Austin Powers Reviews: Our Verdict on All Three Films

Our Austin Powers reviews cover three theatrical films about a flamboyant British spy, all directed by Jay Roach with Mike Myers in the lead. What follows is the short verdict on each, written as opinion. If you want the list in order of preference, Austin Powers movies ranked puts them side by side, and the Austin Powers movies hub lists every film.

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997). This is the one I would hand to a newcomer. Austin is frozen in 1967 and thawed in 1997 to face Dr. Evil, who has demanded $100 billion from the world under threat of nuclear weapons. The budget was $16.5 million, and the effects look cheap because of it, as the A.V. Club's oral history of the film describes. In my opinion that scrappy look gives the film its charm. Michael York appears as Basil Exposition, and Elizabeth Hurley gives Vanessa Kensington enough poise to anchor the silliness. Read more at Austin Powers International Man of Mystery.

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999). This is the funniest of the three, in my opinion, because it finds new comic machinery instead of repeating the first film. Dr. Evil gets Mini-Me, Myers adds a third role in Fat Bastard, and Heather Graham brings a bright energy as Felicity Shagwell. The 1969 setting also lets the production play with a different era of spy movie style. The budget doubled to $33 million, and the film opened to $54.9 million, according to Box Office Mojo. Details are at The Spy Who Shagged Me.

Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002). The third film has the biggest budget at $63 million and the strongest cast list, with Michael Caine as Nigel Powers, Beyoncé as Foxxy Cleopatra and Goldmember himself. In my opinion it leans on familiar gags, and the 1975 time travel plot feels like a repeat of the second film's structure. It is still an easy watch, and the father and son thread between Austin and Nigel gives it some warmth. See Austin Powers Goldmember.

All three films are rated PG-13 in the US, 12 in the UK and M in Australia, according to TMDB. That rating is a guide, not a promise that the films suit every 13 year old. I would watch before you let younger teens see them, so you can judge for yourself.

In my opinion, yes: the series plays as a spy movie spoof, and James Bond is the obvious point of comparison. The films follow a flamboyant British spy and Dr. Evil's over the top schemes, and MGM and Danjaq objected to the Goldmember title, according to UPI. If you know the James Bond films, the comparison is easy to make, and our Austin Powers Bond parody page looks at it in more detail. You do not need to have seen any Bond film to follow the story, though.

The Spy Who Shagged Me is the biggest earner of the series, according to Box Office Mojo. International Man of Mystery grossed $67.7 million on a $16.5 million budget, The Spy Who Shagged Me grossed $313.7 million on $33 million, and Goldmember grossed $296.9 million on $63 million. The second film is both the biggest earner and the best return on cost, at about 9.5 times its budget. For the full table, see Austin Powers box office. The Numbers lists slightly different figures for some films, so totals vary a little by source.

People like Austin Powers because Myers commits to every character, and because the films know exactly what they are mocking. Myers plays Austin, Dr. Evil and, in the sequels, Fat Bastard and Goldmember, and the performances are distinct enough that you forget one actor is doing all of them. Add a supporting ensemble that includes Seth Green as Scott Evil and Mindy Sterling as Frau Farbissina, and the films have a comic rhythm that survives repeat viewing. It could be argued that nostalgia plays its part too, but the setups still work on newcomers.

In my opinion, yes, though it depends on your tolerance for broad, repetitive comedy. The first film is the most disciplined, the second is the most inventive and the third is the most polished and the least surprising. I would call all three worth watching once, with the first two worth watching twice. That is an opinion, and the box office suggests plenty of audiences agreed in 1999 and 2002.

Start with Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and watch in release order, because each sequel builds on the jokes and characters of the one before. The Austin Powers movies in order page confirms that release order and story order are the same here. If you only have time for one, pick The Spy Who Shagged Me for the jokes and the Mini-Me scenes. Then, if you want to keep going, check where to watch Austin Powers and the latest on Austin Powers 4.