Weekly Analysis 4-1

I had decided I would analyze a popular movie this week and thought about recent movies that have influenced common phrases in society. I couldn’t help it; I kept thinking about the Austin Powers series. As ridiculous and silly as the Austin Powers movies are, I still think they are entertaining. The series of movies certainly qualify as a popular culture artifact.

The first Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery was released in 1997 with a lot of marketing campaigns. Audiences flocked to the movie and were spouting off quotes from the movie for several years. The second movie, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, was almost just as popular as the first. The second movie also had some rather famous actors to help attract audiences (i.e. Heather Graham). In 2002, the third movie of the series, Austin Powers: Goldmember, was released. This third movie was also really popular as it had pop-star Beyonce Knowles as the leading lady. All three movies were are full of bad humor, sexual connotations, shoot-outs, and investigating.

The main character, Austin Powers, is a ‘60s British secret agent that still thinks he’s hot and hip. Powers was frozen in the ‘60s then thawed 30 years later to catch an old enemy. The story line was just goofy and different enough to make the original movie very successful. I give my applause to the writers who selected just the right “absurd” phrases to hook audiences. I still hear people make a few Powers quotes now and then like, “Yeah baby” and “Do I make you horny?”

Besides the witty remarks and famous phrases, the Austin Powers movies also show a good example of constant changes in society. Powers was thawed out in the ‘90s and could hardly believe the changes that occurred over the last 30 years. He didn’t understand why people weren’t having random sex anymore. He had to quickly learn a lot about new technology, higher prices, politics, and proper etiquette. There was actually a moment in the movie where I felt bad for Powers. His assistant detective gave him some DVDs to update him on the last 30 years (once he figured out how a DVD worked). When you really think about the biggest events of the last 30 years, almost every event is tragic and heart-wrenching. That would be a lot to take in for a person that’s missed out on the world that long!

The villain of the movies, Dr. Evil, is not just the typical villain. Dr. Evil is also behind the times; which really adds to the humor. It was a great example of how much costs have risen when Dr. Evil threatened to blow up the world unless he got a million dollars. Another comical element that made the movie such a success was the small person named, Minnie Me. The Austin Powers movies broke a lot of “politically correct” rules and enjoyed every bit of it. I can see Austin Powers as a pop culture artifact that many generations will carry on.

Picture Reference:

Internet Movie Database (2008). Austin Powers: International man of mystery. Retrieved on July 23, 2008, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118655/