Mike Myers created a memorable, hilarious character for the first "Austin Powers" film for a number of reasons. One was a tribute to his late father, a memorabilia of things that his father loved. Secondly, and to be sure I'm presuming here, for the rich, ample supply of great comic material. The idea of a sexually liberated 60s swinger adjusting to the more reserved 90s is quite amusing and what chiefly drew me in.
When I saw "Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery" in theaters, I thought it was fantastic fun. I also found myself having to defend the film as many nay-sayers proclaimed the film moronic and lame. Many of said individuals would also recite memorable dialogue as though it was their favourite film at a later date. I also feel that the opening dance sequence was worth the price of admission alone. Soon enough, most people came round.
The "Austin Powers" DVD is also quite an impressive example of the benefits of the new medium. Whenever I wish to show off the features of a DVD player to the uninitiated, I usually pop in Austin. It has everything from an audio commentary to deleted scenes and much more. And with repeated viewings, I can safely proclaim that yes, the humour is quite base at times, but it is fun, and after frequent showings, most of the scenes still have me laughing.
Suffice it to say, I'm a fan. That is why it was so disappointing to take in the sequel to this fine satire. Going in to a sequel, your expectations are (usually) lowered. I had heard talk of a sequel not long after the first offering had completed it's run, and I'll admit that even then, I was dubious of their chances to recapture the same magic of the first film. In this case, I had been assured by a couple of people that it was good, and the trailer preview looked promising. I couldn't believe how much regurgitation was going on. But more importantly than that, the comic timing was way off. Every so-called punch line felt like a simple warm-up to a bigger punch that never came. An inappropriately long pause after each "joke" only drew more attention to it's ineffectiveness and lack of uniqueness. I hate to say it, but it seems as though the filmmakers weren't sure what made the first one popular, and kind of missed it on this second go.
To be sure, there were enjoyable moments, but it seemed as though everything was off kilter. The story line which interested me enough to see it, involves time traveling back to the 60s to retrieve Austin's stolen "Mojo". But this comic potential opportunity was passed up. It seems they could've come up with a lot more comic material on that angle, but didn't bother to explore it. And as silly as the story was, the pace of the whole film seemed transparently formulaic. Like a shopping list of what was popular in the first film, thrown in to the bag without much consideration for originality or appropriate placement.
I'll admit that part of my experience for the sequel was hampered by a pack of sixteen year old girls who laughed maybe a little too much at the ultra-mildly amusing bits to the point of annoyance. But I can't say they bothered me too much, I was literally tempted to walk out on it, but I suspect Heather Graham's "Felicity Shagwell" stopped me. Quite ironically, Austin's quest to recover his "Mojo" mirrors the effort to recapture the magic of the first installment, and sadly fails. I sincerely hope it won't taint my affinity for the first film next time I watch it.
When I saw "Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery" in theaters, I thought it was fantastic fun. I also found myself having to defend the film as many nay-sayers proclaimed the film moronic and lame. Many of said individuals would also recite memorable dialogue as though it was their favourite film at a later date. I also feel that the opening dance sequence was worth the price of admission alone. Soon enough, most people came round.
The "Austin Powers" DVD is also quite an impressive example of the benefits of the new medium. Whenever I wish to show off the features of a DVD player to the uninitiated, I usually pop in Austin. It has everything from an audio commentary to deleted scenes and much more. And with repeated viewings, I can safely proclaim that yes, the humour is quite base at times, but it is fun, and after frequent showings, most of the scenes still have me laughing.
Suffice it to say, I'm a fan. That is why it was so disappointing to take in the sequel to this fine satire. Going in to a sequel, your expectations are (usually) lowered. I had heard talk of a sequel not long after the first offering had completed it's run, and I'll admit that even then, I was dubious of their chances to recapture the same magic of the first film. In this case, I had been assured by a couple of people that it was good, and the trailer preview looked promising. I couldn't believe how much regurgitation was going on. But more importantly than that, the comic timing was way off. Every so-called punch line felt like a simple warm-up to a bigger punch that never came. An inappropriately long pause after each "joke" only drew more attention to it's ineffectiveness and lack of uniqueness. I hate to say it, but it seems as though the filmmakers weren't sure what made the first one popular, and kind of missed it on this second go.
To be sure, there were enjoyable moments, but it seemed as though everything was off kilter. The story line which interested me enough to see it, involves time traveling back to the 60s to retrieve Austin's stolen "Mojo". But this comic potential opportunity was passed up. It seems they could've come up with a lot more comic material on that angle, but didn't bother to explore it. And as silly as the story was, the pace of the whole film seemed transparently formulaic. Like a shopping list of what was popular in the first film, thrown in to the bag without much consideration for originality or appropriate placement.
I'll admit that part of my experience for the sequel was hampered by a pack of sixteen year old girls who laughed maybe a little too much at the ultra-mildly amusing bits to the point of annoyance. But I can't say they bothered me too much, I was literally tempted to walk out on it, but I suspect Heather Graham's "Felicity Shagwell" stopped me. Quite ironically, Austin's quest to recover his "Mojo" mirrors the effort to recapture the magic of the first installment, and sadly fails. I sincerely hope it won't taint my affinity for the first film next time I watch it.