Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3073 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-07-19
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 91 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
If you don't think Austin Powers is one of the funniest movies of the 1990s, maybe you should be packed into a cryogenic time chamber and sent back to the decade whence you came. Perhaps it was the 1960s--the shagadelic decade when London hipster Austin Powers scored with gorgeous chicks as a fashion photographer by day, crime-fighting international man of mystery by night. Yeah, baby, yeah! But when Powers' arch nemesis, Dr. Evil, puts himself into a deep-freeze and travels via time machine to the late 1990s, Powers must follow him and foil Evil's nefarious scheme of global domination. Mike Myers plays dual roles as Powers and Dr. Evil, with Elizabeth Hurley as his present-day sidekick and karate-kicking paramour. A hilarious spoof of 60s spy movies, this colourful comedy actually gets funnier with successive viewings, making it a perfect home video for gloomy days and randy nights. Oh, behave! --Jeff Shannon

Amazon.co.uk Review
If you don't think Austin Powers is one of the funniest movies of the 1990s, maybe you should be packed into a cryogenic time chamber and sent back to the decade whence you came. Perhaps it was the 1960s--the shagadelic decade when London hipster Austin Powers scored with gorgeous chicks as a fashion photographer by day, crime-fighting international man of mystery by night. Yeah, baby, yeah! But when Powers' arch nemesis, Dr Evil, puts himself into a deep-freeze and travels via time machine to the late 1990s, Powers must follow him and foil Evil's nefarious scheme of global domination. Mike Myers plays dual roles as Powers and Dr Evil, with Elizabeth Hurley as his present-day sidekick and karate-kicking paramour. A hilarious spoof of 60s spy movies, this colourful comedy actually gets funnier with successive viewings, making it a perfect home video for gloomy days and randy nights. Oh, behave! -- Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

DVD Description
Zany, psychedelic 60's foppish secret agent Austin Powers pursues his arch-enemy Mr Evil.

Customer Reviews

Brilliant
This film isn't the best of the three, but this is still a complete classic. It has a good storyline, great humour throughout and great characters; Dr Evil especially. Best character no doubt. The humour is great, such as the names of some characters such as Number Two and Alotta Fagina; then there's hilarious moments, such as when Dr Evil freezes himself along with his cat Mr Bigglesworth, which loses it's fir. Then there's Mr Bigglsworth's face at the end of the film when it's re-frozen.

The film stars Mike Myers as Austin and Dr Evil, Elizabeth Hurley as Vanessa Kensington, Michael York as Basil and introduces Seth Green as Dr Evil's son Scott Evil. It also features a couple of actors I had never heard of, who suit their rolls well; Robert Wagner as Number Two and Mindy Sterling as Frau.

The film starts of in 1967. Austin is extremely popular with the women, who are sexually attracted to him and he enjoys the attention he gets. He's an agent, who's tracking down his arch enemy Dr Evil. One evening Dr Evil cryo-genetically freezes himself and Austin does the same thing.

Austin returns thirty years later. Dr Evil is back and plans on holding the world at ransom for $100 billion (he planned $1 million originally, only to learn from Number Two that in 1997, $1 million isn't a lot to the government). If he doesn't recieve the money he'll send a drill down into the Earth's core, causing volcanic eruptions world wide; in other words it'll cause every existing volcano to erupt, destroying many cities.

Now it's up to Austin and his new partner Vannesa to put a stop to him, and as well as plotting to stop Dr Evil, Austin must come to realize that things have changed since 1967 and he must get used to the times he's been brought into. Classic film worthy of any comedy fan.

PRETTY FUNNY
The first time I saw Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery I was actually disappointed. I hadn't seen many of the Bond films at that time so I really didn't get that many of the jokes. Now being older and having seen quite a few of the Bond films I really grew to appreciate the humor and the general mood of the film. Mike Myers is undoubtedly the best man who could ever spoof James Bond because he is pretty much the complete opposite of Bond. He is unattractive (especially with the fake teeth he uses in this film) and he doesn't come off as being sophisticated or any good in a fight so for him to play an irresistible swinger is immensely funny in itself.

Mike Myers does a good job with the character(s) and brings a certain charm to both Austin Powers and Doctor Evil. It is obvious that Myers is inspired by Peter Sellers in the fact that he plays more than one character (something he will bring even further in the following films) and he does a very good job. He also pulls off a semi-believable British accent giving the character of Austin Powers an extra level of credibility. Austin Powers is the most interesting character in the film and his chemistry with Vanessa Kensington (Elizabeth Hurley) Makes their scenes together the most interesting and funny in the film. Doctor Evil is funny the first time but quite frankly isn't as interesting as Powers making his scenes less reviewable. Elizabeth Hurley is hot and thus works great as a love interest for Austin. She is the best of Austin's girls in any of the films. The supporting cast is decent as well. Michael York, Robert Wagner and Mindy Sterling all do great jobs.

There are a lot of references and spoofs of the original Bond films that work great. A few examples are a Chinese henchman called Random Task an obvious reference to the greatest of the Bond films where there was a similar Chinese henchman called Oddjob, a woman called Alotta Fagina referencing the fact that many Bond girls had names you could read differently. Dr. Evil looks a lot like Ernst Stavro Blofeld the only recurring super villain of the Bond films as we saw him in You Only Live Twice (I wouldn't call Jaws a super villain as he is a henchman).

The film is, however, lacking an interesting story. There is a story but it isn't that interesting. I found the story in the second film to be much more original and fresh and this drags down a bit. It doesn't change the fact that Austin Powers is a funny film that deserves at least one viewing.

Great Stuff
This is the first of 3 Austin Powers movies, and its the best, although Goldmember pushes it close. Its really a parody of a parody, since its so far removed from the 60's James Bond films, that it could be a spoof of the spoof 'Our Man Flint' with James Coburn. However its better done than that 60's film and crucially its funnier!

The opening section where Austin Powers is thawed out was clearly inspired by Woody Allen's 1973 film 'Sleeper' - a slapstick comedy where he is woken 200 years in the future. The slow returning mental facalties and an inability to talk or walk properly are used in the same way to very funny effect. The casting of this film is great. Has Elizabeth Hurley ever looked better than she does in this film - I don't think so. Michael York and Robert Wagner are both excellent in there roles. However its Mike Myers film, and its his comic performance that makes the film work. If anything Dr Evil is a better comic creation than Austin Powers himself, he just doesn't get as much screentime. Here is where the film does directly spoof the James Bond films, and it works well.

Curiously my favourite moment doesn't have much to do with comedy. Its when Austin Powers is on top of the double decker bus and introduces Burt Bacharach. A great moment to spotlight one of the greatest modern songwriters who had been out of the limelight for while. This film put him back in the public eye again. Well done to Mike Myers.

The extras on the DVD are worth watching. There is a interesting and funny commentary from Mike Myers and director Jay Roach as well as few other bits and pieces.