Rating: Summary: Plot Takes a Back Seat Review: Now don't get me wrong: 'Austin Powers' films were never ones to have plausible plots. (We can all remember sending a missile to the center of the Earth and using a 'Death Star' to destroy the planet.) However, Mike Myers and company decided to abandon a plot entirely and choose a straight-forward comedic approach, which, I must say, works...on some level.The jokes are hit and miss, though fortunately most are hilarious, probably more so the first time around. It boasts the best opening scene in the series' history, and has many memorable moments that will be long-remembered. However, Goldmember himself wasn't all too funny, and in fact, I grew bored of him when he was onscreen. Where was Fat Bastard? Why was he only entitled to five minutes of screen time? 'Goldmember' also holds another record for this franchise...it has the largest plot holes of any comedy, much less any movie I've ever seen. But we all knew this wasn't Oscar material, right? Me, the biggest film critic I know, expected only laughs and a movie worth the eight bucks we spend...and I wasn't disappointed. 'Austin Powers in Goldmember' is by far better than the first film, and close to the second. I can't decide which is funnier just yet, but in time I will choose a winner. Let's just hope this isn't the last 'Powers' film we see. It'd be a shame...few movies can be funny nowadays, save for maybe Austin himself.
Rating: Summary: Third time not the charm Review: As someone who loved the first Austin Powers movie and thought the second pretty good, I am saddened to report that the joke has gotten tired. Not that there aren't worthwhile moments in this film as well, but you could watch the first 10 minutes and then leave the theater secure in the knowledge that you have gotten 90% of the pleasure this movie can impart. I was happy when it ended and would have been even happier if it had done so 10 minutes earlier. Among the reasons I found this sequel inferior--an even greater emphasis on toilet and genitalia related humor than in the Spy Who Shagged Me (and I know there are certain people who find this kind of thing hilarious, but I'm not one of them)and the reappearance of the repellent Fat Bastard and the appearance of the new villian Goldmember who also has nausea-inducing habits. Dr. Evil is certainly creepy but his actions never made my stomach queasy. There is a tendency to flog jokes to death and I'm afraid that Mike Myers has gotten too fond of his hero and is starting to treat him like a real one, rather than a parody. Half the fun of the original Austin Powers was watching our hero make [a fool] out of himself, that never happens anymore. If you are a fan of the first two Austin Powers movies you should probably see this one, because it does have its moments, particularly the first few minutes, but my overall impression of the third film in the series makes no case at all for the production of a fourth.
Rating: Summary: Goldmember: a charmingly humorous experience Review: This latest Austin Powers' film will not win an Academy Awards. It will also not earn a place on anyone's 100 best movies of all time. Nonetheless, I heartedly recommend that you see this somewhat vulgar, scatological, and comedy loaded with never ending sexual double entendres. The consumer product Preparation H is prominently highlighted. Do I need to elaborate further? Goldmember will bring at least a smile to your face and has a number of really funny scenes. Austin Powers must once again save the world from the nefarious Dr. Evil. The plot doesn't make a bit of sense, but who cares? No one in their right mind expects Shakespeare or Victor Hugo. Most viewers have almost certainly seen one or both of the previous Austin Powers' comedic slap stick adventures. If not, try imagining Laurel & Hardy, Abbott & Costelo, and the Three Stooges making fun of the James Bond 007 series. It is unfortunate that I mentioned earlier that Goldmember will not garner any major film award nominations. Mike Myers is brilliant portraying Austin Powers, Dr. Evil, and Fat Bastard. Unfortunately, actors specializing in comedy are routinely ignored. This is not fair, but it is a fact of life. Goldmember deserves 4 and a half stars. Both religious conservatives and the politically correct Left will be outraged---but that's their problem.
Rating: Summary: Stinks Beyond Belief Review: I liked the first Austin movie, and I thought the "Spy Who Shagged Me" was even funnier. Matter of fact, I saw the second one twice when it came on cable. So I was looking forward to watching "Goldmember". I would say I lasted about 20 minutes before I walked out of the theater... Sophomoric isn't the word to use for this dud. First, don't take a kid to see this thing: it was gratuitous with profanity, and the humor was something only a Howard Stern fan would enjoy. And some of the profanity bordered on an R rating. You'd have to be a very dumb kid not to pick up on the lewdness. I guess the makers of this super turkey figured the second picture was so hot, so they third would make even more money. And what a dumb script: it made no sense and went beyond ridiculous. If you saw the second Austin movie there was a scene where Dr. Evil did a musical number with Mini Me, and if you looked at Rob Lowe's face you could see he thought it was weird. Now in "Goldmember", Dr. Evil is rapping in prison, and guess what? The prisoners jump in and sing and dance. This movie makes the second movie look like serious drama. Summary: too profane for kids and too stupid for an adult. Seems like the director couldn't figure out his audience, so he's stuck with this horrible mess. If you're an Austin fan, stick with the memories of "The Spy Who Shagged Me" and pray they don't make anymore sequels.
