Review of Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) by Allan D — 02 May 2014

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery was a film I watched many times as a kid constantly finding it hilarious but I never found it to be superior to it's sequels.

Admittedly, after seeing so many more comedy films over the years as well as Mike Myers' previous efforts on films such as Wayne's World, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery no longer had the same humourous effect on me because a lot of the jokes were a little more predictable for me and and few that once hit had become misses. Then again, I have seen this film many times and the humour no longer has the same effect in a situation like that. Sometimes the humour was even a little too silly to be original, but still overall I was really impressed with Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery even though it was a predictable film.

For one thing, I gained a new appreciation for a lot of the humour in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery after actually watching every Sean Connery James Bond movie so that I could understand what precisely the film was parodying. Also, I learned about the importance of the counterculture movement in the 1960's as well as the language and music at the time so that I could fully understand the culture. So to contrast a stereotypical British figure from the 1960's much different to the suave James Bond and significantly more groovy in a 1990's society where his beliefs and actions are considered strange and senseless is a very cleverly humourous notion. Thanks to Mike Myers' screenplay, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is a very original concept which capitalises on being a 007 parody well and stands on its own terms as a sufficient comedy. Although it could have used a bit more action as a serious 007 parody, it had more than enough humour to satisfy thanks to a consistency of cleverly written jokes.

And visually, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery captures a lot of grooviness thanks to the way it follows an intentional camp style and is filmed and edited as such against the backdrop of a soundtrack which is groovy at most parts and hilarious at others such as when "I Touch Myself" plays. There are some moments in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery that are so hilarious that they're unforgettable. So Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery succeeds greatly from a technical perspective and thanks to the direction of Jay Roach, the script is capitalised on as well. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is a memorably colourful visual experience thanks to him, and he works exceptionally well with the cast.

Mike Myer's performances in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery are unforgettable. Clearly very Peter Sellers influenced, Mike Myers portrays both the titular hero in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and the antagonist Dr. Evil. In the role of Austin Powers, he emphasises some not so conventionally attractive qualities to his character such as his yellowish teeth and his penis shaped chest hair and emphasises how women cannot keep their hands off him which in comparison to the conventionally handsome and suave James Bond is satirically hilarious. And his attempts at stereotypical British charm and 60's style language is spot on. The character Austin Powers is the funniest character he has played to date, funnier than the titular character in Wayne's World simply because of his fearless dedication to the role. And up against himself in the satirical parody of Dr. No, Dr. Evil is a hilarious parody of the villain. By emphasising the stupidity that comes with being a stereotypical villain in such a film to a hilarious obvious extent, Mike Myers brings out a loud of stupendously hilarious spirit in the character of Dr. Evil, so as the antagonist in his own film, he succeeds at that very convincingly as well. Thanks to a great makeup department it is challenging to determine that they are the same person. The scenes where Austin Powers and Dr. Evil engage in conversation is impressive because as I know from experience, having chemistry with yourself is very challenging thing to do, so the fact that Mike Myers can do it with natural ease reveals the endeavour of his skills as a character actor and a man in bigger budget projects.

Elizabeth Hurley's performance is convincing in the role even though her character is annoying as her decisions and motives are constantly changing without ever settling on anything. I guess she works as a satire of the stereotypical woman who can't decide what she wants in a relationship and she plays it out well with restrained but existent sex appeal, even though she does get annoying at times. Her role as Vanessa Kensington is done fairly well, and her chemistry with Mike Myerz presents a few laughs.

Michael York's role as Basil Exposition takes advantage of his natural English charm which allows him to deliver his lines with a natural strength and charisma.

Mimi Rogers also gives a fine effort in her brief appearance as Mrs Kensington and she plays the mother to Elizabeth Hurley's character with a practically identical persona, so she takes on her part finely.

Seth Green's off-key performance makes the entire mood of Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery different when he is around, and his simple effort is convincing and is one of the most realistic characters in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery as he is one of the few people asking questions that viewers are likely to be.

Robert Wagner's stereotypical tough guy persona makes him an effective villain in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and he consistently delivers his lines with strength.

The many cameos from Christian Slater, Will Ferrell, Rob Lowe, Clint Howard, Tom Arnold, Carrie Fisher and Seinfeld guest stars Larry Thomas, Brian George and Patrick Bristow add a nice touch to the cast.

So despite a few misses in its jokes, a shortage of action and a lot of reliance on understanding the culture of James Bond movies and the 1960's, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is still a memorably hilarious medium for Mike Myers' talents as a screenwriter and actor in a bigger budget project.