Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is a 1997 American science fiction/action-comedy film and the first film of the Austin Powers series. It was directed by Jay Roach and written by Mike Myers who also stars in the title role. Myers also plays Dr. Evil, Austin Powers' arch-enemy. The film co-stars Elizabeth Hurley as Vanessa Kensington, Robert Wagner as Number 2, Seth Green as Scott Evil, and Michael York as Basil Exposition. There are cameos by Will Ferrell, Carrie Fisher, Tom Arnold, Rob Lowe, Christian Slater, Neil Mullarkey, and Burt Bacharach, and an uncredited cameo by MADtv star Michael McDonald, among many others. The film is a parody of the James Bond films (particularly the earlier features in the franchise) as well as other 1960s spy films. The film, which cost $16.5 million, opened on May 2, 1997, to positive critical reviews. It made a modest impact at the box office, grossing US$53 million in its North American release and about US$68 million worldwide. The film later became a hit and cult classic on the home video market and cable television, spawning two more commercially successful sequels.

In 1967, British spy Austin Powers attempts to assassinate his nemesis, Dr. Evil, in his own nightclub (the Electric Psychedelic Pussycat Swingers Club). Dr. Evil escapes by launching himself in a space rocket disguised as a Bob's Big Boy statue, and cryogenically freezing himself. Powers volunteers to be put into cryostasis to be revived when Dr. Evil returns. Thirty years later, in 1997, Dr. Evil returns with new plans for world domination, discovering his henchman Number 2 has transformed Evil's empire into Virtucon, a multi-billion dollar enterprise. Though already wealthy, Dr. Evil proposes several plans to threaten the world for more money, but finds each of them have happened naturally during his absence; he ultimately falls back on his usual plan to steal nuclear weapons and hold the world hostage, and is advised to seek one hundred billion dollars. Later, he also discovers that henchwoman Frau Farbissina has used a sample of Evil's semen to artificially create his son, Scott Evil, now a Generation Y teenager. Scott is resentful of his father, despite Dr. Evil's attempts to get closer to him through therapy. Having learned of Dr. Evil's return, the British Ministry of Defence unfreezes Powers, acclimating him to the year 1997 with the help of agent Vanessa Kensington, the daughter of his sidekick in the 1960s, Mrs. Kensington. Powers quickly finds his free love credo of the 1960s to be out of touch with the 1990s, and is unable to turn Vanessa onto his charms. Later, the two pose as a married couple in a Las Vegas hotel and meet Number 2's Italian secretary, Alotta Fagina. Powers later breaks into her penthouse suite for reconnaissance and fornicates with her. He discovers plans for Dr. Evil's "Project Vulcan", which aims to drill a nuclear warhead into the Earth's molten core and trigger volcanic eruptions worldwide. Dr. Evil, learning that Powers is back and on his trail, creates a series of seductive identical female robots (called Fembots) that will lure Powers with their charm before killing him. Austin apologises to Vanessa for the affair with Alotta and vows to only be with her. Later the couple infiltrate Dr. Evil's headquarters but are captured by his henchman, Random Task. After Dr. Evil makes his demands to the world, he reveals that even after receiving the money he will still proceed with Project Vulcan. He then places Powers and Vanessa in a death trap that they easily escape from. Powers instructs her to get help, while he eludes and destroys the fembots by performing a striptease which they cannot handle. Meanwhile, Vanessa returns with British forces. Powers finds the doomsday device and deactivates it at the last moment. He later finds Dr. Evil in the main chamber along with Alotta Fagina who is holding Vanessa hostage, but Number 2 appears and offers to make a deal with Powers. Dr. Evil apparently kills Number 2 and makes his escape back to his rocket, setting off the base's self-destruct system. Vanessa knocks Alotta unconscious and escapes with Powers as the lair explodes. Powers and Vanessa are later married, but during their honeymoon they are attacked by Random Task. Powers subdues the assassin and the couple adjourn to their balcony to have wild sex. Noticing a rather bright star, Powers pulls out a telescope to discover that it is in fact Dr. Evil's cryogenic chamber in which he vows revenge.