Review: Austin Powers – International Man of Mystery
Blu-ray, DVD & Digital: Austin Powers – International Man of Mystery (1997)
The problem with writing a review of a hugely popular film like Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is… most film fans have seen it. So you’re just re-treading old water.
The test is, after 24 years, is it still funny?
Made by ex-Saturday Night Live alumni Mike Myers, who said the idea came to him after hearing the song ‘The Look of Love’ by Burt Bacharach on his car radio, and wondered ‘Where have all the swingers gone?’, he then came up with the character who would become Austin Powers.
Austin is a mishmash of Myers influences. Born in Canada to Liverpudlian parents he grew up watching James Bond, Peter Sellers, The Beatles, The Goodies, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.
The catchphrase ‘Do I make you horny?’ is based on former Radio Caroline DJ Simon Dee, who hosted the first real television chat show in the UK from 1967, which ended with him driving off in a sports car with a young blonde in the passenger seat and a wink to the camera.
So is it still funny? Or has it aged terribly and does its crude double entendre humour grate my staunch feminist sensibilities?
No grating here, just belly laughs. It’s a silly film, filled with silly humour and yes, it’s still funny.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
- Austin & Vanessa Character Featurette
- B-Roll
- TV Spots and Clips
- Character Soundbites
- Ming Tea “BBC” Music Video
Review by Tina from a disc kindly supplied by Icon Film Distribution & Kaleidoscope Entertainment via Witchfinder PR.