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Austin Powers 2 New Line Starring Mike Meyers, Heather Graham Star Wars? Forget about it. In a Summer where we've already had a "Star Wars" that was slightly skewed towards disapointing, we now recieve the reward for sitting through endless Taco Bell ads pushing "The Force". In a world where sequels rarely ever surpass the originals, Mike Meyers has taken the "Austin Powers" series to new heights in a film that is classic in its attempts to do just about anything for a laugh. Where the original would present gags as if it was testing the audience, slightly unsure just how they'd go over, the sequel pushes through with full, agressive force, loading nearly every moment of screentime with hilarious gag after gag. This time, Austin Powers is back, starting in this film right where the original left off. Dr. Evil is still in his Big Boy statue, but not for long. And Austin doesn't find himself married for long, either; he recieves a rather unpleasant surpise during his honeymoon with Mrs. Kensington(Elizabeth Hurley in a cameo). Austin's reaction to this otherwise tragic event is nothing short of a scream, sending the film off with an incredibly hilarious dance number that tops the parade that kicked off the original. And it only gets better. Soon, Dr. Evil is back, planning to take over the world yet again and meeting back with son Scott on nothing less than the Jerry Springer show. I was already laughing harder than I had in ages. The Springer scene is classic- there are some classic comedic lines from Meyers as Evil if you listen closely. Soon after, we find out the plot of Dr. Evil: to go back in time and not only steal Austin Powers's mojo, but blow up Washington, DC from the safety of the moon. Austin, "mojo-less" goes back in time after Dr. Evil and teams up with CIA agent Felicity Shagwell( Heather Graham, light as cotton candy and just as sweet in the role). You know the plot: the two must find Dr. Evil and stop him. Back to the general discussion: I could go on forever about just how many amusing or downright hilarious moments there are, but I'd be writing for ages. I'll just focus on some of the more memorable ones. Best is the decision to feature Dr. Evil more than Austin this time. There are bits that Meyers has crafted for Evil this time even that surpass the hilarity that he brought to the role for the first film. The character is a brilliant creation and Meyers expands it, but always keeps the lines fresh and fast, even when there are callbacks to gags from the original(of which, there are actually fewer than I'd expected.) Speaking of speed, director Jay Roach keeps things going at a far faster, giddier, joyful pace than a lot of the original film. Even the cinematography by Ueli Stiger is more energetic and bright than the work done in the original.There's a desire to push jokes to the limit here that hasn't worked so successfully since the Farrelly Brothers made "Kingpin" a few years ago, a movie that made my list of the best films for that year, and "Powers" will very likely make my list of best pictures this year. There's just more going on here in the sequel as well: Dr. Evil has been given a tiny clone of himself named Mini-Me. Since son Scott is still in the picture, it sets up many moments of fierce sibling rivalry which are just a few very funny moments that are part of the seemingly millions that the film has in store. The relationship between Evil and Mini-Me has some scenes that are so incredibly funny(including a song number) it would be a crime to ruin them here by revealling their details. Meyers really has found the perfect role for himself and hopefully, we'll be seeing much more of the "Austin Powers" films in the future. Heather Graham is obviously having a lot of fun in her role and it shows; she's a lighter, sunnier hero than Elizabeth Hurley was and she's wonderful with Meyers. Even some of the less successful creations that Meyers has spawned for this film(he plays a very fat villian named Fat Bastard as well as his roles as Austin and Dr. Evil) are at least sort-of funny. What's so refreshing about this film though is how hard it works for a laugh. Where other comedies seem to be content to sit back and throw out a few "sitcom-type" one-liners, the "Austin Powers" sequel is a force, trying to cram every minute, every second with something, anything for at least a smile. There's a certain joyfulness that Meyers has brought to the role that completes it and wraps it all up in an impressively entertaining package. I read the version of the screenplay that was passed around the internet a few months back and I laughed. There's nothing that really could have prepared me for exactly how funny Meyers made this material onscreen, though. "Austin Powers 2" really is a solid, well-done effort that Meyers, cast and crew should be congratulated for. I haven't laughed so hard....ever, probably. By 20 minutes into the movie, I'd already come to a decision: I'm seeing this again. Easily the funniest film I've seen in ages; the jokes here are in a seemingly endless supply. The original was wonderful, but this film is just far funnier. Do I want to see another sequel? Yeah, baby! **** BACK TO THE SITE: Listing Of DVD Special Sales Back To A Guide To Current Film A List Of Current/Upcoming DVD For Sale Soundtracks For Current Films |
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