Rating: Summary: Hilarious! Review: Austin Powers movies seem to divide people into two camps: You either hate 'em (Or won't even lower yourself by seeing them) or love 'em. I love 'em, so remember that as you read this review... The movie is worth seeing just for the cameos in the first scene. I won't spoil the surprise, and I hope no one else does. Really inspired casting choices....The rest of the film delivers the usual Austin formula- A ridiculous plot that is just a framework to hang the jokes on. This time, Austin needs to rescue his father, played by Michael Caine, from the clutches of Dr. Evil and the underutilized Goldmember (Both played by Mike Myers, who also plays Powers and Fat Bastard), a skin-flake eating euro-swinger who enjoys painting peoples "Wedding-Tackle" gold. (Considering all of the legal hoopla that went on regarding the use of the name Goldmember, he really has very little screen time, and contributes nothing to the film, aside from the strange plot to use a tractor beam ("Preparation H") to pull a meteor into the Earth, thereby flooding it, while the bad guys are safely in their Dr. Evil-shaped Submarine. The film suffers from the same problems most other film series do- Too many characters competing for screen time. We've got the returning Austin, Basil Exposition, Fat Bastard, Dr. Evil, Frau, Scott, Mini-Me, Number Two (No Mr. Bigglesworth this time, except for a brief flashback), and then there are the new characters, such as Foxxy Cleopatra and Nigel powers....It's a very crowded movie, and it felt a little too long. Caine and Beyonce Knowles are welcome additions to the cast, though, especially Knowles- She does a great job as Foxxy, and she sure is easy on the eyes. I'd like to see her return in the next Powers flick. There are some BIG laughs, especially the scene where a bewildered seaman watches Austin and Mini-Me's shadows on a curtain. I laughed so hard I actually cried, and wound up missing some of the scene while I wiped my eyes. If that ain't a good reason to see a comedy, I don't know what is.....
Rating: Summary: We LOVED Austin Powers in Goldmember Review: Before we got to the theater we were not sure if the new Austin Powers movie was going to be very good at all....but it turned out to be not good but great!! Throughout the whole movie we were laughing our heads off. I think that the movie was more for teenagers and adults. But overall the movie was great!! Tara K. and Austyn C.
Rating: Summary: IT IS HILARIOUS! Review: Their is not much plot to the movie, but the foul-mouthed jokes and crude humor more than make up for it. Fat Fastard makes an appearance as a sumo wrestler, Dr. Evil has some funny-as-hell one liners, and the opening scene is one that is both clever and unexpected with enough star power and oscar nominees to be an after-party. The movie goes as such: Austin Powers finally puts Dr. Evil behind bars but Goldmember, Dr.Evil's accomplise from the 70's, kidnaps Austin's father, Nigel, and takes him back to the 1975. Austin then heads back to to the 70's only to come back with Foxxy Cleopatra, to find that Dr. Evil has escaped from prison and teamed up with Goldmember to destroy the world unless they are paid not to, and they have Nigel as their prisoner. What will Austin do?! Can he save us from the madmen looking to destroy the world? I am not telling you, see the movie.
Rating: Summary: Shagadelic Baby! Review: I am an Austin Powers fan through and through, and well most movie sequals fall through I think Austin Powers In Goldmember definitly lived up to the first two!! With a new love interest, Foxy Cleopatra, played by Beyonce of Destiny's Child, and a little less "yeah baby yeahing" Austin's character is yet again out to stop evil, only this time Dr. Evil has been inprisoned with Hannible-like surrondings, and Austin's father kidnapped into a different time. My only dislike about this movie is newest villian, Goldmember, known by because of a "gold smelting accent" in which he lost he privates in. He's almost as disgusting as Fat Bastard. He is obsessed with gold, and painting his victims privates gold is just the beginning of his disgusting acts... Besides that Dr. Evil's son Scott is becoming evil himself, and with the creation of Dr. Evil's hysterical new submarine the movie is set up in an anything is possible manor. Showcasing one of the hugest camio line ups including Tom Cruise, Britney Spears, Gweneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, Danny Devito and many many more, this movie is definity shagadelic!
Rating: Summary: pretty awful Review: what happened? the truly original and creative humorous edge of the first two films is gone. there's absolutly nothing new in this film, and the chemistry between actors and characters is almost non-existant here. throwing in Beyonce Knowles (however beautiful and talented a singer she is) was a poor choice (austin's old "flame" from 1975? right. sure). and michael cain as austin's father is a ridiculous throw away role. plus, all the good jokes from the last two films are recycled and butchered in this movie. i remember laughing nearly every minute at the theatre during the last film; this time i was hard pressed to chuckle a few times during the entirety of Goldmember (the Goldmember character himself was ridiculously stupid). the only truly funny parts were the a-list hollywood celebrity cameos. come on mike myers. what happened?
Rating: Summary: Ouch, I guess my expectations were just a tad too high Review: Let me preface this review by stating up front that I loved the two previous entries in the series. I went to the theater really wanting to love this movie just as much as its predecessors (really I did), but there is a problem with the new movie....it's got nothing new to offer...everything here has been done before, and better in other spy/superhero genre entries.... To tell you the truth the beginning of Austin Powers 3 is the best part of the movie.... but it went way down hill after that and the laughs from the audience I was sitting with turned to groans at some of the cheapest and unfunniest sight gags I have seen in ages and disgust as some of the vulgar humor that makes "Scary Movie 2" look like "Mary Poppins" It's tired, Dr. Evil even told a joke that I heard in high school and it wasn't funny back then. MGM should slap New Line Cinema --- Austin Powers rips off, Live and Let Die","The Spy who Loved Me" and numerous moments from other James Bond movies... and the trailers for "Die Another Day" and "The Two Towers" (ie Lord of the Rings 2") Go see it and judge for yourself, but for me this movie gets a thumbs way down....
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