Plot: What’s it about?
What is so uniquely original about the Austin Powers movies is the basic fact that it’s mocking an already long-standing series – James Bond. Even the titles "The Spy Who Shagged Me" and "Goldmember" are taken almost verbatim from already existing Bond titles. In fact, and I’m not quite sure of all the specifics here, but there was some controversy surrounding the title here (evidently the MGM reps weren’t too happy about the title). However, in true Hollywood fashion, it was somehow worked out and now we have the third installment in a series in which I’m sure there will be a few more at least. It was with great reservation that I even watched the movie, though, as I was very under impressed with the second installment. However, after the opening credits (yes, opening) had rolled, I was already laughing as hard as I could and the rest of the movie has just as many funny moments. I won’t ruin the surprise for those who did not see the movie already, but let’s just say you’ll recognize some of the faces in the prologue (let’s just say there’s a few Academy Awards between the folks). As for the film itself, it’s the plot is a bit distracting as we spend most of our time laughing, but it’s there and here it is…
We meet our heroes, Austin Powers (Mike Myers) and his new sidekick Foxxy Cleopatra (Beyonce Knowles) have teamed up and must travel back to the year 1975 upon learning that Austin’s father (Michael Caine) has been kidnapped. It seems that Dr. Evil (Myers) and Mini-Me (Verne Troyer) have somehow escaped from the maximum security prison that held them and now they have teamed up with Goldmember (Myers again), a Dutch person who is so odd-looking that it’s funny (I guess that was the point) and also has the unusual habit of saving and eating large flakes of his skin! Their scheme is very straight-forward, pay them money or else they’ll use Goldmember to melt the polar ice caps and therefore flood the world. But this really takes a backseat to all of the action going on screen. The usual sidekicks are still around, but underused in my opinion (Robert Wagner as #2, Seth Green as Scott and Fat Bastard played again by Myers). The very talented Myers plays so many roles that it kind of takes away from Austin’s appeal, as our attention is focused on one or more of the other characters. Also grossly underused is Michael Caine as Austin’s father, Nigel. Still, even setting aside these minor issues, Goldmember had me rolling!
With the impending release of the 20th something Bond movie, one can’t help but to think if audiences will keep seeing Austin Powers movies. They’re smart, cleverly-written, but at the same time seem to use the same jokes again and again. But ironically, they seem to realize that and there’s even a segment in the film which pokes fun at that exact concept. With the use of their time travel machine, the action isn’t always limited to the "present" and it’s a nice, refreshing change of pace from movies like XXX and The Fast and the Furious. Also, Austin Powers seems to have adopted the trait of giving Myers a new leading lady every time (Elizabeth Hurley and Heather Graham were the first two), and Beyonce Knowles was the choice this time. I suppose as long as the films stay fresh and exciting, and funny; that they’ll be around for a long time. Let us not forget money, once they stop making money I’m sure the plug will be pulled faster than you can say "Yeah, baby"!
Video: How does it look?
It’s no secret that New Line consistently puts out some of the best-looking transfers around. With all of the supplements on this disc, I feared that this might compromise the integrity of the transfer. Well, I was wrong. The beautiful 2.35:1 anamorphic image positively glows and I was hard-pressed to find any single thing wrong with it. Interior scenes and the typical vivid color palette tend to make this even more of a great-looking transfer, certainly better than I was expecting. Edge enhancement is at a minimum and even the darkest scenes didn’t suffer from any artifacts at all. It really doesn’t get much better than this (only movies done entirely digitally like Toy Story and Shrek look better), so expect the best because that’s what you’ll get.
Audio: How does it sound?
As good as the video presentation here is the audio. Austin Powers is presented in dual Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS ES tracks. Quite simply, both of them rock. I had to turn my receiver down so I wouldn’t wake the neighbors! Dialogue has no problems, but it’s the surround effects and the depth of the effects that really took me by surprise. Even the supposedly "quietest" of scenes seem to always have something humming in the background. Some might think that this is "too much", but I’m just happy that the money I spent on my speakers is finally paying off. The DTS has the edge, as per usual, when it comes to the discrete effects. And, as expected, the Dolby track does tend to sound a bit dry at times, but no matter which way you go, there’ll be a great-sounding track waiting for you.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Another member of New Line’s Infinifilm line, Austin Powers in Goldmember shines when it comes to supplements as well. Starting out with "Beyond the Movie" (a staple of all the Infinifilm titles), we are greeted with a few short featurettes. "MI-6: International Men of Mystery" tells of real-life spies and how they came to be (evidently, the very rich were called upon to help out their country, hence the "Gentlemen Spy"). Next up is "English, English" which focuses on the scene in which Powers and his father talk in Cockney Slang. The scene is cleverly subtitled and there’s a similar supplement on the Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels DVD. We then find "Disco Fever" which, aptly, concentrates on the strong disco theme found in the film. Shots of actual discos and Myers’ love for music makes this an interesting watch. Lastly "Fashion vs. Fiction" concentrates on the movie’s costumes. Nearly every decade was covered in the film and the Production Designers tell us how it all came to be. Additionally, the "Fact Track" can be accessed here. The track plays along with the movie and reveals details about the film.
This leads us back to the main menu where we find the "All Access Pass" section of the disc. Included here are several features that begin with the audio commentary with Jay Roach and Mike Myers. These two have teamed up for tracks before and this is more of the same. Roach and Powers, er, Mike Myers have a very unique relationship as Director and Actor. They know the movie in and out and it’s relayed in this track. A great track, lots of information and a must listen to all fans of the movie. Next up are some 15 deleted scenes totaling almost a half hour. For obvious reasons, these were cut, but they’re presented in anamorphic widescreen and with or without commentary. Additionally, you can select a "Play All" function that will do just that. Next is "The World of Austin Powers" which breaks out into several featurettes. First is "Jay Roach and Mike Myers: Creative Convergence" that tells of the on-set behavior of Myers. Myers, obviously very talented, has his own unique way of improvising and friend/Director Roach seems to let him. The cast seems to feel very comfortable around him, but Myers seems to improvise well and what they’re doing (making us laugh) seems to work just fine! Confluence of Character is a section that tells about some of the major players in the movie. How they were cast and some of their key scenes. Evidently Myers came up with most of these himself. Perhaps the most interesting is the Young Dr. Evil/Austin segment as we see the two teens who played the young versions of the characters. We seem them get their head shaved or ears cast (yes, really). A segment, aptly titled, is "Opening Stunts" which focuses on just that. Now I don’t want to give away the surprise, so let’s just say that it’s a rather short featurette and the Stunt Coordinator tells of how the amount of action on this comedy was rather large. "The Cars of Austin Powers" is another self-titled feature that tells of what the cars are, how they look and so on. Lastly, we find "Anatomy of Three Scenes" in which the Opening Dance Sequence is shown, this tells about the choreography of the moves on such. The Roller Disco scene and Sumo Battle (my personal favorite) are also shown. A Visual FX section is also included that shows an introduction and how a key scene was filmed using all Visual Effects (I didn’t think that the scene had hardly any FX at all, but evidently I was wrong). Four music videos are also included as is the original theatrical trailer plus four teaser trailers. Lastly, there is some pretty cool DVD-ROM material, screensavers and wallpapers and such to fill your computer with the world of Austin Powers. New Line has done it again with another fine release and I found this the most robust (supplement-wise) and enjoyable of the three films. Recommended.
