Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery was the first of the very popular Austin Powers films. While, very profitable, the Austin Powers sequels would prove to be even more profitable as the film found a wider and wider audience through video distribution. The films are spoofs of James Bond and other spy films fused with numerous fish out of water elements. These clever pairings makes the films original and distinct. The brainchild of Mike Myers, the one without the ax, stars as the title character and also wrote the screenplay. Without Myers there would simply not have been an Austin Powers franchise.
Austin Powers is a spy from the 1960s who was put into suspended animation only to be thawed out in the 1990s. His attitudes towards reality in general and women specifically are thus dated by some thirty years and a source of much of the film's substantial amount of humor. In this first installment Austin must confront Dr. Evil, the greatest enemy Austin ever faced, and not surprisingly Dr. Evil, also played by Myers, has big time evil plans.
There are a variety of factors that make Austin Powers such a hit. First, is the vision of Myers in creating a rather original idea. The notion of combining a spy spoof with a fish out of water story does boarder on the brilliant. Secondly, Myers carries the film playing both Austin and Dr. Evil and does a fantastic job at both. Third, the writing is fresh, witty and just plain hilarious.
Austin Powers is the kind of movie that hits you with an endless barrage of jokes that you probably don't want to laugh at but will anyway. A fourth reason the film works so well is the great supporting cast of actors and not improvisers, who really worked hard on their comedic timing. Michael York, Robert Wagner and Mimi Rogers all toss in beautiful performances. Another overlooked element for the success of the series is the art direction, set direction and look and style of the film. All these elements combine to make Austin Powers a ton of fun.
Story A
Acting A
Visuals A
Originality/Innovation A
Enjoyability Grade A
Home Theater/HD Factor A
Overall Grade A (Austin Powers is a highly innovative comedy that grossed about $140-$150 million dollars. The sequels would prove to be more popular than even the original.)
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