Review of Austin Powers
midlandsmovies • April 24, 2021
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) Dir. Jay Roach
Yeah, baby! Guy Russell goes back in time - to the late 90s - for a shagadelic re-watch of the comedy spy-caper which comes to BluRay this month.
After a four year hiatus from the big screen Mike Myers returned in 1997 with the smash hit comedy film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, a spoof of the swinging sixties culture in London.
Mike Myers plays titular character Austin Powers, a British Spy with a world class playboy reputation. His nemesis is Dr. Evil (also played by Myers) who has plans to finally assassinate him until he his thwarted in a London nightclub in 1967.
Evil escapes in a space pod which cryogenically freezes him until his return to Earth in 1997. Powers also freezes himself and instructs the Government to only thaw him out when his enemy resurfaces.
Born from a screenplay written by Myers also, Austin Powers name, look and catchphrases are instantly recognisable in 2021, nearly 25 years since its first release.
This is arguably Myers most identifiable creation, what followed this release were two wildly successful sequels which cemented the character Austin Powers as a cultural phenomenon.
All the more strange then that this was my first viewing of the debut entry in the franchise. Whilst I had seen the popular segments whilst channel hopping or on YouTube, I had never actually sat down and watched this film, unlike the sequels which I have seen and enjoyed.
The film starts with what we now associate as “the Austin Powers theme” (actually Soul Bossa Nova by Quincy Jones), an infectious piece of music which brings a smile as we see Powers saunter around 1960's London followed by a bevy of female fans lusting after him.
Myers is a self confessed Anglophile and it shows here, he captures the essence of the culture and the time perfectly. Spoofing the fashion scene of the time and The Beatles film “A Hard Days Night” hilariously.
To help with adjusting to the 90's Powers is joined by fellow secret agent Vanessa (Elizabeth Hurley) who acts as his guide for all things present day. Whilst she is breathtakingly beautiful throughout, Hurley's performance unfortunately leaves much to be desired, however the character whilst featuring heavily does not give her a great deal to work with.
As Powers tries to stop Dr. Evil's plans for world domination it becomes obvious to the audience that the plot is threadbare, this is commonplace however for spoof comedies of this nature. Whilst I don't think the film parodies James Bond or the spy genre as much as it thinks it does, it is still very funny and has more of its fair share of laugh out loud moments.
Some may find the jokes to be slightly juvenile or goofy and dated, nevertheless they arrive thick and fast. My personal favourites to be a henchman called Random Task (instead of Bond's Oddjob) or the fantastic cameo by Christian Slater ("orange sher-bert").
Overall this is a solid comedy from genius mind of Mike Myers, those looking for something high brow should look elsewhere, but if you're looking for something fast, loose and funny then Austin Powers is your man.
Yeah baby!
Guy Russell
Twitter @budguyer
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is on special edition Blu-ray, DVD and Digital 19 April
On Sunday 26th April Midlands Movies Editor Michael Sales & awards ceremony co-host Ed Stagg (BBC Radio) announced the nominations for the 2026 Midlands Movies Awards live from the Queen of Bradgate Vintage Cinema in Leicester. A big thanks was given to the entire Jury Panel of industry experts who gave up their precious time to watch a huge selection of creative projects and as always, had a difficult time choosing from the excellent number of films from the region. You can read the full list of nominations across all 16 categories below and watch our announcement videos here: Part 1 & Part 2 And please also check out our great awards partner Chrome Video Best Actress in a Leading Role Karendip Phull for Family Kate Bracken for The Lace Rachel Baker for Throwing Fruit Chloe Wade for How Long Sophie Bullock for Ma Prison Best Animated Film Of All the Things by Steff Lee Big Red by James Pyle Statue in the Garden by Qianhui Yu Butterfly by Jacob Christie Best Director Luke Worrall for The Waterline Lily Portman for Quiet Jack Richardson for Daniel’s Room Jonathan Hawes for Sorry We’re Closed Sophia Dall'Aglio for Man from Mars Best Documentary Nothing's Impossible by Jacob Thomas McClean A Birmingham Symphony by Jemma Saunders We Bring Light: Leicester's Diwali Legacy by Kieran Vyas The Sunshine Café by Jill Lampert Through the Viewfinder by William North Best Sound (Editing or Mixing) Neil Evans & his team for Artificial Insanity Alasdair Gretton for Dead on Distribution Deepanjali Patel for Earworm David Hamilton-Smith for The Pause Heidi Wilson for Of All The Things Best Actor in a Supporting Role Devon Junior for Lazar Tim Sparrow for Safety Net Shaiek Ahmed Rana for Family Luke Rollason for Quiet Peter Willoughby for A Story of Spring Best Visual & Special Effects Jake Wesley-Worrall for Soul Trader Steve Askey & team for The Correction Unit Nick Willett, Matt Burkey & Jayne Hyman for Black Goat JaqD SFX MUA, Mind Magic Studios and Ben Harker for Beyond the Witching Hour Pete Key, Jai Blanks and Jacob Christie for Countenance Best Cinematography Gary Rogers for The Pause Laurence Mason-Guetta for Sorry We’re Closed Ian Snape for Soul Trader Ash Connaughton for Daniel’s Room Duane Adamoli for Surfing (nominations continue below...)
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