-
#678 – Her (2013)
Her (2013)
Film review #678
Director: Spike Jonze
SYNOPSIS: Theodore works creating love letters for couples as a service for those who don’t want to do it themselves. Following his marriage break-up, he entertains the idea of dating his new operating system, Samantha.
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Her is a 2013 sci-fi romance film. In a near-future, Theodore’s job is to write bespoke love letters to couples from each other, for those who can’t won’t do it for themselves: already sounding somewhat dystopian and also surprising that someone has tried to build a start-up based on said service (I’m actually sure someone has at least tried). Theo (Joaquin Phoenix) himself is currently going through a divorce, and in a romantic slump. When he gets a new personalised A.I. operating system, Theo and Samantha (the A.I.) begin to develop a relationship , thus experiencing the heights and challenges that it brings. Adopting the thinnest of science-fiction veneers, Her is a commentary on modern relationships in the widest possible sense; the fact that one of them is an A.I. is supplementary to that. The science-fiction element is also kept wafer thin because this is obviously intended to be a romance film foremost and designed to appeal to that audience, which is easily obfuscated by a thicker sci-fi backdrop that traditionally keeps that target audience away. The film provides a substantial amount of depth as it moves through different stages and issues, creating a romance that is warm and supporting, but doesn’t shy away from the issues it raises. The plot does run out of steam nearer the end, as the two drift apart and the film fails to articulate any motivating factors or engaging dialogue. I think part of that is the point: that sometimes, two people just drift apart as they change, and there’s no real way to articulate or rationalise it. Nevertheless, it did feel like there wasn’t anything more profound in the ending like the rest of the film, to latch on to.
Her has a very distinctive, consistent style that permeates the film: the colour schemes of warm, soft and pastel-esque colours evoke a calm and contemplative atmosphere. The music and soundtrack too reflects a similar kind of lightness and liberation, but still leaves space for the serious moments. The acting is flawless across the entire cast, I find no issue with that, even if the lead character is a bit flaky, but I think that’s the point in that we are watching him learn a few things. I have to say though; I did not love this film as a lot of people have done. There felt like too much faffing about at points, and tried to make it’s point one too many times by giving a line of dialogue that was clearly meant to be amazingly meaningful and profound, but I just didn’t feel like the film needed that weighty dialogue. Her is a well-made, thoughtful, and insightful film that aims to say a lot lot about modern human relations (and beyond human relations at that). A mix of quieter and loud moments that will connect with different people, and a soft sci-fi surface that won’t alienate more general filmgoers. Personally the film falls off near the end and runs it’s course a little before the two hour runtime is over, and there are moments that the film tries to be more explicitly profound than it needs to be. So I don’t think it’s perfect, but it’s certainly one for personal taste, and others may get more out of it than I have.
-
#677 – Wyrmwood: Apocalypse (2021)
Wyrmwood: Apocalypse (2021)
Film review #677
Director: Kiah Roache-Turner
SYNOPSIS: With a zombie apocalypse raging on, soldier Rhys takes survivors and delivers them to the Sugreon General to help them find a cure. Unknown to him is that the surgeon is killing them and turning their fluids into a secret formula that makes him more powerful. When Rhys delivers a woman to the surgeon and uncovers the truth, he teams up with her Sister with a plan to rescue her and put a stop to the surgeon’s evil plans.
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Wyrmwood: Apocalypse is a 2021 Australian post-apocalypse film and the sequel to 2014’s Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead. The film starts with the introduction of a new character, a former soldier named Rhys, who takes people to a surgeon who he believes is trying to find a cure, but in reality is killing the people and extracting a fluid from them to make himself more powerful. A separate intro sequence does reintroduce the characters Barry and Brooke from the first film, but they don’t show up again until half way through the film, meaning we’re left to focus on the less interesting new cast. On the whole, Wyrmwood Apocalypse does a lot of the same things as its predecessor; mixing high energy action and gore, but brings a more conventional narrative to the forefront, which slows everything down a little.
Continuing the Roache-Turner brothers filming style, the film is full of quick cuts, close-ups, and loud noises that keep the action flowing. As mentioned, the newer characters don’t really have much presence, and and less interesting than the characters from the original that reappear half-way through the runtime. having the main antagonist again being a mad surgeon or doctor does feel like a bit of a re-tread of the original, and I think there was scope to try something new. Given a seven year gap between the original and sequel as well, it is a long time to reintroduce the characters and its different quirks; the sequel goes half-and-half by making new story and characters, but also adding in the cast from the previous film half way through, and it probably should have stuck to one or the other. Overall though, Wyrmwood: Apocalypse is very much more of its predecessor: plenty of action, gore and over-the-top nonsense that is stylish and entertaining, but the new cast and a more typical story format does slow it down a little, making not quite as enticing as the original.
