Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

In 1997, Jay Roach directed a spy comedy written by and starring Mike Myers, who plays both the title character and his archrival. This movie, the first of three, also features Elizabeth Hurley, Michael York, Robert Wagner, Seth Green, and Mindy Sterling. It pokes fun at James Bond movies and the pop culture of the 1960s. The story follows Austin Powers, a flashy secret agent frozen in the 1960s who wakes up in the 1990s to stop Dr. Evil, a criminal mastermind who has also returned from cryogenic sleep and plans to hold the world for ransom. While adjusting to modern life, Austin teams up with Vanessa Kensington (Hurley) to foil Dr. Evil’s scheme. Released on May 2, 1997, the film earned about $67 million worldwide on a budget of $16–18 million. Its initial box office was modest in some places, but it gained a larger audience later through home video and word of mouth. Critics generally liked it. Two sequels followed: *Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me* (1999) and *Austin Powers in Goldmember* (2002). In 1967, Austin Powers is a flashy British spy known for his charm and the free-spirited hedonism of the era. Unable to beat him, Dr. Evil freezes himself, planning to return when greed and corruption rule. Austin volunteers to be frozen too, so he can face his enemy again. When Dr. Evil wakes up in 1997, he finds that many of his planned schemes—like damaging the ozone layer or faking a scandal involving Prince Charles—have already happened without him. His lieutenant, Number Two, has turned Virtucon, the legal front for his criminal empire, into a huge corporation. Uninterested in business, Dr. Evil threatens the world with nuclear weapons unless he gets $100 billion. He also meets his teenage son, Scott, conceived from his preserved sperm; Scott resents Dr. Evil for being absent. The British Ministry of Defence wakes Austin and assigns him Vanessa Kensington, daughter of his former partner, to help him adjust. Unlike her mother, who shared an unspoken bond with Austin, the practical Vanessa is put off by his outdated views on casual sex and relationships. Still, his charm wins her over, and they grow close. Posing as a married couple, Austin and Vanessa go to Las Vegas, where they meet Number Two and his secretary, Alotta Fagina. Austin sneaks into Alotta’s penthouse and learns about Project Vulcan: Dr.