Afouotos
Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.
Lidia Draper
Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.
Erica Derrick
By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
Tweekums
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.
Troy Putland
Mike Myers is the chalk to your cheese, the salt to your sweet. He can improve a mix, or outright destroy it. He's exploited James Bond's core attributes, ruining the stereotypes and the clichés we've grown use to, and come up with not one, but two egotistical maniacs that allow him to rein free and pretty much do as he pleases. The humour falls in to the slapstick category, and sometimes it scrapes the bottom of the comedy gene pool. It's clearly not for everyone. For every comedy gold there's a rusty, wooden pun. Austin Powers (Myers) is an English secret agent from the 60's whose charm, wit and stupidity gets him along in life. His evil nemesis, the aptly named Dr. Evil (also Myers), freezes himself in space and reappears 30 years later in the 90's. Powers follows in pursuit to once and for all bring Dr. Evil down. This crazy plot works because both hero and villain are out of their depth after missing so much from the last 3 decades. Dr. Evil threatens to destroy the world unless he receives $1m from the United Nations, and Austin realises he cannot sow his seed like he use to, thanks to a strong willed, sexy Elizabeth Hurley. If you can't stomach International Man of Mystery's first 5 minutes, don't bother with the rest. If you're a die-hard Bond fan, stay clear; Myers has duplicated Blofeld to shocking effect.Check out my other reviews on http://straighttelling.co.uk
bowmanblue
Looking back on it, it was amazing that no one thought of completely lampooning those old Sean Connery Bond films until 1997. They were pretty over-the-top, but I guess that's what we loved about them. And, I dare say that the writer/star of 'Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery,' - Mike Myers - loves them as much as the rest of us. For he gives us a most loving take on the unspoken absurdities that we deliberately chose to overlook in the Bond films. He plays both hero and villain here as a swinging spy, frozen in the sixties and defrosted in the - rather more politically correct - nineties to do battle with the (Blofeld-like) Dr Evil.Despite being an American production, it has a very British feel to it. Everything is made fun of, but you never feel like they're being particularly cruel - it's all quite 'loving mockery' (if you know what I mean). It's not just a string of naughty jokes, but it also does go a little deeper in highlighting the change in attitudes from the 'free love' of the sixties to the more reserved nineties.There's nothing here that's particularly clever, just a stream of innuendos which seem like they've been taken straight out of the original Carry On films. But, if you're in the mood for some general silliness (and have a healthy knowledge of the old Bond films), you should enjoy the crazy ride and find you're spouting the several Powers/Evil catchphrases for some time to come.http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/
Mr.Film Reviews
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