-
#676 – Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead (2014)
Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead (2014)
Film review #676
Director: Kiah Roache-Turner
SYNOPSIS: After an airborne infection from a meteor shower turns the majority of people into zombies, Barry and his family try to escape, but Barry is left as the only survivor. He goes to try and find his Sister Brooke, who unbeknownst to him has been kidnapped by a mad scientist and his goons, and is being experimented on…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead is a 2014 Australian zombie film. The film starts off with a meteor shower that releases an airborne infection, turning many people into zombies. Barry, a mechanic, tries to escape with his wife and daughter, but they don’t make it. Having only his sister Brooke left, he goes to try and find her, but little does he know, she has been kidnapped by a mad scientist who is performing some strange experiment on her. While there’s a lack of a cohering plot that ties everything together, Wyrmwood provides plenty of action, gore and energy to keep things interesting. It is, at its core, a a zombie film, and there’s a lot of zombie films out there, and I don’t think it makes itself stand out completely from the rest. The film is constantly on edge, with you never knowing really what is going to happen next, or who is going to get their face blown off, and as such, it keeps things entertaining until the end.
There’s a decent balance of gore, suspense and action that should satisfy a wide range of viewers, combined with some colourful Aussie humour too. The second half of the film brings a more clearer focus to the story, but not too much: it’s still a gorefest. Despite the low budget, there’s a good balance of physical and practical effects that are convincing enough, and the fast pace means that a shot doesn’t linger too long on anything to critique it. There’s not too much of substance to critique in Wyrmwood: it’s just a wild ride of dismembering zombies for a good ninety minutes, often without rhyme or reason: do you need a reason to go to town on the undead though? It doesn’t distinguish itself too much from the hordes of zombie films out there, but at least it’s loud, messy, and fun with plenty of flair and style. The story is a bit more linear and centered this time around, but the trouble with this is that isn’t isn’t very fresh or interesting, and thus brings the energy down a bit. Rhys just isn’t that interesting as a character
-
#675 – Glowzies (2023)
Glowzies (2023)
Film review #675
Director: Hank Braxtan
SYNOPSIS: A group of elderly veterans who spend their time in a diner are interrupted by a group of young influencers who want to check out the old mill in the area. Suspecting something wrong, the vets team up with the influencers to investigate, and when a horde of gloiwing zombies is unleashed from the mill, the veterans realise that they have seen this before, and their memories are not what it seems…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Glowzies is a 2023 sci-fi film. The film sees a group of grizzled military veterans teaming up with a group of young social influencers to investigate the old mill where the vets worked, which has seemingly been disturbed. Unbeknownst to the vets, they have actually been drugged for the past thirty years to forget that they used to work there, and to keep an eye on the mill in case a terrible secret gets out; the terrible secret eventually does, as glowing zombies start to emerge and the animated goop that turns people into zombies must be stopped before it reaches the outside world. This very typical low budget zombie film may not seen like much at first, but it teams up an interesting contrast of characters, some decent special effects, and just enough self-awareness and humour to make it entertaining. There’s quite a lot going on with the story; from the vets having their memories suppressed, the influencers investigating the mill, the glowing ooze being some sort of alien lifeform, a villain that appears for five minutes…there’s an awful lot to process. But as mentioned, it has enough self-awareness that there’s always a sense of you don’t have to take things too seriously, or follow things precisely to get some enjoyment out of the film. The plot does get a bit bloated towards the end with everything that is going on, and I think a rewrite on the script could have streamlined a bunch of things that slow the film down just a little too much.
The acting is, on the whole, fairly good. With a cast of veterans including James Remar and Michael Dorn (who keeps showing up in these low budget films I end up watching), the film delivers some decent performances. One of the most notable features of this film is that it is a “fun for all the family” experience (as the trailer describes it), so there’s not an abundance of gore and adult humour to mix things up. There is just enough zombies getting their heads smashed in and exploding to bring out some spectacle, but never anything overly scary. Another thing that really stands out is the humour: there’s a fair few genuinely funny moments, it’s just that the pacing can sometimes fail to give the necessary space to appreciate the joke.
