is a review from someone watching it in full for the first time a few days ago.

Which is a bit unfair to the film, since it was such a huge part of pop culture when it came out, there's no way to view it unbiasedly now. To use the horribly tired phrase, this movie is so 1997. Like the title hero (and his nemesis), it's practically frozen in time itself, and watching it brings you back to the horrible time when everyone was saying "shagadelic, baby", or "one million dollars". *shudder* So, jokes that may have made me laugh were I to have seen it when it first came out make me roll my eyes now. I've seen so many clips of this flick that the jokes are already old. But, the thing is, I'm not sure if they would've been that great anyway. Mike Myers' style is to push a joke two or three (or four or five) beats past it being funny, in the hope that the pushing of the joke itself will be funny. It's a knowing wink to the audience that has made him a very successful man, but got old with me around the time of Wayne's World.

In fact, pretty much all of Austin Powers' shtick got old for me very quickly. Like many films from Saturday Night Live, clever comedic premises (like the James Bond of the swinging-sixties parody) that would or have worked great in five minute segments fail to connect for a feature length film. The jokes are pretty obvious and juvenile, bodily humour jokes that I've never really enjoyed (well, not since making noises with my underarms stopped being the height of comedic genius). The parody of the film is clever, but the jokes fall flat.

Well, I should say that most of the jokes fall flat. While Austin Powers himself does little for me, I do find Myers other character in the film, Dr. Evil, to be quite funny most of the time. Dr. Evil saved the movie for me, I loved his out-dated plans for world conquest, I loved his interactions with his son Scott (Seth Green), and loved the scene where he and Scott go to group therapy. That all made me laugh, even though I knew of most of the scenes.

But, he wasn't funny enough for me to give the flick a passing grade. Again, who knows, if I had caught the movie back when it meant something, I may have thought more of it. But, that speaks to the staying power of the film, which is to say that there isn't much.

Forget "high art", and this silly, fun movie gets a solid "8" for entertainment.

[TxMike · 14 May 2001]

I didn't see this original Austin Powers movie until a year after I saw the sequel, "...The Spy Who Shagged Me." Both involve suspended animation through cryogenics, and set both in the 1960s and the 1990s. In each, Mike Myers plays both the British spy Austin Powers, a spoof of James Bond, and also plays the evil and funny Dr Evil. In both films, some of the funnier scenes are between Dr Evil and his back-talking son.

This movie spoofs lots of different things, has many subtle sexual references, but in the hands (and delivery) of Mike Myers they always come out funny. One of the references, however is not a spoof. The "bad teeth" of the British. They really do have bad teeth! Otherwise, this is not a movie to be taken seriously, just silly entertainment, and there it succeeds almost perfectly.

However, as pretty as she is, Elizabeth Hurley, in this film, is not nearly as entertaining as is Heather Graham in the latter Austin Powers film. Hurley just does not have the comic timing nor the natural "playfulness" that is demanded for the female role. Heather Graham does, and she is even prettier!!

Some day, when they sell a two DVD set of Austin Powers films, I'd like to buy the set.

First entry in the hit franchise in which Mike Myers demonstrates his comedic skills

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 2 August 2023]

Here Austin Powers/Mike Meyers is introduced along with some hilarious characters. Shag-happy superspy Austin Powers stars for this first installment of the spy-spoof franchise and to defeat the aptly named villain Dr. Evil , as Myers takes on two characters . He's a world-class playboy and part-time secret agent from the 1960s emerging after thirty years in a cryogenic state to battle with his contender Dr. Evil . But the world is a very different place for Powers. Unfortunately for Austin, everyone is no longer sex-mad. Although he may be in a different decade, his mission is still the same. Austin teams up with Vanessa Kensington (kitchy eye candy Elizabeth Hurley) in order to rescue the world and to foil his look-alike nemesis , Dr Evil . If he were any cooler, he'd still be frozen, baby!.Frozen in the 60's... thawing spring '97, baby! . Debonair. Defiant. Defrosted. If he were any cooler, he'd still be frozen, baby!..On July 26th the Secret Will Be Exposed . He's still evil... He's still deadly... and he's still surrouded by frickin' idiots!. The grooviest movie of the summer has a secret, baby!. What do you call a swinger old enough to be your nemesis ? . A New Breed . First, he fought for the Crown. Now he's fighting for the Family Jewels. I'm Back, Baby!.You Were Expecting Someone Else?.Double-O Behave!."I'm Coming Again, Baby!

Hooligan humor that combines spoof on the James Bond movies and a look between nostagic and cheeky at the pop aesthetics of the sixties, for this first installment of the Austin Powers Saga. Mike Meyers is the main protagonist , playing a 60's spy who is cryogenically frozen and released in the 1990's, creating a spoof character made to measure. Resulting to be a hilarious and non-sense satire of 60s spy and babe films . A festival of scatological humor, crushed velvet , political incorrectness , bad taste and silliness . Myers revels in playing the fool old-snaggle tooth, and he may step over the line every once in a while , but he gets plenty of mileage out of the one-joke premise . Myers wisely highlights the not-so-good Dr Evil , along with other roles , instead of the periodically wearisome Austin Powers . Dr Evil is in good form but Myers is running out of fun ideas at times . MGM studios raised a stink about the title , too close to James Bond's Goldfinger , but finally saw the light and allowed the parody to continue. The motion picture was regularly directed by Jay Roach and in similar style than subsequent entries. Rating : 5.5/10 . Mediocre but it all still works because of Mike Myers 's winking nice nature .

The trilogy is as follows : "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" (1997) by Jay Roach with Mike Myers , Elizabeth Hurley, Michael York , Mimi Rogers, Robert Wagner , Seth Green, Fabiana Udenio. "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" (1999) by Jay Roach with Heather Graham , Michael York , Robert Wagner, Rob Lowe , Seth Green, Mindy Sterling, Verne Troyer, Elizabeth Hurley, Gia Carides. And "Austin Powers in Goldmember" (2002) with Mike Myers , Beyoncé Knowles, Seth Green, Michael York , Robert Wagner, Mindy Sterling, Verne Troyer, Michael Caine, Fred Savage .

If it winked any harder it would have eye strain, but the laughs are certainly there...

[moonspinner55 · 7/10 · 2 May 2008]

The first film in what became a surprisingly successful trilogy for actor-writer-comedian Mike Myers, here concocting a knowing and often hilarious send-up of spy-and-sex spoofs from the Swinging '60s. Austin Powers, a super-cool ladies' man in 1960s London, has been frozen in a cryogenics lab, but is eventually thawed out in 1997 just in time to battle the nefarious Dr. Evil. Mike Myers' creation of fish-out-water Powers (as well as Dr. Evil, a Bondian villain, whom he also plays) is a deft, original human cartoon, invested with shameless, lascivious glee. Powers is not without a heart (and feelings), rare qualities in a mad-slapstick satire, though Myers is hardly a sentimentalist and, for the most part, the gags are aimed at the rafters. The world-takeover plot is just a sketch, and Dr. Evil does become gratuitous, but Myers is having so much fun that it's nearly impossible not to join him. The childish bad taste (on a locker room level) becomes a running joke, and the sniggering naughtiness is infectious (one laughs helplessly, as with some of Mel Brooks' better films). Followed next by 1999's "Austin Powers The Spy Who Shagged Me". *** from ****