Austin Powers in Goldmember

MOVIE
VIDEO
AUDIO
EXTRAS
OVERALL

One Disc
Anamorphic 2.35:1 Widescreen
Dolby Digital 6.1 EX and 2.1 Surround
DTS 6.1 ES
English Subtitles
Original Theatrical Teasers and Trailers
Several Documentaries
Running Fact Tracks
Audio Commentary
Music Videos
Infinifilm Interface
Run Time: 95 Minutes
Keep Case

MOVIE
Rated PG-13 for language, violence and a surplus of sexual innuendos

Austin Powers, how you've grown. I was there, you see, when your movies weren't making any money. Those first shaky weeks in May of 1997. And then, well, let's be honest, you almost flopped. Luckily, though, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery was a pretty affordable film and performed steadily throughout the following summer. But Mike Myers goofy creation really didn't find its place until video, and there it became a blockbuster. Two years later, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me was released, a budget of $33 million attached, up from $17 million, and this sequel grossed more in its opening weekend than the first film did in its entire theatrical run. On the whole, the second in the Powers films left a bit to be desired, a multitude of characters that really didn't have enough to do in the film. Let me digress though, here. 1999 was the year I met my fiancée, and the month we met brought us a Star Wars movie and an Austin Powers movie, so this year was a nostalgic trip back as we once again had a Star Wars movie and an Austin Powers movie. But for this one, I was a bit nervous.
First we had a preview that offered no footage from the film, instead delivering a remake of the first film's opening sequence staring Verne Troyer as Mini-Austin. I had very mixed feelings about this, because while I always applaud teaser trailers that are truly teasers, I was less than enthusiastic about a film that prominently featured my least favorite series character Mini-Me. Then the film was stirring up trouble with MGM-UA and specifically the Broccoli family's trademark on Bond titles. They'd let Myers and Jay Roach get away with it before when they made The Spy Who Shagged Me (a title cribbed from 1977's Roger Moore Bond Adventure The Spy Who Loved Me) but this time the title was too close, and it was from a Connery Bond. A CONNERY BOND! Those are like the holy grail! Goldmember was just entirely too close to Goldfinger (which I regard as the greatest Bond of all) and New Line got sued. Several months later, and a negotiation that resulted in the trailer for 2002's Bond movie Die Another Day being stuck on, Austin Powers in Goldmember was released. And no one confused it with a Sean Connery Bond flick.
Goldmember is funnier, slicker, smarter and ultimately more satisfying than the sophomore entry in the series. There. I said it. I know it's not the popular view, but screw the populous! Well, I don't really mean that. But, you know.

Ahem. Anyway. Goldmember finds Dr. Evil (Mike Myers) back from space with a new devious plot. He's kidnapped Austin Powers' father Nigel Powers (Michael Caine) and transported him to 1975 to be kept under watch of sociopath swinger Goldmember (Mike Myers). Austin (Mike Myers) storms Dr. Evil's lair and captures him. While in captivity, Evil is used to help Austin understand the mind of Goldmember. He travels back in time to 1975 and enlists an agent turned singer at Goldmember's Club 69 Foxy Cleopatra (Beyonce Knowles) to help him foil Goldmember and get his father back. Austin meanwhile has some daddy issues to deal with himself. Being the son of an International Man of Mystery has caused his father to be absent for most of his life. Meanwhile, Goldmember has come to the present to, along with Dr. Evil, black mail the world for a great deal of money or cause a golden asteroid to crash down upon Earth. Dr. Evil's son Scott (Seth Green) has begun to take an interest in the family business, edging Mini-Me (Verne Troyer) out of his father's affection.
There's always a lot going on in Austin Powers movies, and really, the plot is fairly inconsequential. Never in the series has a dramatic moment been as affecting as Austin's realization of what the nineties are all about, and we'll likely never again see a moment like that. The bane of my existence, sometimes seems like it'll be the trend of gross out comedy. Somehow, though, the gross gags that were entirely too prominent in The Spy Who Shagged Me (see Fat Bastard's stool sample) are absent this time around. Sure, there are still fart jokes and piss jokes, but they're more benign this time around, nicer, funny, sure, but not funny awful. There are those who complain that Austin's shtick is getting old, and I wonder what compelled them to go into the film in the first place. It IS called Austin Powers, regardless of the subtitle. Fat Bastard is reduced to a cameo this time around and as he and Mini-Me shared a place as my least favorite characters, I am thankful. At the same time, Mini-Me has been made more interesting, at least as far as that character can go. Goldmember is such a repulsive person that you can't help but laugh, though I think we could've done without the skin eating, thank you very much. The real standout of the main characters is Beyonce Knowles as Powers girl Foxy Cleopatra. After the dud of Heather Graham in the last film (let me post script this, I am a fan of Heather, ever since Twin Peaks, but she isn't funny. And she wasn't funny in The Spy Who Shagged Me) it was a delight to see someone with so much enthusiasm and gusto playing opposite Mr. Energy Mike Myers. She, unlike so many singers-turned actors could actually have a career and I'll be interested to see where she goes next. Michael Caine finally plays with his own persona and nails the role of Austin Powers father Nigel. He's delightful as always. Wink-wink cameos are a lot of fun. Or can be, anyway. The several wink-wink cameos in the opening of the film are a joy. And if you blink you'll miss Rob Lowe in the closing credits.
So, I thoroughly enjoyed the film. So what? Does my reviewer cred get thrown for a loop? Ebert can love every minute of Drew Barrymore's debacle Never Been Kissed and still has an audience, and Goldmember was not nearly as despised as that awful film. Besides, what do you look for when you see an Austin Powers movie? Chances are you'll find it here.