As mentioned, the special effects are fairly decent: the titular “glowzies” have an eerie glow about them, and the practical ooze effects are fun. The soundtrack has a sixties “Beach Boys” feel to it, although they obviously couldn’t afford to license any recognisable songs; nevertheless, you get the idea. I think the quality of the this film could have been easily bumped up with some more expertise in camerawork and a tidier script: scenes are often ill-paced, and the camera is not capturing a scene fully. I suppose that might be that the sets are fairly small, but it is noticeably distracting. Overall though, Glowzies is a fairly entertaining low budget title that surprises with a competent sense of humour and effects for it’s budget. A lack of a more rigorous and sharper script hurts some of the more tense moments, but for a “family-friendly” horror film, it’s got enough in it for a one-time watch if you can appreciate the b-movie aesthetic and recognise that self-awareness in the film itself.
-
#674 – Nekotronic (2018)
Nekrotronic (2018)
Film review #674
Director: Kiah Roache-Turner
SYNOPSIS: Sewer cleaner Howard learns of the secret battle between demons who infiltrate the real world via the internet, and the nekromancers who fight them. Learning that he himself is a nekromancer, Howard is reluctantly dragged into the battle between good and evil, as the whole world comes under threat from Finnegan, who seeks the power of the demons, and who just also happens to be Howard’s Mum…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Nekrotronic is a 2019 Australian sci-fi film. Howard is a sewer cleaner that is thrust into the battle between the demons that invade the real world via an app, and the nekromancers that fight them. Learning that he is a nekromancer himself, he must team up with others like him to stop Finnegan, who just so happens to be his Mum, from absorbing millions of souls and becoming immortal. The plot of the film clearly takes elements from Ghostbusters and The Matrix, with creatures coming down phone lines, and being trapped by the nekromancers. It never feels too derivative though, as it has its own brand of humour and silliness to drive things along. The mechanics of how everything works are very convoluted though, and you’ll probably end up glossing over some of the details. The film is driven by a lot of high-energy banter, action and swearing: lots and lots of swearing. Alongside this, there’s enough twists and turns in the story to latch on to which keep things interesting.
The characters of the film often feel a little under-utilised: Howard as the man who is introduced to this new world is who we relate with most, because we as the viewer often have no idea what is happening either. His friend Rangi, who dies and becomes a ghost (erm, wraith) provides some more mad cap energy, but doesn’t do a lot for a good chunk of the movie. Molly and Torquel have their moments too, but nothing outstanding. Monica Bellucci as Finnegan is clearly overacting for her life, and makes a fun villain, complimenting the silly, fun nature of the film. The practical effects are substantial and give the action a very tactile feel, and everything is very colourful, so it often never feels like there’s a dull moment. Nekrotronic is a mishmash of different ideas, inspirations and sometimes overwhelming mechanics and logic, but its high-energy, over-the-top antics typically overcome the convoluted elements. It’s humour is not sophisticated, and driven very much by banter and swearing, which is not going to appeal to everyone. It’s a silly, flashy and altogether messy experience that doesn’t offer anything new or substantive, but might be just entertaining enough if you appreciate it’s sense of humour.
-
#673 – Supernova (2000)
Supernova (2000)
Film review #672
Director: Thomas Lee
SYNOPSIS: A medical ship answers a distress call from a distant moon, where they find the sole survivor of an outpost and a mysterious artefact. Unsure of its purpose, the man wants to bring it back to civilised space and sell it, but the crew suspect ulterior motives…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Supernova is a 2000 sci-fi film. Set in the twenty-second century, a medical ship intercepts a distress signal from a mining colony, and upon arriving, they find the moon destroyed, and the ship suffers extensive damage. Furthermore, the ship is slowly getting sucked into the gas giant’s gravity, and the ship’s jump drive will only be recharged eleven minutes before that happens, which is the mother of all coincidences. The crew rescue a sole survivor, Karl Larson, who has a mysterious alien artefact, and says he wants to sell it back home to become rich. However, it turns out he is actually possessed by this artefact or something, and he wants to bring the artefact back to civilised space to collapse the matter of the universe and rebirth it…or something like that anyway, it’s fairly vague. Sure enough, Karl starts killing off the crew, and they must find a way to survive and get home. There’s one other film that immediately springs to mind when seeing this one: Event Horizon. Whereas that film was good at what it wanted to do, Supernova is an absolute mess, and has no idea what it wants to do. Now, part of this is is the classic studio interference and clash with the director’s vision: Director Walter Hill wanted a more psychological horror (akin to Event Horizon), the studio wanted something more “hip and sexy.” While the film does have some slick effects, and gets in a few sex scenes, the cost of this interference is that the editing reduces the film to an incomprehensible mess. Any in-depth analysis of the artefact is avoided (to make the film more “hip” I guess?), the story is all over the place, and the characters have no development, as they can disappear for large periods of the film before reappearing). There’s no build up to the tense parts of the film, and the killings just start happening one after another so that nothing really has any impact.
