Austin Powers in Goldmember [2002]

Opening with an action-packed pre-credit James Bond like sequence, with cameos from many of Hollywood's biggest stars gets the movie off to a funny if somewhat irrelevant start, which is great if you like movies within movies, not so great if you don't. From there we get back into the real action with Dr Evil and Myer's latest character Goldmember (a Dutchman with a gold penis and bad skin, which he likes to eat) plotting once more to take over the world. So far so good you might think but herein one of the problems lies: the character Goldmember just isn't funny and is positively poor next to all of Mike Myers other characters, including a disappointingly under-used and very flatulent Fat Bastard who makes a welcome but all too brief return. There are some very funny visual and verbal gags of course and a few clever scenes that retrace Austin Powers and Dr Evil's childhoods but all in all there are just as many hits as misses and too many scenes that are obvious retreads of the previous movies most successful gags, such as the use of silhouettes, telling Sean to zip-it and the Jay-Z "It's A Hard Knock Life" routine. Okay so these scenes are still, to an extent, funny but nowhere near as funny as the first time you saw them.

As for the cast, Myer's is his usual brilliant comedic self, it's just that his self-penned lines are not as good as before. Verne Troyer is once again splendid as Mini Me and Destiny's child's Beyonce Knowles makes a sassy and sexy Foxy Cleopatra, whilst Seth Green (sporting a receding hairline) is quite fabulous as Dr Evil's son Sean. However, the star of the show in my view, is Michael Caine, with a marvellous comedic performance as Austin's father Nigel, delightfully sending up his Harry Palmer persona from the 1960's movies that first made him a star.

As for the movie as a whole, it is probably ideally suited to the DVD format more than any other movie out there, because on DVD you will be able to pick and choose which scenes you watch (and there are some very funny and very imaginative scenes). It is just that all n all you feel that you've seen it all before and seen it done better in the previous instalment. What is more the ending of the film suggests that not only is Mike Myers running out of new ideas for his spoof spy movies but that indeed it may be the end of this very profitable franchise. Still funny but not as funny as its predecessor: Three stars.


YEAH, BABY...   January 20, 2003
Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle)
10 out of 13 found this review helpful

My twenty years old daughter and her boyfriend invited me to the movies with them to see the latest Austin Powers film. I went, somewhat reluctantly, as it is not the film I would have chosen, even though I had previously seen the two other Austin Powers films and enjoyed them. Well, am I ever glad that I did! It was, without a doubt, the funniest Austin Powers film to date.

From the great opening scene to the surprise ending, replete with cameos by Tom Cruise, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, Danny Devito, the Ozzie Osbourne Family, Steven Spielberg, Britney Spears, Burt Bacharach, Quincy Jones, Nathan Lane, Katie Couric, and John Travolta, the film is a laugh riot. Austin Powers (Mike Myers) still has his mojo and, together with his gorgeous female sidekick de jour, Foxxy Cleopatra (Beyonce Knowles), sets out to rescue his father, Nigel (Michael Caine), from the evil clutches of the notorious Dutchman, Goldmember (Mike Meyers). To do so, they must go back in time to 1975, the era of disco fever.

Fan of Dr. Evil (Mike Myers), Fat Bastard (Mike Myers), Number Two (Robert Wagner), Scot Evil (Seth Green), Frau Farbissina (Mindy Sterling), Basil (Michael York), and Mini-Me (Verne Troyer) will be happy to know that they are all back in this film. Mini-Me very nearly steals the show, and he does this without ever uttering a single word. Fred Savage joins the party as Number Three/The Mole and becomes a running sight gag throughout the film for reasons that will be obvious to the viewer.

The only problem in the film is with the character of Goldmember. He is the weak link, as he is simply gross and not particularly funny. What was Mike Myers thinking? Notwithstanding the fact that the title character is pretty much of a zero, however, the film is still hilarious, overall. The plot, what little there is, primarily exists to set up a lot of sight gags, send ups, and a number of very funny scenes. If, however, scatological humor offends your sensibilities, this is definitely not the film for you. If you are not easily offended by the crude and the lewd, then this film will make you laugh up a storm.


GENIUS   June 25, 2006
Spider Monkey (UK)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

I shouldn't find it as funny as I do, but I can't help but laugh so hard my sides ache every time I watch this film. The characters are so hilarious and there are so many of them that you find yourself laughing virtually non stop. Myers is so funny to watch and so original and ahead of the game in all he does. So many catchphrases have come from this movie it just shows how funny and in tune with viewers it is. Buy it, watch it and laugh so hard you'll cry!


Please god, no more!!   November 27, 2002
C J R (Wirral)
4 out of 19 found this review helpful

Well, what can I say? I was a huge fan of the first two films, even though the sequel was a bit of a dip in form from the ever reliable Myers. I was shocked when it was announced another Austin film was in the pipeline as I thought the joke was running a bit thin - when I saw it I was proved right. This film is an absolute horror.

Jokes from the previous films are used again but obviously have less impact (Mini Me - yes, he's small. Ho, ho, ho. Now how about telling some jokes Mike?). Celebrity cameos are a major sign of a series running out of ideas (like the Simpsons), and Austin Powers 3 reels them off like a factory conveyor belt. Myers even relies on a joke from his old Waynes World films to get laughs (the man with a mole) and fails miserably.

After watching it I was obviously gutted at such a poor show. After discussing it with my mates, one of them summed it up perfectly in just three words:

POLICE ACADEMY SYNDROME.

Please end the series now before the success of the first film is ruined forever!


One of the funniest films I've ever seen   February 15, 2003
Matt (Middlesex, England)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful

International man of mystery is the best Austin Powers film but Goldmember is a close second it features all the things an Austin Powers film should be.

The storyline is something like this Austin Powers father Nigel Powers (Michael Cane) is kidnaped by Goldmember, Austin goes to rescue his Father in 1970 with the help of Foxxy Cleopatra (Beyonce Knowles)he manages to suceed this. Unfortunately Austin and Nigel break up which leaves Austin and foxxy to defeat Dr Evil and Goldmember.

The highlights of the film are, cameo appearences by Tom Cruise, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, Danny Devito, John Travolta, Steven Spielberg, Britney Spears and the Osbournes. Also Beyonce Knowles and Michael Cane are brilliant in their roles and of course Mike Myers is fantastic as his charecters, Austin Powers, Dr Evil, Goldmember and Fat b*****d. There are several hilarious scenes in the movie in fact nearly every scene is funny in some way.

The downsides to this film are there are a few jokes which are very simmilar to ones seen in The spy who shagged me.

Overall brilliant. Not as good as International man of mystery but is better than the spy wo shagged me. Ideal for people who enjoyed the previous two films or people who just want to have a good laugh.