Austin Powers: Ten years old

Last night I watched Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. I realized afterwards that the movie came out in 1997. That makes it 10 years old (obviously).

And what can I say about this movie? Not a heck of a lot. This will be a very short post.

Two things struck me about the film. The first was, having seen the movie several times although not recently, it’s still pretty funny. At least, certain elements and certain scenes are still quite funny. And I can see why it was so popular when it first came out: It was partly the humor, but a lot of it had to do with the parodying of the 60’s spy movie genre.

However, quite a few other parodies have been released since then. So the movie’s initial surprise, the clever and silly parody of James Bond type movies, doesn’t have the same freshness.

But what it still retains is the wonderful sense of silliness that Mike Myers brought to the parody, as well as his nostalgic fondness for the genre. And of course, it still has its opening theme, by Quincy Jones, Soul Bossa Nova, which perfectly sets the tone for the entire movie. It has fun and verve and a sense of the giggles.

Yes, the movie may be a bit worn in 2007. But, as mentioned, the fun and silliness and color and overall joy in nonsense remain. So it’s still a lot of fun to watch. And that may be why I keep watching it.

In fact, that is why I keep watching it.

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