by David C. Terr

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Title: Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

Director: Jay Roach

Starring: Mike Myers, Elizabeth Hurley, Michael York, Mimi Rogers, Robert Wagner

Release Date: May 2, 1997

Running Time: 94 min

 

Commentary
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is the first of three Austin Powers films. These films are James Bond spoofs, starring Mike Myers as Austin Powers, a British secret agent and babe magnet from the '60s who freezes himself for 30 years, ending up in the '90s. All three movies are very funny, and Mike Myers does a great acting job in each of them. He also plays the role of Dr. Evil, his arch-villain with a sinster plan for world domination.

Plot Summary
Austin Powers (Myers) is a British spy in the '60s who has often battled with Dr. Evil, also played by Myers. Dr. Evil freezes himself to wake up sometime in the future, whence Austin does the same, to be woken up when needed. Both wake up in 1997, when they battle it out once again, adjusting to life in the '90s along the way. Austin ends up teaming up with Vanessa Kensington (Hurley), who helps him adjust. Dr. Evil devises a plan to build a warhead to drill to the center of the earth, causing all the volcanoes to erupt simultaneously. He also ties up Austin and Vanessa and tries to lower them into a tank containing man-eating seabass, but they manage to escape using dental floss. Once out, they find Dr. Evil and stop the doomsday device, but Dr. Evil manages to escape and jettison himself into space. Austin and Vanessa get married and enjoy a groovy honeymoon.

Cultural Significance
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery was not nearly as big a box office hit as its two sequels, especially the second one, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, but it earned a lot of money on DVD rentals and sales. Austin's famous lines "Yeah, baby!" and "Ohhh, behave!" became catchphrases in popular culture.

Movie Clips

Here's the scene in which Austin Powers is unfrozen.

 

Here's a very funny clip of Austin receiving items he'd left behind since he was frozen.

 

Here's a clip of Austin defeating a group of fembots with his mojo.