The production history of this film perhaps explains why this film is the way it is: the film’s origins begin in 1990, where H.R. Giger was brought on board to do some art for the film. MGM bought the film and decided to rework the film to be more “mainstream,” leading to creative differences with director Walter Hill quitting the project after they hired him (and him using a pseudonym in the credits, clearly wanting nothing to do with the projects, another director was brought on to do re-shoots, which seems to have made things worse, and in a last-ditch efforts, MGM brought in legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola to re-edit the film for release. Given that what actually was released is a jumbled mess that not even Coppola could redeem, it clearly speaks to just how much of a mess this film had devolved into. So yes, the final product is bland, derivative, and devoid of any substance, and with a runtime of ninety minutes, clearly does the bare minimum to make it a feature-length film, and says no more than it has to.
In short, Supernova is a mess of a film that having been through a grinder of re-editing and re-shoots, delivers a final product that has no real vision or depth. The positives are that the effects and design of the ship are nice, and it’s decently acted with a diverse and experienced cast, but other than that it fails to deliver anything of note.
-
#672 – 51 (2011)
51 (2011)
Film review #672
Director: Jason Connery
SYNOPSIS: Under political and public pressure, the U.S. government opens up Area 51 to a limited tour for a select group of journalists. However, the aliens that are secretly beyond the journalists eye manage to break out, and everyone is forced to fight for their survival against the horrors roaming the facility…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: 51 is a 2011 sci-fi TV movie that premiered on the Syfy channel. The backstory is that Area 51 is allowing journalists into the facility under pressure to make it more transparent. Colonel Martin is put in charge of the journalists tour, and to make sure they don’t discover the actual aliens they have hidden in the depths of the facility. The opening scene should give you a clue about what to expect, as a news reporter delivers the film’s plot against a fairly bad green screen, and the group of journalists arrive at the facility. They are met by Colonel Martin, the man in charge of making sure that the journalists don’t see the actual secret stuff, like the aliens locked up in the lower levels. As it just so happens, while the tour is commencing, one of the aliens manages to break out, and the tour is trapped within the facility’s lockdown, while the soldiers have to find a way to stop the aliens from escaping. The alien that first escapes is a shapeshifter that can imitate any living organism it touches. So, as you might expect, this film just goes the direction of The Thing, as the humans try and work out who the shapeshifter is. There’s also some other aliens, such as an invisible one, and a friendly alien with telekinesis, and the film spreads itself a little thin between all these different creatures and scenarios, thus unable to make a tense atmosphere with a bit more focus.
Given that this is a Syfy TV movie, you are going to expect a certain low budget affair with mediocre acting and a lack of originality, and in this sense, it certainly delivers. The big issue with the film is that it is so disparate and lacking in focus that it is hard to keep your attention on it. The film shifts between the different characters constantly, and the different aliens with different abilities makes it difficult to maintain a consistent horror tone. Apart from the main characters trapped below ground, the focus periodically shifts to above ground, where a pair of soldiers just discuss…anything really. The scenes of inane dialogue are obviously meant to stretch out the runtime to ninety minutes, which it does, but completely throws off any sense of pacing. We get brief insights into the characters and their backstories, but this set up never goes anywhere. The aliens themselves have some effort put into making them look alien, but their movement is very awkward and stunted. All in all, there’s not much else to say about 51, it’s what you would expect from a Syfy TV movie in most aspects, but made worse by horrendous pacing and a severe lack of focus that is unable to generate the necessary atmosphere for a horror film.
