Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)

Austin Powers has returned yet again for another installment in his comedy series. The first film, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, was a huge hit, so inevitably it would produce at least one sequel. Then Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me came out. It was a disaster. It went for the gross-out, and turned out just plain disgusting. With a huge hit and a huge mess in the series, I was a bit hesitant to see how the third film, Austin Powers in Goldmember, would turn out.

The characters were all well acted. Mike Myers continues to show his versatility, playing 4 characters in the film. He definitely hasn’t lost anything from his old “SNL” days, for sure. He gives each character a unique personality, and even two of them have different accents. Very impressive.

Beyoncé, in her first starring role, does a pretty good job as Foxy Cleopatra, and brings a freshness to the film. If she is able to act this well her first time out, it looks like she has another career open to her on the horizon.

Seth Green continues to shine as Dr. Evil’s son, Scott, and his role has expanded in this film, finally. He’s been a bit of a bit part in both Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and he finally gets more screen time, plus he’s set up for a much bigger role in the inevitable next film.

The storyline has always been decent throughout the series, and this film continues that tradition. With good use of dialogue, and a lot of humorous situations, Austin Powers in Goldmember tries to go again for more (somewhat) clean humor, rather than the gross-out humor of the second film. With a main villain named Goldmember, there was an easy chance they would go again for the gross-out, and luckily, they tried to keep the gross-out to more of a minimum.

The special effects were all very well done. From the great makeup that helped transform Mike Myers into each of the four characters to the way they made those characters seem to interact with each other, it all seemed flawless. These films have definitely helped show what one person can do with today’s special effects technology, and good camera angles.

All in all, Austin Powers in Goldmember is a good third film for the series. After the dismal – and disgusting – second film of the series, Austin Powers in Goldmember brings the viewer back to the heyday of the series…and Mike Myers showcases once again why he’s so funny. Newcomers Beyoncé and Michael Caine each help round out a movie that ends the Austin Powers trilogy on a high note – prompting hope for another sequel someday.

If only they could have done this film second, and left out The Spy Who Shagged Me, this series would be a great addition to any collection. As it is, go out and buy Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, then Austin Powers in Goldmember, skipping the second film entirely. You’ll be much happier for it. Yeah, baby!