Dom Robinson reviews

Distributed by

Entertainment in Video

Cat.no: EDV 9046

Cert: 12

Running time: 91 minutes

Year: 1999

Pressing: 1999

Region(s): 2, PAL

Chapters: 30 plus extras

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Languages: English

Subtitles: English

Widescreen: 2.35:1 (Super 35)

16:9-Enhanced: Yes

Macrovision: Yes

Disc Format: DVD 9

Price: £24.99

Extras : Scene index, Theatrical trailers and teasers, Director's Commentary, Deleted scenes, Cameo menu, Music videos, Cast biographies and filmographies, Dr. Evil's secret menu.

Director:

Jay Roach (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me)

Producers:

Mike Myers, Demi Moore, Suzanne and Jennifer Todd

Screenplay:

Mike Myers

Music:

George S. Clinton

Cast:

Austin Powers/Dr. Evil/Fat Bastard: Mike Myers (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Elvis Stories, 54, So I Married an Axe Murderer, Wayne's World 1 & 2)
Felicity Shagwell: Heather Graham (Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me, The Ballad of Little Jo, Boogie Nights, Drugstore Cowboy, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, I Love You To Death, License To Drive, Lost in Space, Midnight Sting, Mrs Parker and the Vicious Circle, Scream 2, Shout, Six Degrees of Separation, Swingers, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, Twins, Two Girls and a Guy, TV: Twin Peaks)
Miss Vanessa Kensington: Elizabeth Hurley (Aria, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Beyond Bedlam, EDtv, El Largo Invierno, Mad Dogs and Englishmen, My Favourite Martian, Passenger 57, Permanent Midnight, Remando Al Viento)
Basil Exposition: Michael York (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Dark Planet, 54, Lovers and Liars, Wrongfully Accused)
Number Two: Robert Wagner (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, The Pink Panther, The Player, The Towering Inferno, Wild Things, TV: Hart To Hart)

Shagwell by name.
Shag-very-well by nature!

Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me is the inevitable sequel to the first film, where the James Bond spoofs continue and now take into account both Dr. No and Moonraker.

This time around we've moved on two years and Austin (Mike Myers) is all set to settle down with his new bride Vanessa (Elizabeth Hurley)... but she reveals herself to be a fem-bot! After self-destructing, Austin has time to console himself... All of ten seconds before he realises he's single again. Yeah, baby!

Dr. Evil is back too, once again played by Mike Myers, but this time he's a good guy. No, I can't lie. Yes, he's going to threaten the world with obliteration once again and demand another huge ransom. Austin takes an interest when Dr. Evil sends a henchman, Fat Bastard (a third role for Mike Myers!), back in time to 1969 when Austin had already been in cryogenic stasis for two years so that he could steal his sexual prowess, a.k.a. his "mojo", since it stops his 1999 persona working as it should.

So Austin goes back in time as well, but with a multi-coloured VW Beetle instead of a De Lorean, hooks up with fellow agent Felicity Shagwell (Heather Graham, in Barbarella-like pose) and off they go for more crime-fighting. Will the defeat Dr. Evil and recover his mojo, or will they allow him to escape yet again so the series can be strung out for a third episode? I'll leave you to figure that out.

The film also includes more than knowing looks to Dr. No and Moonraker, plus clips shoved in for good measure of Independence Day and Apollo 13.

What 'All Creatures Great & Small' didn't show!

Yet again, Michael York returns as Austin's aide Basil Exposition and Mindy Sterling is Dr. Evil's female aide Frau Farbissina. Dr. Evil also has another trick up his sleeve in the form of a clone, 1/8th his size, known as "Mini-Me" (Verne Troyer). Robert Wagner is Number Two, as before, while Rob Lowe comes back to the screen in an Austin Powers film, not in a deleted scene, but as Young Number Two, in 1969. Also returning, gladly, are the quickfire and frequency of hilarious gags and comic timing.

Cameos are abound yet again. Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello provide the musical accompaniment in one scene. Others playing themselves include Woody Harrelson, musician Willie Nelson, agony uncle Jerry Springer in an excellent scene early on and model Rebecca Romijn who appears alongside one of Dr. Evil's bad girls, Ivana Humpalot (Third Rock From The Sun's resident transsexual, Kristen Johnston. Another baddie comes up in the form of Gia Carides as Robin Swallows (maiden name, Spitz - cue obvious, but very funny, gags).

Austin and Felicity were 'hot stuff' together...

Anamorphic picture, original 2.35:1 ratio, no artifacts and since, like the first film, most of Austin Powers 2 is dressed in shades of different stark, bright colours, everything comes across perfectly. The average bitrate is an excellent 9.78Mb/s.

The sound quality is also top-notch. Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound and plenty of swingin' sixties tunes. The opening credits are mixed once again with Quincy Jones and his Orchestra doing the "Soul Bossa Nova", while the soundtrack also includes offerings from Madonna, Lenny Kravitz (why didn't he release American Woman in the UK?) and Melanie B, now single again although the soundtrack still credits her as Melanie G.

Not a nice man at all.

Extras :

Chapters and Trailer :

Languages and Subtitles :

And there's more... :

Three music videos are also on the disc and, for a most welcome change, they're all in anamorphic widescreen - Madonna's hit single Beautiful Stranger, Lenny Kravitz's unreleased cover of the Guess Who track American Woman, the original of which made No.19 in May 1970 and Melanie B's not-quite-a-big-hit Word Up - the first two in 16:9 and the last in a 2.35:1 ratio.

The Cameo menu does what you'd expect of the Cast biographies and filmographies section, but for those making a, yes, you guessed it, cameo and provides a link to their scene. A feature-length Director's Commentary track is in there too and features comments and chat from director Jay Roach, star Mike Myers and executive producer Michael De Luca.

Finally, Dr. Evil's secret menu can be accessed by selecting the Special Features menu, then either waiting ages for the menu to go through the options and then see Dr. Evil's rocketship appear, or simply press "Next Chapter" twice (at least on my Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player) and then click on the "E". The menu allows access to a Spy-o-graphy, apparently a spoof on A&E's "Biography" series, plus musical renditions of Joan Osborne's One of Us and Will Smith's interpretation of the Bill Withers song Just The Two Of Us, both of which see Dr. Evil and Mini-Me declaring their feelings for each other...

He's no 'small fry'.

Menu :

Last time, Austin was released via Fox Pathe and they made an excellent job of the entire package, apart from the price, both of which have made their impression on this title from Entertainment in Video.

A great comedy film, first-rate picture and sound and stacks of extras. It would be a steal for twenty quid, but why did EiV feel the need to up the ante by a fiver? It caused several online websites to stop stocking it since they'd have to sell it at cost price to compete with the high-street stores who get a bigger discount on the dealer price.

There's been talk of 'rental windows' becoming a reality such that DVDs will be sold for an exhorbitant price, like rental videos, but after a few months the price will drop to a more manageable level. This DVD was first released on January 24th along with the rental video, but the price doesn't seem to have changed now that the retail tape has arrived.

FILM CONTENT PICTURE QUALITY SOUND QUALITY EXTRAS
OVERALL

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2000.