VIDEO QUALITY
The Austin Powers films are nothing if not insanely colorful and the format of DVD and laserdisc before it are the only ways to watch these movies. This DVD, despite being packed with extras, never allows the video quality to suffer for it. The blacks are rich and the colors beautiful, all presented anamorphically in the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio. A joy to behold. Now, unfortunately, there is a bit of shimmer and edge enhancement present, but not enough to ruin your movie watching experience.

AUDIO QUALITY
A stunning audio mix attached to a comedy? Surely you jest. New Line has seen fit to pack two superior audio tracks onto this film, both Dolby Digital and DTS 6.1 mixes. The extra channel is a center rear that allows for more diversified surrounds. The surrounds are used often and well, but never better than in the opening sequence, but the less said about it, the better. The music fills the soundscape and sound effects jump and swirl. Altogether a much better mix than we deserve. The DTS track seems to be just a touch louder than the Dolby Digital track, but both are quite deserving.

EXTRAS
This is Infinifilm. And a multitude of extras we have. First off there's a commentary track by Jay Roach and Mike Myers who, as with the previous Austin Powers movies are witty and fun and engaging on top, offering a bit of an insight into the film, but even if irrelevant are still worth listening to. A great companion to this is the Infinifilm fact track. This track is becoming a trend and I hope it continues as it's always fun. (Notable subtitle info track films: Ghostbusters, Spider-Man, the Back To The Future Trilogy) The Infinifilm links also pop up with this track and, while an interesting feature, I still preferred to access the supplements from the menu.
The supplements are intimidating. There's a fun short documentary on MI-6 and the man that inspired James Bond. Two other documentaries about disco and fashion are trite, but short. The Deleted Scenes are a lot of fun, as has been the case with all three films. Most enjoyable is the outtakes reel and the Magnolia homage that finds all the cast members singing. The documentaries on the world of Austin Powers is the meatiest of the bunch and offers much information about the creation of the entire series. There are four music videos on the DVD and, of all of them, I enjoyed Ming Tea's Daddy Wasn't There the best for its trippy retro feel. Britney Spears' Boys wants very badly to be as much fun as Madonna's Beautiful Stranger from The Spy Who Shagged Me. But it's not. And never will be.

CLOSING THOUGHTS
Bless you, New Line Cinema! For several reasons, actually. First for your commitment to quality special editions (I'm looking in The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition's direction, as well as your Infinifilm series) and now for giving up that godawful snap case. If only Warner Brothers would follow your lead on that front. Now you just need to offer us poor sods that've been buying your product since DVD began replacement cases for our DVDs so they all can live in peace and harmony only occasionally discriminating against the Warner DVDs for their cheap cardboard packaging, or against Paramount for, as a whole, jettisoning the idea of having special editions altogether, or against Columbia Tri-Star for their absurd idea that people really want movies full frame. But thank you New Line. (And thanks for Freddy Krueger, while I'm thanking) Bottom line for this DVD, if you have the other two in your collection, or you're a general fan of the series, pick this one up. It is thoroughly a superior DVD presentation to most others out there. And let's hope this fact track trend is picked up. It's really great fun!