-
#671 – Monster Trucks (2016)
Monster Trucks (2016)
Film review #671
Director: Chris Wedge
SYNOPSIS: A young junkyard worker gets a surprise when a strange tentacled creature wanders into the yard to consume oil. He learns that a local oil company is after it after they disturbed its habitat, so the pair team up to rescue the other creatures that have been captured and get them home…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Monster Trucks is a 2016 sci-fi film. When oil company Terravax inadvertently drills into a oil reserve that houses intelligent creatures. Terravax manage to capture two of them, but one escapes to a junkyard where high school student Tripp is working. After befriending the creature, he realises that he can fit the creature in the front of his truck and essentially become an engine for it, and the two team up to try and keep it safe from Terravax security and find it’s way home. The story is very much an E.T. and Free Willy story, with nothing new to offer: the creature wants to find it’s way home, and the big mean oil company is standing in it’s way, these are not novel concepts. Full of clear-cut clichés that barely play out, it is easy to simply tune out of this film, but sticking with it, there is a certain charm the film exudes, and it pulls off it’s main premise decently. There’s not really much depth to it, but the pre-teen audience it is aimed at might be entertained enough by the sporadic amount of action.
The characters are again a fairly uninteresting bunch: reasonably likeable leads keep the film going, but side characters barely get any mileage out of their appearances. The creature itself is rendered nicely, and is fairly well animated and brought to life. Applying any amount of scrutiny to the plot very quickly unravels any cohesion or reason. For example, the sheer amount of damage Tripp does when he and the creature are on the road includes smashing into other people’s cars and crushing a whole row of them in front of a car dealership, but nowhere is it mentioned again, even by the Sherriff who is his Mum’s boyfriend. Despite doing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage throughout the film, Tripp just ends the film with a brand new truck and goes on his way seemingly with no repercussions. Also, the blatant disregard to any actual physics with how cars handle is something you’re clearly supposed to overlook as well. Like I say, the film is for a young audience that aren’t going to perform any analysis on the consistency of the plot, but it does ask you to overlook a lot of things that don’t make sense.
Overall, Monster Trucks is just another kid’s movie that recycles the E.T. and Free Willy formula while contributing little to nothing of it’s own. Nevertheless, it does have enough charm and likability in some of it’s lead characters to get you through it if you’re not turned off. The consistencies of the plot bare very little relation to reality sometimes, but given the young target audience, that can be overlooked. It’s just not going to challenge that audience with anything impactful or long-lasting. Monster Trucks is best described as mild entertainment that’s stuck in first gear.
-
#670 – Austin Powers in Goldmember
Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
Film review #670
Director: Jay Roach
SYNOPSIS: British super spy Austin Powers receives word that his Father has gone missing, and must travel back in time to the 1970’s to rescue him. Teaming up with undercover FBI agent Foxxy Cleopatra, he investigates the supervillain Goldmember, who has some connection with the disappearance…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Austin Powers in Goldmember is 2002 film and the third in the Austin Powers franchise. The opening sequence sees Austin Powers on the set of a film based on him named “Austinpussy,” as we see famous actors playing the roles of all the characters, including Tom Cruise as Austin, Danny Devito as Mini-me etc. with Spielberg directing. This is probably one of the funniest moments of the film: it throws in so many cameos and recognisable faces that it’s impossible to divert your attention. The plot proper focuses on Austin learning that his Father has disappeared, and the villain Goldmember is somehow responsible. Travelling back in time to the 1970s, Austin teams up with undercover FBI agent Foxxy Cleopatra to stop Goldmember and unravel the mystery. The film is structured very similarly to the other Austin Powers films: like a series of skits loosely related to each other, and like the other films, some work better than others. On the whole though, the hits always outweigh the misses. Like the second film, Goldmember has a time travel aspect to the story, with Austin travelling back to the 1970’s this time instead of the 1960’s. The setting doesn’t play that much of a part of the film, but it is a little different from the 60’s setting of its predecessor. The time travel aspect does make things a bit confusing: often you can have no idea what time period a scene is in, but it’s not too much of an issue; you’re not watching this film for continuity. It does, however, throw up some new backstory for the characters in surprising ways, even if they barely make sense.
The humour continues the curve of the series with it incorporating more contemporary references and crude humour. As I mentioned in my review of the second film, the first one was very thorough in it’s spoofing of James Bond and spy films, so the humour does have to evolve and find new material. It’s still got enough of it, but it really becomes the base for other jokes, or to provide call-backs to the previous films. Goldmember leans a lot more into stereotypes and the humour is a bit more mean, and I think it doesn’t fit the series sometimes, and the more contemporary humour does make the film seem a little dated watching it in the present. There’s still plenty of good things about it and the humour is largely on par with the the other two, I just think there’s a few more misses this time around.
