Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

• Cat.no: P 8929 DVD
• Cert: 15
• Running time: 91 minutes
• Year: 1997
• Pressing: 1999
• Region(s): 2, PAL
• Chapters: 24 plus extras
• Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
• Languages: English
• Subtitles: English
• Widescreen: 2.35:1 (Super 35)
• 16:9-Enhanced: Yes
• Macrovision: Yes
• Disc Format: DVD 9
• Price: £24.99
• Extras : Scene index, Theatrical trailer, Two alternative endings,Director’s Commentary, Deleted scenes, Cameo menu, Cast biographies andfilmographies.

Director:

Jay Roach

Producers:

Screenplay:

Music:

Cast:

Austin Powers/Dr. Evil: Mike Myers (Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Elvis Stories, 54, So I Married an Axe Murderer, Wayne’s World 1 & 2)
Miss Vanessa Kensington: Elizabeth Hurley (Aria, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Beyond Bedlam, EDtv, El Largo Invierno, Mad Dogs and Englishmen, My Favourite Martian, Passenger 57, Permanent Midnight,Remando Al Viento)
Basil Exposition: Michael York (Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Dark Planet, 54, Lovers and Liars, Wrongfully Accused)
Mrs. Kensington: Mimi Rogers (The Doors, Lost in Space, The Mirror Has Two Faces, Monkey Trouble, Rapture, Reflection on a Crime, Trees Lounge, TV: Dream On)
Number Two: Robert Wagner (Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, The Pink Panther, The Player, The Towering Inferno, Wild Things, TV: Hart To Hart)

Austin Powers: International Man of Mysteryplaces Wayne’s World‘s Mike Myers in the title role of a James Bondspoof. The world is being held to ransom for a considerable sum by Dr. Evil (againplayed by Myers). If they don’t pay up $100 billion, the madman will tunnel intothe earth’s core and set off a nuclear warhead, resulting in every volcano eruptingsimultaneously and signalling the end of the world.

Before this happens though, the action begins in 1967 and Dr. Evil is overplaying hishand once again. To escape our intrepid hero, he climbs into a cryogenic rocket whichtakes him into space for the next thirty years. However, he didn’t reckon on Powers’pursuit, freezing himself in time as well until Dr. Evil returned to Earth.

Now it’s 1997, Evil returns and Powers is defrosted. What follows is a series of veryfunny sketches as Evil takes on the world and Powers tries to put it back to rights.Most of the comedy is derived from Powers trying to apply 60’s logic to a 90’s worldand his unquestionable sexual powers amongst the female members of Earth, with plentyof double-entrendre thrown in for good measure.

In the old days, Powers’ girlfriend was Mrs Kensington (played by MimiRogers), but in the 90’s it’s her daughter Vanessa (Elizabeth Hurley).She vows never to end up in bed with Austin, but you know how the story endsin the regular Bond films… Also, whereas Bond films have bad girls as wellas good girls, the bad alternative here is portrayed by Fabiana Udenioas Alotta Fagina (!)

Add to this cameos from several people including Carrie Fisher, Burt Bacharach,Rob Lowe, Susannah Hoffs, Christian Slater and Roseanne’s ex, Tom Arnold and you have acomedy which I thought would be way too over-the-top to be funny before I saw it,particularly since both Wayne’s World 2 and ..Axe Murderer neededmuch improvements making to them, but one that I found myself laughing out loud towhen I did watch it.

Finally, I understood a joke about Prince Charles was meant to be edited outof this film, but I definitely heard one so I presume it’s been reinstated.The reason was that the UK cinema release happened to come on the Friday followingthe death of Princess Diana. It’s a good job that the John Goodmancomedy King Ralph wasn’t released at the same time otherwise we couldbe living as a republic now :)

Vanessa always had a taste
for the nice things in life…