Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is a 1997 American action comedy film and the first installment of the Austin Powers series. It was directed by Jay Roach and written by Mike Myers, who also starred as both the titular character Austin Powers and main antagonist Dr. Evil, Powers' arch-enemy. The film co-stars Elizabeth Hurley, Robert Wagner, Seth Green and Michael York. The film also includes appearances by Will Ferrell, Mimi Rogers, Carrie Fisher, Tom Arnold, Rob Lowe, Christian Slater, Cheri Oteri, Neil Mullarkey and Burt Bacharach.
The film is a parody of the James Bond films (particularly the earlier features in the franchise) as well as other parody films that also spoof James Bond and other 1960s spy films (as Myers describes it).
The film, which cost US$16.5 million, opened on May 2, 1997, to positive reviews. It made a modest impact at the box office, grossing US$53 million from its North American release and about US$68 million worldwide. The film later became a hit and cult classic in the home video market and cable television, spawning two sequels, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and Austin Powers in Goldmember, with a fourth film in the works.
Plot[]
In 1967, British spy Austin Powers (Mike Myers) attempts to assassinate his nemesis, Dr. Evil (also Mike Myers), in his own nightclub (the Electric Psychedelic Pussycat Swingers Club). Dr. Evil escapes by launching himself in a space rocket disguised as a Big Boy statue, and cryogenically freezing himself, to return at a time when free love no longer reigned, and greed and corruption ruled again. Austin volunteers to be put into cryostasis to be revived when Dr. Evil returns.
Thirty years later in 1997, Dr. Evil returns with new plans for world domination, and discovers his henchman Number 2 (Robert Wagner) has transformed Evil's empire into Virtucon, a multi-billion dollar enterprise. Though already wealthy, Dr. Evil proposes several plans to threaten the world for more money. However, he finds that each of them have already been done during his absence. He ultimately falls back on his old plan to steal nuclear weapons and hold the world hostage, and is advised to seek one hundred billion dollars (revised upward, on the advice of his employees, from his 1960s notion that one million dollars constitutes a world-dominating sum). Later, he also discovers that henchwoman Frau Farbissina (Mindy Sterling) used a sample of Evil's semen just a couple of years after his cryogenisis to artificially create his son, Scott Evil (Seth Green), now a Generation X young adult. Scott is resentful of his father, despite Dr. Evil's attempts to get closer to him through therapy.
Having been aware of Dr. Evil's return, the British Ministry of Defence (incorrectly referred to as the 'Ministry of Defense' as per American spelling) unfreezes Austin, acclimatizing him to the year 1997 with the help of agent Vanessa Kensington (Elizabeth Hurley), the daughter of his sidekick in the 1960s, Mrs. Kensington (Mimi Rogers), who has retired during Austin's 30-year absence. Powers quickly finds his free love credo of the 1960s to be out of touch with the 1990s, and is unable to ensnare Vanessa with his charms. Later, the two pose as a married couple in a Las Vegas hotel and meet Number 2's Italian secretary, Alotta Fagina (Fabiana Udenio). Austin enters her penthouse suite for reconnaissance and fornicates with her. He discovers plans for Dr. Evil's "Project Vulcan", which aims to drill a nuclear warhead into the Earth's molten core and trigger volcanic eruptions worldwide. Dr. Evil, learning that Powers is back and on his trail, creates a series of seductive female robots (called Fembots) to charm Austin before killing him. Austin apologizes to Vanessa for the affair with Alotta and vows to only be with her.
Later the couple infiltrates Dr. Evil's headquarters but are captured by his henchman, Random Task. After Dr. Evil makes his demands to the world, he reveals that even after receiving the money he will still proceed with Project Vulcan. He then places Austin and Vanessa in a death trap that they easily escape from. Austin sends Vanessa for help, while he eludes and destroys the fembots by performing a striptease which arouses them so much that their heads literally explode. Austin finds the doomsday device and deactivates it at the last moment. He finds Dr. Evil in the main chamber and almost has a chance to bring him to justice, but Alotta Fagina arrives holding Vanessa hostage and thwarts Austin's chance to capture Dr. Evil. However, Number 2 appears and attempts to betray Dr. Evil, offering to make a deal with Austin. Dr. Evil disposes of Number 2 using the trap door leading to fire (although Number 2 survives) and escapes to his rocket, setting off the base's self-destruct system. Vanessa knocks Alotta unconscious and escapes with Austin as the lair explodes.
Austin and Vanessa are later married, but during their honeymoon they are attacked by Random Task. Austin subdues the assassin with his Swedish made penis enlarger and the couple adjourns to their balcony to have wild sex. Noticing a rather bright star, Austin pulls out a telescope to discover that it is in fact Dr. Evil's cryogenic chamber in which he vows revenge.
Cast[]
- Mike Myers as Austin Powers / Dr. Evil
- Elizabeth Hurley as Vanessa Kensington
- Seth Green as Scott Evil
- Robert Wagner as Number 2
- Mindy Sterling as Frau Farbissina
- Michael York as Basil Exposition
- Fabiana Udenio as Alotta Fagina
- Will Ferrell as Mustafa
- Mimi Rogers as Mrs. Kensington
- Joe Son as Random Task
- Paul Dillon as Patty O'Brien
- Charles Napier as Commander Gilmour
- Clint Howard as Johnson Ritter
- Burt Bacharach as himself
- Tom Arnold as Cowboy
- Carrie Fisher as Therapist
- Cheri Oteri as Flight Attendant
- Michael McDonald as Security Guard #1
- Christian Slater as Security Guard #2
- Larry Thomas as Casino Dealer
- Cindy Margolis as Fembot #1
- Cynthia Lamontagne as Fembot #2