by Aaron Neathery
Staff Writer
Austin Powers
Stars: Mike Myers, Elizabeth Hurley
***1/2 stars
In one of the best send-ups of the '60s to date, Mike Myers portrays Austin Powers, international man of mystery, the ultimate '60s spy. He's hip, he's mod, he has really bad teeth and he's totally obsessed with free love.
The film begins in 1967 when Austin Powers' nemesis, Dr. Evil (also Myers), sends himself cryogenically frozen into space in a Big Boy-shaped rocket. Austin offers to have himself frozen as well, to be thawed upon Dr. Evil's return.
Fast-forward to 1997. Dr. Evil's rocket has been spotted on radar re-entering Earth's atmosphere.
There is only one man to call, and he has been frozen for 30 years. Can Austin Powers possibly cope with societal change and defeat Dr. Evil at the same time?
Admittedly, much of this has been done before. None of it, however, has been done better. This completely over-the-top parody of the '60s spy genre is complete with inappropriate musical scene breaks, shameless touting of pop culture and steaming loads of hip euphemisms such as "fab," "cat" and "shagadelic."
It is a tribute to Myers' versatility as a comic that Austin Powers can be both a bizarre caricature (you will not believe his chest hair) and a relatively sympathetic figure.
This fine balance is miraculously maintained throughout the entire film. Only once does Austin Powers lapse into Zucker Brothers-style topical comedy, and even then, it's a brief lapse.
Amazingly, Austin Powers' production values are easily on par with those of the films it is satirizing. Huge nuclear drills, massive underground headquarters and hundreds of costumed extras help make Austin Powers seem more like its own film and less like a big-screen adaptation of a one-note comedy sketch.
Also of major help in this regard is Myers' screenplay. Much less a hodgepodge than his work on the Wayne's World films, Austin Powers contains its own goofy little universe and does not stray beyond its boundaries. Quite an achievement.