Austin Powers : L'Espion qui m'a tirée

I believe that the general consensus is that the first Austin Powers movie is the best of the bunch. I happen to disagree (as you can probably tell from my one-line-summary). I feel that the second film actually improves on the first film by adding a few new characters and generally cutting loose on the humor making it even more bizarre and funny than in the first film. I don't expect people to agree but at least hear me out as to why I think the second film is better.

As I said a few new characters have been added to the roster and we get to see some older characters in new and exiting ways. The best addition to the character rooster is Mini-Me, Doctor Evil's clone, played brilliantly by Verne Troyer. Not only is he hilariously funny but he also brings out a different side to Doctor Evil which I found to be extremely funny. On a related note I found Doctor Evil to be much more interesting as a character in the second film than in the first. Probably because the Austin character had to be established in the first film. Second there is the addition of Fat Bastard, played by Myers himself. A lot of people have responded negatively to Fat Bastard but I found him quite funny in a very weird way. Mike Myers definitely took a step up the weird ladder when he came up with him. Elizabeth Hurley is written out of the script very early in the film and instead Heather Graham is introduced as Felicity Shagwell. Heather Graham is not as strong as Hurley was as Austin's love interest but she remains nice as eye-candy and what can you expect more than that. Seth Green pretty much reprises his role from the first film. Nothing much to come after there. The supporting cast is pretty much the same as in the first film except this time we get to see Number Two in a young version played by Rob Lowe who does an uncanny imitation of Robert Wagner. Mindy Sterling and Michael York returns in their respective parts as well. There are also quite a few cameos in the film. Including Tim Robbins, Woody Harrelson, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos and many more.

The film still spoofs Bond obviously and the title in itself is of course a reference to The Spy Who Loved Me and once again I find that no-one does it better than Myers. After the success of the first I think they gave Myers free reigns because a lot of the stuff in this film is pretty far out. An example could be the hilarious fight between Austin and Mini-Me and an equally funny scene in a tent. I won't reveal any more than that. Another thing is that the overall effects seem much more polished this time around which is probably also caused by the success of the previous film.

The story is pretty much non-existent which I found to be an improvement over the previous film which actually attempted to incorporate a story rather than just be all out fun.

All in all I think it is a matter of taste. Either you prefer the first or you prefer the second but you should definitely give this film a try just for the heck of it.

All in all

7/10

Picture this: you're home with your friends or family and you have to pick a film. Nothing's really looking good and you just want to stick something on to have a good laugh. Here comes, the Austin Powers trilogy! Out of the three films, this one is one of the funnier instalments. Mike Myers gives a great performance as always, and Rob Lowe gives a great performance (although a very short one). I love the British 60's vibe, since I'm a big vintage fan. It's a good film to put on when you're having a bad day and just need a laugh. No wonder Austin Powers is such an icon nowadays!

I don't know the character's name of Mindy Sterling but she is the German ally to Dr. Evil. There is a bit of chemistry between them too. Austin's back and single again and I won't tell you how. The gang includes Michael York who should be knighted as Basil Exposition. Dr. Evil is back along with his son, Scott played brilliantly by Seth Green. This time, they go on the Jerry Springer Show entitled "My Evil Dad wants to take over the world." I have to say that is a brilliant moment. My favorite moments are not with Austin but with Dr. Evil and his son, Scott. I love Mini-Me who is Dr. Evil's clone. He's more his son than Scott Evil ever was. Anyway we learn of Scott's mother's identity but I knew all along and won't spoil the surprise. Robert Wagner is back and it's another spoof of the Bond films but I still love watching Dr. Evil and Scott bond best of all or at least try too.

The Spy who Shagged Me - not a title you'd expect to garner much respect, but this movie does okay. With Austin Powers 2 we see the arrival of such characters as Mini-Me and Fat Bastard, who inevitably help steer the sequel way from completely recycling every joke used in the first film. However, there is still that overlap, so a lot of the humor comes off a bit stale and tacky. There is virtually no end to the plot holes, inconsistencies, and various irregularities, but that is often a big part of the humor of the Austin Powers movies - making direct fun of the spy genre, as well as themselves.

And, on a personal note, Heather Graham is by far more attractive than Liz Hurley, and she flaunts it with great respect for us, the juvenile minded male audience. Overall, I'd consider this sequel about on par with the original, not in any specific details, but in all-around entertainment value.

Hilarious return to the international man of mystery with this non stop laugh ride of a film with Myers doing it again as Austin, Dr. Evil and a new character named Fat Bastard. There are many funny moments in the film especially the Scott/Dr. Evil episode of Jerry Springer and the emergence of Mini-Me, perfectly played by Verne Troyer. The laughs are constant. You'll laugh so hard, you'll have a headache when you leave the theater.