Goldmember‘s new cast are a good all-around addition: Beyoncé as Foxxy Cleopatra works really well, and adds something fresh to the humour and story. Michael Caine as Austin’s Father Nigel is a really good choice, and he pulls off the role very well, sometimes being more Austin Powers than Austin Powers. Goldmember, played again by Michael Myers and bringing the characters he plays in the film to four alongside Austin, Dr. Evil and Fat Bastard, doesn’t really make much impact as a villain or a character> I remember his “smoke and a pancake” line being infinitely quoted when the film was released, but that’s about it. Overall, Goldmember fits nicely into the Austin Powers franchise, and continues its brand of humour. The film is a narrative mess between moving between time travelling and whatnot, but it’s easy to overlook that. It changes enough to keep things fresh, but it pushes the humour into more crude and contemporary references that I think narrow it’s appeal, and don’t connect as easily. Still, however, a perfectly good spoof in keeping with the franchise.
-
#669 – Austin Powers: the Spy Who Shagged Me
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
Film review #669
Director: Jay Roach
SYNOPSIS: Dr. Evil returns from being frozen orbit with a new plan to defeat his nemesis Austin Powers: he travels to 1969 to steal Austin’s “mojo” and render him powerless. Austin chases him back in time, and teams up with CIA agent Felicity Shagwell to once again thwart Dr. Evil’s plan for world domination…
THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me is a 1999 film and a sequel to the 1997 Austin Powers film. Picking up right where the first film leaves off, Austin is on his honeymoon with Vanessa, when it turns out she is a fembot and tries to kill Austin. Destroying her and thus restoring his singlehood. Vanessa being a fembot all along makes zero sense in continuity, but like its predecessor, the film is a spoof that insists you don’t overthink about continuity and plotholes, and just “enjoy the ride.” This also goes for the time travel element of the story, as Basil and Austin turn to the camera, and tell the audience not to worry about it. That’s honestly the best way to do it in this type of film: you don’t want to get bogged down in the details and be thinking how it makes sense, rather than just enjoying the humour. Taking Austin back in time to 1969 puts Austin in his element, and refreshes the story instead of it being about Austin having to adjust to the 90’s again, which is a smart move and provides fertile ground for new material. In fact, I think this film actually flows better than the first one, which jumped around a bit too distinctly and made very little sense continuity-wise.
On the whole, the film is structured the same as the first one: With Michael Myers at the helm and following his experience on “Saturday Night Live,” the film is best treated as a series of related, somewhat connected skits. In this way, you can see that the skits are a bit of hit and miss: although the hits outweigh the misses by a good ratio, making an overall good experience. While the first film had the element of Vanessa being the prudish, straight-laced counter to Austin’s over-the-top colourful antics, this contrast never really got off the ground as a foundational plot-point, as Vanessa warmed up to Austin fairly quickly. Replacing Vanessa (Liz Hurley) with Felicity Shagwell (Heather Graham), who is just as high-energy as Austin is, allows the film to just revel in what it does best: being colourful and fun.
A noticeable change in this film is that the humour pivots to more crude comedy, and incorporating contemporary references. The first film was very much focused on spoofing spy films and obviously 007, and it was very thorough is getting through all the material to spoof. As such, it makes sense to pivot the humour slightly differently, as it somewhat exhausted it’s subject matter. With one of the opening scenes featuring Jerry Springer and his talk show, this obviously feels a bit dated, but you get the idea. The inclusion of the character Fat Bastard, also played by Myers alongside Austin and Doctor Evil, adds in more crude humour, which is not going to appeal to everyone. I think he’s a character which has one joke, which is recycled a bit too much. Nevertheless, he has become a rather iconic character, so you’re mileage will vary with that. The film also has callbacks to jokes from the previous film, but I think they fail to iterate on them or do anything different, so they feel like recycling the same material.
Overall, I think The Spy Who Shagged Me is more or less on the same level as International Man of Mystery. I think it slightly improves over the original in terms of flow and plot structure, and revels in it’s own identity a bit more than focusing on spoofing other films. Where it is weaker is perhaps the incorporation of contemporary references and the crude humour that don’t have the more timeless, universal appeal. On the whole though, the film carries the franchise onward well.
